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The Cherokees are divided into seven families, or clans. This I believe is the case with the other tribes also. The individuals in these families were supposed to be too nearly related to admit of intermarriages, and therefore such marriages were punished with death. All the members of one family, i.e. one clan, associated together as parents and children, or as brother & sister, or near relatives. Thomas Smith It is said that anciently young people could not marry without the consent of the parents of both parties, and also the approbation of the priest who was to officiate. They were married for life. The marriage of a priest was attended with peculiar ceremonies. His wife must be a person approved by his seven counsellors, she must be a virgin, who had never had a husband, and of unblemished character. Great honour was attached to her character, and in some respects she filled the place of her husband on his disease, till the consecration of his successor, though, in that case, his official duties, generally, were performed by his right hand man. J Pridget T Smith

On the death of the high priest, his assistant, or right hand man, appointed the time for the consecration of his successor, and dispatched his messenger to notify the priest through the nation, giving him a string of wild hemp, braided, and having as many knots tied in it as there were nights previous to the meeting. This messenger went personally to all the towns lying in a direct course?, leaving other towns to be notified at his request.  He cut a knot from his string every morning, till the priests being assembled at the time appointed, sent each his messenger to the candidate for office, requesting him to accept the appointment, supposing he would need encouragement and persuasion to bring him forward.  On the return of their messengers, and being assured of the willingness of the candidate to comply with this request, the priests all repaired in due order to his house. strikeout: I  have not understood whether the the candidate was washed, strikeout: but this was probably the case, as it is said there must not be the least filth about him, when his official robe was put on him. Seeing that his body was pure from all filth, the priests dressed him in the garments peculiar to his office. These consecration garments were were made in the same fashion