388 The Origin of Totem Nmnes and Beliefs.
American " genfes" are not merely totem-names, they answer, with literal precision, to our folklore village sobri- quets, when tliese are not names of plants or animals. The late Rev. James Owen Dorsey left, at his death, a paper on " The Siouan Sociology." ^ Among the '^ gentes'^ (old totem kindreds with male descent) he noted the '^ genfes" of a tribe, " The Mysterious Lake Tribe." There were, in 1880, seven ^' gentes." Three names were derived from localities. One name meant " Breakers of (exoga- mous) Law." One was " Not encumbered with much bag- gage." One was " Rogues " (" Bad Nation.") These three last names are derisive nicknames. The seventh name was " Eats no Geese," obviously a totemic survival. Of the Wahpeton tribe all the seven ^' genfcs^^ derived their names from localities. Of the Sisseton tribe, the twelve names of '^ gentes" were either nicknames (one^ "a name of derision ") or derived from localities. Of the Yankton gentes," five names out of seven were nicknames, mostly derisive, the sixth was "Bad Nation" (Rogues), the seventh was a totem name, " Wild Cat." Of the Hun- patina (seven "^^«/^j- ") three names were totemic (Drift- ing Goose, Dogs, Eat no Buffalo Cows), the others were nicknames, such as " Eat the Scrapings of Hides." Of the Sitcanxu, there were thirteen ^' gentes.^' Six or seven of their titles were nicknames, three were totemic, the others were dubious, such as " Smellers of Fish." The Itaziptec had seven " gentes" ] of their names all were nicknames, including " Eat dried venison from the hind quarter." Of the Minikooju, there were nine '^ gcntcs." Eight names w'ere nicknames, including " Dung Eaters." One seems totemic, "Eat No Dogs." Of five Asiniboin "gentes " the names were nicknames from the habits or localities of the communities. One was " Girls' Band," that is " Girls."
Now compare parish sobriquets in Western England.'"' In this list of parish or village nicknames twenty-one are
' Report of American Bureau of Ethnology, 1S93-94, p. 213 ^/ scq. ' Thirteenth Report of the Committee of Devonshire Folklore, Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, 1S95, xxvii., pp. 61-74.
