d with the rite, and one of these names is given to each
person born within the clan. Names of this class are generally retained by
men and women throughout life and, to a degree, are regarded as sacred in
character. These names have also a social significance, as they always
indicate the birth status of the person, for the name at once shows to
which clan or kinship group the bearer belongs. No one can exchange his
clan or birth name, any more than he can change his sex.

The names that belong to the second class are those which are taken by an
adult to mark an achievement. This must be an act in which he has shown
special ability or courage in successfully defending his people from
danger. Such a name, therefore, marks an epoch in a man's life and is
strictly personal to the man, and, to a degree, indicative of his character
or attainments. It sometimes happens, although but rarely, that a man on
such an occasion may decide to take the name of a noted ancestor rather
than acquire an entirely new name, but the character of the act of taking a
new name is not thereby changed.

These facts concerning the significance of Indian personal names throw
light on the widespread custom observed among Indians of never addressing
men or women by their personal names or of using those names in their
presence. To do so is a breach of good manners. The personal name, as has
been shown, refers either to the religious rites sacred to the bearer's
clan or else to a notable act performed by the man; in both cases the name
stands for something that is too closely connected with the life of the
individual to make it fit for common use. The difficulty of designating a
person one wishes to address is met by the use of terms of relationship. Of
course, in some companies these terms would be literally true and proper,
but there are terms which are used in a wider sense and which do not imply
actual kinship. (The subject of Indian relationships and their terms is too
complex to be entered upon here.) There are terms which are employed merely
to indicate respect. For instance, "Grandfather" is used when addressing or
speaking of the President of the United States; "Little Father" and
"Father" when addressing or speaking of the Secretary of the Interior and
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, both of whom rank below the President,
as is well known to the Indian. The use of terms of relationship may appear
strange to us, but there is, as we have se