The Menominee had a complicated structure of clans or groups which were known by spirits of the air, earth or water or by certain animals. There was a council of elders for general matters and special leaders in war and religious affairs. War Chiefs won prominence through dreams or individual prowess. These war chiefs acted as keepers of the tribal war medicine, spokesmen for the heredity leaders, directed public celebrations, and were the guardians of the wild rice at harvest time.

The Speakers of the Tribe had no power, except that power which was given to them by Tribal members. Decision-making was a function of the tribal members as a whole and those decisions empowered the speakers and the band leaders to act.

There are many versions of the Menominee Clan System. In the beginning there were three phratries or principal totems. As the tribal population increased, eventually two more phratries were added. According to available information the clan system consisted of 34 groups prior to the Treaty Era with the U.S. Government. The Menominee clan structure reveals the thought and logic that was an important part of the tribal social relationships. For example, the system regulated the functions of government and marriages.

The following outline represents a combination of the various versions showing the five main divisions. These five main divisions are known as the Bear, the Thunderers (represented by the Golden Eagle), the Crane, the Wolf and the Moose. Each phratry consisted of a principal clan and a number of member clans:

In this manner lived the ancient Menominee's. For untold centuries they had gathered the wild rice, tracked the deer and speared the wary sturgeon. Could their dreamers have told them soon from out of the East would come men unlike any they had ever seen, men who would change their age old pattern of living.

For more information on the Menominee Indian Clans, please visit the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Online Library.