eighteen territorial clans or lakalinyeri that constituted the Ngarrindjeri "confederacy" or "nation", each of which was administered by about a dozen elders (tendi). Each clan's tendi in turn would convene to elect a rupulli, or chieftain of the entire Ngarrindjeri confederacy. Taplin construed this as a centrally administered, hierarchical government representing tribal estates (ruwe), and one which was delegated to administer eighteen independent territories. Ngarrindjeri lakinyeri Taplin's list of 18 lakinyeri Each lakinyeri had its own nga:tji/ngaitji. was further finessed by Alfred William Howitt, drawing on information he obtained from Taplin, and listing 20. The following reproduces Howitt's version of that list with, where possible, the location and totem. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Clan Name ! Location ! Native word / English meaning ! Totem (ngaitji) |- | Ramindjeri. | Encounter Bay; | rumaii (the west) | wirulde/tangari. wattle gum |- | Tanganarin. | Goolwa to the Coorong. | (where shall we go?) | manguritpuri. pelican or nori. |- | Kandarlindjeri. | West side of the Murray Mouth. | (whales) | kandarli whale |- | Lungundaram. | East side of Murray Mouth | (seaside men) | tyellityelli tern |- | Turarorn | Mundoo Island in Lake Alexandrina | coot men | turi/tettituri. coot |- | Pankindjeri{{efn|Taplin wrote 'parkindjeri, corrected by Brown. }} | Coorong east of Lake Albert | (deep water) | kunnguldi (Stromateidae|butterfish) |- | Kanmerarorn. | Coorong between the Pakindjeri and Ngrangatari | (mullet men) | kanmeri (mullet). |- | Kaikalabindjeri. | Southern/ eastern shores of Lake Albert | (watching) | (a) ngulgar-indjeri bull ant;(b) pingi, water-weed |- | Mungulindjeri| Eastern side of Lake Albert | (thick or muddy water) | wanyi chocolate sheldrake |- | Rangulindjeri. | Western shore of Lake Albert | (howling dog) | turiit-pani (dark-coloured dingo) |- | Karatinderi. | Eastern side of Lake Alexandrina around Point Malcolm | (signal smoke) | turiit-pani (light-coloured dingo) |- | Piltindjeri. | eastern side of Lake Alexandrina | (ants) | (a) maninki. (leeches); (b) pomeri, (cat-fish). |- | Talk-indyeri| | ((a(fulness) (b)Artemis sp. | (a)? leech/? catfish? (b) tiyawi lace lizard. |- | Wulloke| | (wood sparrow) | ?leech, ?catfish? lace lizard? |- | Karowalli| North of Lake Alexandrina | (gone over there) | wayi whipsnake |- | Punguratpula. | Western side of Lake Alexandrina around Milang | (place of bulrushes) | peldi. musk duck |- | Welindjeri. | Northern shore of Lake Alexandrina | (belonging to,