Mitei

The Mitei were a class of individuals in Cusinaut in the 17th and 18th century who were chosen to serve as representatives of constituent nations of the Northern Confederation. The term Mitei is an Algosh term referring to medicine man, though the term by the 1600s took on a general sense of a wise man, including medicine men, miscellaneous elders, indigenous philosophers, and other related types of persons. In the earliest version of the Northern Confederation's governance, Mitei were chosen to represent the constituent nations in the National Conference which oversaw the Confederation. The Mitei, as respected men, functioned as a kind of proto-lobbyist, representing their "clients" on the basis of agreement rather than democratic representation or by appointed delegation. Accordingly, the Mitei were not necessarily always members of the constituent nation they represented. Many Mitei would represent the interests of multiple different nations within a National Conference meeting. The period in which the Mitei were influential has been referred to as the Miteocracy.

As the tradition of Mitei-based representation continued, Mitei became a quasi-profession apart from the respected social place they held prior to their representative role. By the 1680s, many Mitei began to accept financial contributions from their clients. Since many Mitei represented multiple clients, these financial transactions began to take on the appearence of a conflict of interest. As the practice continued, many Mitei began to secretly bargain with their clients to give one of their clients an upper hand at Conference meetings. This practice became common knowledge by the 1730s, causing significant public consternation and controversy. In 1741, a Mitei's decision at that year's Conference caused significant controversy and led to a riot in Kaigwa, the host city. The riots precipitated a period of reform in the Confederation and the mass arrest of the Mitei by the constituent leaders of the Confederation. Beginning in 1742, delegates chosen by the leaders of the nations replaced the Mitei.

The term Mitei took on the meaning of "charlatan" or "huckster" in the aftermath of the 1741 riots, a meaning that the word still retains today.