How
Children Learned About Their Wilp
In the past, when a boy who was
"in line" to become chief was about eight or
ten years old, he moved from his parents' home to his
maternal uncles's home. The boy's uncle knew all the
details of the wilp's business and had a complete
knowledge of the wilp history and property. He passed
this information on to the boy. The boy needed to move in
with his uncle because, as a member of another wilp, the
boy's father did not have thta special knowledge.
Remember: The plural for wilp
is "huwilp".
Because a girl and her mother
were in the same wilp, there was not as much need for a
girl to leave her parent's home. She could learn much of
the special knowledge of her wilp from her mother, her
mother's mother, and her mother's brothers and sisters.
- Maternal means
"mother's family" - e.g.. your maternal
uncle is your mother's brother
- Paternal means
"father's family
Help At A Feast
When a chief host a feast he
gets help from the members of his own wilp and pdeek.
He can get help from other people, too.
A chief can also get help from:
- his wilksilaks,
- people with the same
wilksilaks as himself,
- members of his wife's
wilp.
In addition, when the members
of a chief's wilp give him support for a feast they can
help from:
- their wilksilaks,
- their spouse's wilp.
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