 In the late 1890s, Boas had tried to reconstruct transformation in the organization of Kwakiutl clans, by comparing them to the organization of clans in other societies neighboring the Kwakiutl to the north and south.Now, however, he argued against translating the Kwakiutl principle of kin groups into an English word.Instead of trying to fit the Kwakiutl into some larger model, he tried to understand their beliefs and practices in their own terms.