272 GOVERNING RUSSIA'S PROVINCES
of trade and industry should be protected; 5. taxes and tribute should
be proportional to the abilities of each tribe and assessed at regular
intervals (to prevent cases where the same tribute was levied over
several generations, though the composition and way of life of the
tribe had changed). 1
The settled natives were classified as state peasants. Wherever their
number was large enough, the natives could use their language for
official purposes in separate townships. Administratively, they were
identified with the Russian peasantry.2 This was all the statute said
about the settled natives (a relatively small minority in Speransky's time)
and it very clearly implied the ultimate goal of making their adminis-
trative and social pattern uniform with that of the Russian peasantry.
For all practical purposes the law concerned itself with the nomads and
vagrants.
The basic assumption was that the government should not interfere
any more than necessary into native life. It was particularly important
for the judicial realm. The natives should have all means to settle their
affairs and disputes on the basis of their own local customs. Except
for five specified types of major crimes (rebellion, premeditated murder,
pillage, counterfeiting, theft of government property) the natives were
to be tried in accordance with their customs and by their own chiefs. 3
The administrative system for the natives was relatively simple. That
of the nomads served as model. Each encampment (ulus) of 15 families
or more forms a Clan Administration (rodovaia uprava), consisting of
one elder, either elective or hereditary, depending on the custom of
the tribe, and one or two elected assistants. The elected officials must
be chosen among the "better" "lnd most honored members of the clan.
Within the clan, the elder may keep the traditional native title, but in
his dealings with the provincial administration, he is only an elder.
The Clan Administration conducts its business orally; therefore it
cannot be very complex. Several encampments constitute a Native
Administration (inorodnaia uprava), consisting of one head (golova),
two elected elders, and if possible, one clerk. The Clan Administration
is subordinate in every respect to this inorodnaia uprava. In a sense, the
relation is similar to that between the township and village adminis-
trations for the Russian populations. The Native Administration is in
direct contact with the Russian authorities (Land Police), either orally
or in writing.^4 The setup for the vagrants is quite similar, except that
1 Obo%renie glavnykh osnovanii"'J pp. 60-61.
2 PSZ 29.126. pars. 12. 13. 17-23. 88-92.
3 PSZ 29.126. pars. 25. 68. 70. 72.
4 PSZ 29.126. pars. 94-110.