800 PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



number of local groups, and these are perpetuated in the same tracts 

 by the sons, who hunt over the hunting grounds of their fathers. This 

 has been termed by Mr. Fison and myself the "Local Organization."* 

 But it is not the only organization of the tribe, for there is also what 

 we have termed the " Social Organization," in which the tribe, as a 

 community, is divided into two parts, which are quite distinct from the 

 local groups just described, t Each of these two social divisions is, in 

 many tribes, divided into two subgroups, and in all, except the most 

 abnormal cases, there is a group of subdivisions to each class, or sub- 

 class, to which the convenient and well understood name of Totems 

 may be applied.! These groups, subgroups, and totem groups have 

 each a name, which is borne by every individual belonging to them. 

 All the members of such a group are held to be parents and children, 

 or brothers and sisters, as the relative ages of the individuals may 

 determine. Thus we may distinguish between "own" and "tribal" 

 parents, children, and brethren. 



I use the term " primary classes " for the two principal social divis- 

 ions ; but it is certain that, in many cases, their designations are " ani- 

 mal names," and therefore the term " major totems" might be applicable 

 to them. The tribe, therefore, is organized in two ways. On the one 

 hand, it is divided geographically, either into what may be termed hordes 

 with uterine descent, or into clans with agnatic descent ; and, on the 

 other hand, it is divided socially into classes with their subdivisions as 

 above described. The two organizations are coexistent, and they are 

 coextensive in their entirety, but the divisions of the one do not corre- 

 spond with those of the other. For, while all the people who belong to 

 any given local group are found in one locality alone, those who belong 

 to any given social group are to be found distributed among many, if not 

 among all, of the local groups. In order that we may clearly perceive the 

 bearing of the facts as to marriage, descent, and relationship, which I 

 shall place on record in this paper, it is very necessary to bear in mind 

 this distinction between the local and the social organization of a tribe.§ 



* In order to avoid going over this ground, which would take up too much space, 

 I may be permitted to refer to a memoir on this subject entitled, " From Mother-right 

 to Father-right." Journal Anthropological Institute, August, 1882. 



t Exceptions to this rule may be found in rare cases, where in certain advanced 

 tribes the two organizations have come to be coincident ; for instance, the Woiworung 

 tribe of the Yarra River, in which the two totems of the community live in a num- 

 ber of local groups apart from each other. All the people in one locality are Eagle- 

 hawk, and in another they are Crow. It may be noted here once for all that the 

 present tense is used in some cases where the past would be more appropriate, the 

 tribes being all but extinct. 



t Of course the word "totem" is, strictly speaking, the badge of a certain group. 

 For the sake of convenience I use it also to denote the group which is distinguished 

 by the badge. 



§ This is a concise statement of what has been detailed more at length by Mr. Fison 

 and mysrw in a paper entitled "The Deme and the Horde," communicated by us to 

 the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain. 



