Some, but not a majority of American Indian tribes had two chiefs.
Not all American Indian tribes had two chiefs. Some tribes, like the Comanche, had one chief. Others tribes, such as the Caddo, had one local chief but were confederated under larger groups with grand chiefs -- similar to the U.S. system of having state governors confederated under a U.S. president. Yet other tribes, including the Wyandot tribe, had chiefs in different ranks, so that they had one principal chief but several underling associate chiefs. Still, several tribes had two chiefs.
Meskwaki Tribe
The Meskwaki tribe, whose name translates to fox, had two chiefs: one in peacetime and one for war. The peace chief inherits his position from his father, similar to royalty. He is responsible for diplomatic relations with other tribes. The wartime chief is voted into his position by military leaders within the tribe. He is in charge of the tribe's security.
Sauk Tribe
The Sauk tribe was structured similarly to the Meskwaki tribe: it also had a peacetime and wartime chief. Both tribes shared other attributes, including a common language. They originally hailed from Michigan and Wisconsin. After the Meskwaki tribe was nearly wiped out in a war with the French, the Sauk merged with them in order to keep their numbers strong and their language intact. Today modern Sauk and Meskwaki tribal members live as a joint tribe in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa, and their tribal leaders are elected by a general council.
Miami Tribe
Contrary to its name, the Miami tribe never lived in Florida -- the name of the Florida city is coincidental. The Miami tribe, whose name translates as allies, hailed from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The Miami usually had two chiefs: a village chief who was in charge of peacetime affairs and a wartime chief. Unlike the Meskwaki and Sauk tribes, the peacetime village chief of the Miami tribe did not inherit his position, but rather was voted in by tribal leaders. The wartime chief was also voted into his position by fellow warriors.
Cherokee Tribe
The Cherokee tribe migrated from the southwestern U.S. to the Great Lakes region before a war with the Iroquois and Delaware tribes pushed them to the Smoky Mountain area of what is now modern-day North Carolina and South Carolina. The Cherokee also had two chiefs: one for peacetime, one for wartime. The peacetime chief was called the white chief, while the wartime chief was called the red chief. As of 2011, Cherokee have large reservations in Oklahoma and North Carolina, as well as smaller pockets throughout the South.
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