"The clan is nothing more than a larger family, with its patriarchal chief as the natural head, and the union of several clans by intermarriage and voluntary connection constitutes the tribe"
- Charles Eastman
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This quote by Charles Eastman talks to the significance of household and community in Native American culture. He recommends that the clan is a bigger family, with the patriarchal chief as the natural head. This shows the conventional structure of Native American societies, where the chief was the leader of the clan and was accountable for the wellness of its members. Eastman likewise recommends that the union of a number of clans through intermarriage and voluntary connection produces the people. This shows the importance of intermarriage and cooperation in between different clans in order to form a bigger, more unified neighborhood. This quote highlights the significance of household and neighborhood in Native American culture, and how these two aspects are necessary for the formation of a people.
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