have
claimed for women? The further we go in our inquiry the more we are
driven to the conclusion that the favourable conditions uniting the
women with one another exerted a powerful influence on their
character. I think this is a view of the maternal family system that
has never received its proper meed of attention.

It must be noted that the women did not eat with the men; but the fact
that the apportioning of the food was in the women's hands is
sufficient proof that this separation of women and men, common among
most primitive peoples, has no connection with the superiority of one
sex over the other. It is interesting to find that only one prepared
meal was served in each day. But the pots were always kept boiling
over the fires, and any one who was hungry, either from the household
or from any other part of the village, had a right to order it to be
taken off and to eat as he or she pleased.

We may notice the influence of their communistic living in all the
Indian customs. At all times the law of hospitality was strictly
observed. Food was dispensed in every case to those who needed it; no
excuse was ever made to avoid giving. If through misfortune one
household fell into want, the needs were freely supplied from the
stock laid by for future use in another household. Hunger and
destitution could not exist in any part of an Indian village or
encampment while plenty prevailed elsewhere. Such generosity at a time
when food was often difficult to obtain, and its supply was the first
concern of life, is a remarkable fact. Nor does this generosity seem,
as might be thought, to have led to idleness and improvidence. He who
begged, when he could work, was stigmatised with the disgraceful name
of "poltroon" or "beggar"; but the miser who refused to assist his
neighbour was branded as "a bad character." Mr. Morgan, commenting on
this phase of the Indian life says: "I much doubt if the civilised
world would have in their institutions any system which can properly
be called more humane and charitable."

These reflections induce one to ask: What were the causes of this
humane system of living among a people considered as uncivilised? Now,
I do not wish to claim overmuch for women. We have seen, however, that
the control and distribution of the supply of food was placed in the
hands of the matrons, thus their association with the giving of food
must be accepted. Is not this fact sufficient to indicate the reason
that made