Five Clans (urʔcę́hseh) of the Meherrin (Kauwetsʔa·ka)
Our clans are represented by birds and animals and are divided into the three elements: water, land and air.
The bear and wolf represent the land element, the turtle and beaver represent the water element, and the snipe represents the air element.
Family names and clans are passed down from mother to child. For example if a man belonging to the snipe clan were to marry a woman of the turtle clan the children would be of the turtle clan. Because people of the same clan are considered family, marriages within the same clan are forbidden.
