Bannock chieftainship was nonhereditary and was assigned by general agreement to a man noted for wisdom and courage.
"Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society"
Robert F. Murphy Yolanda Murphy
The title of chief was nonhereditary, and, in fact, everybody was to varying degrees a "chief," Lewis noted; the most influential of the men was recognized by the others as the "principal chief."
"Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society"
Robert F. Murphy Yolanda Murphy
Despite the nonhereditary nature of the office, we sometimes find it shared by brothers, or sometimes one brother succeeded another.
"Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society"
Robert F. Murphy Yolanda Murphy