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PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



direct evidence of a condition of society which had previously been 

 deduced from systems of consanguinity and affinity as extremely prob- 

 able, if not substantially certain.* 



Thirdly. Whilst the children remained in the tribe of their mother, 

 they passed into another class of the same tribe. This will be made 

 apparent by the following table : — 



Male. Female. Male. Female. 



1. Ippai marries Kapota. Their children are Murri and Mata. 



2. Kumbo " Mata. " « " Kubbi " Kapota. 



3. Murri " Buta. " " " Ippai " Ippata. 



4. Kubbi " Ippata " " " Kumbo" Buta. 



If we follow out these descents, we find that in the female line 

 Kapota begets Mata, and Mata, in turn, begets Kapota. It is the 

 same in the male line ; for Ippai begets Murri, and Murri, in turn, 

 begets Ippai. Further than this it will be seen, by crossing from one 

 class into another, that the blood of each male and female ancestor 

 passes through each of the classes ; thus Ippai begets Murri, Murri 

 begets Ippata, Ippata begets Kumbo, Kumbo begets Kapota, Kapota 

 begets Mata, Mata begets Kubbi, and Kubbi begets Buta. 



Fourthly. Out of the preceding statements we have the full con- 

 stitution of the tribes, with the several classes belonging to each. The 

 classes are in pairs of brothers and sisters, and the tribes themselves 

 are constituted in pairs, as follows : — • 



Tribes. Male. Female. Male. Female. 



Iguana (Duli) All are Murri and Mata, or Kubbi and Kapota. 



1. 

 2. 



3. 

 4. 



Emu (Dinoun) " 



Kangaroo (Murriira) " 

 Bandicoot (Bilba) " 



Kumbo " Buta, 



5. Opossum (Mute) 



6. Blacksnake (Nurai) 



Murri " 

 Kumbo " 



Murri " 

 Kumbo " 



Mata, 

 Buta, 



Mata, 

 Buta, 



Ippai 



Kubbi 

 Ippai 



Kubbi 

 Ippai 



Ippata. 



Kapota. 

 Ippata. 



Kapota. 

 Ippata. 



* " Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family, Smithsonian 

 Contributions," Vol. XVII. p. 480 et seq. Mr. John F. McLennan, in " Primitive 

 Marriage," was the first to collect and point out the evidence of promiscuous inter- 

 course, more or less general, amongst barbarous nations. In this remarkable 

 work, which is noteworthy for its originality, logical acuteness, and thoroughness 

 of research, he remarks : " We have examples of general promiscuity, and exam- 

 ples of modified promiscuity, in which, with a pretence of marriage, the woman 

 may bestow her favors upon any one, under certain restrictions as to rank and 

 family." (p. 117.) 





