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The word sachem, of Algonquin Indian
origin, was used among some northeastern tribes to refer to their
leaders. In contrast to chiefs, who were chosen for their skill in
battle or oratory, sachems held hereditary, civil positions and
ruled by consensus. In keeping with its preference for employing
Indian words, the infamous New York City political machine Tammany
Hall called its local leaders sachems. "Sachem" has since come to
mean boss, or big cheese, or dictator, a mucky-muck, grand pooh-bah
or the Lord High Executioner. Whether the little butterfly's name is
related to this etymology, I know not.
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