34 swanton: aboriginal terms for brother and sister 



Precisely the same thing appears in the succeeding genera- 

 tion, where the use of the terms son and daughter, and nephew 

 and niece, is plainly determined by the status of the parents of 

 those so denominated. 



These facts may be illustrated by the accompanying diagram, 

 in which it is to be understood that each English expression stands 

 for a single native term. It supposes a tribe with several clans 

 and matrilineal descent, self male. Other systems would in- 

 volve a few simple and readily comprehended changes. 



DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING ^BROTHER" AND 



father's 

 brothers' 

 wives 

 (clans 1, 

 3, 4, etc.) 



father's 

 brothers 

 (clan 2) 



RELATIONSHIPS. 



father = mother 



(clan 2) 



(clan 1) 



"sister" 



mother's 

 sisters 

 (clan 1) 



mother's 

 sisters' 

 husbands 

 (clans 2, 

 3,4, etc.) 



brothers 

 (clans 1, 

 3, 4, etc.) 



sisters 

 (clans 1, 

 3,4,etc.) 



brothers 

 (clan 1) 



self 

 male 

 (clan 1) 



sisters 

 (clan 1) 



brothers 

 (clan 1) 



sisters 

 (clan 1) 



sons nephews sons sons nephews sons nephews 



and and and and and and and 



daughters nieces daughters daughters nieces . daughters nieces 



(clans 1,2, (clans 1,2, (clans 2, (clans 2, (clan 1) (clans 2, (clan 1) 



3, 4, etc.) 3, 4, etc.) 3, 4, etc.) 3, 4, etc.) 



3, 4, etc.) 



An examination of the remaining terms of relationship shows 

 that almost the only ones which have a strictly clan or gentile 

 connotation are those for father, mother, father's sister, and 

 mother's brother. Those who argue for the priority of exog- 

 amous divisions to relationship terminology and for their clan 

 rather than consanguineal significance are therefore reduced 

 to the assumption that such divisions first determined the four 

 terms last given and that all of the others were developed from 

 them on purely consanguineal lines. But even in the case of 

 these four terms we ordinarily find a distinction between the 

 own father and mother and the clan or gentile father and 

 mother, and frequently there are other exceptions to a strictly 



