Some Implications of the Theory of the Particularity, or "Atomism," of Northern Algonkians [and Comments and Reply

Abstract

The article reviews the background of theories held on the organization of northern Algonkians, especially those relating to the persistence of in the social organization and personality structure. It presents ethnohistorical and other evidence that protohistoric Algonkians lived in far more cohesive communities than is generally thought. The atomism theory is antithetical to theories of Morgan and the Marxists, especially to those concerning the evolution of property forms. Hence, conflicting theories on Algonkian organization relate to conflicts in world ideological systems. Ethnopsychological formulations of a stable Algonkian personality structure support the atomism hypothesis. Such formulations are questioned from the points of view of methodological validity, historical accuracy, and the possibility of chauvinism. The question of the organization of aboriginal social groups must be approached not through investigation of present-day descendants living in relative isolation -stressing pers...