210 president's address — SECTION F. 



but here each division has a distinctive name or a distinctive sign by 

 which one is known from the other. The two divisions call themselves 

 Marawe and Pikalaba, which are the names of two different kinds of 

 Mantis. The system is the same as in the Gazelle Peninsula, and 

 children born by a Marawe woman belong to the Marawe division, 

 just as children born by a Pikalaba woman belong to the Pikalaba 

 division. 



The father is scarcely considered in the light of a relation ; the 

 nearest male relative is the maternal uncle. So strictly is the system 

 regarded that sexual intercourse between members of the same section 

 is looked upon as incest, and in former times was punished with death — 

 a custom still lingering in out-of-the-way places, but gradually losing 

 force through the influence of the authorities and settlers. Intercourse 

 between a male and female who are members of different sections is 

 considered a far less offence, and in certain places, as in the island of 

 Buka, the system is carried to such an extreme that the father is per- 

 mitted to hold sexual intercourse with his own daughters. 



Crossing from the Duke of York group to New Ireland we once more 

 meet with this singular system. In the southern half of the island the 

 inhabitants are closely related to the tribes of the Duke of York group 

 and the N.E. Gazelle Peninsula, the latter being, in fact, immigrants 

 who have crossed the St. George's Channel from southern New Ireland. 

 In consequence, the dual division prevailed, but as they came into closer 

 contact with their northern neighbors, amongst whom the divisions 

 have multiplied, some of the northern customs have been gradually 

 adopted, so that the original dual division has been broken up and 

 augmented by new divisions. 



In northern New Ireland the totem system flourishes to its full 

 extent. It is, however, unnecessary to give you a detailed account ; it 

 will be sufficient to mention that all totem emblems are selected from 

 amongst the bird tribe. The parrot, hornbill, fowl, pigeon, frigate 

 bird, and various others give their names to, or represent, the different 

 divisions ; but the same system prevails in regard to marriage and 

 descent. 



In this northern part of New Ireland, and in the outlying smaller 

 islands — Fisher Island and Gardner Island — it is customary to celebrate 

 annual festivities in honor of the dead, and, in connection with these 

 festivities, to manufacture large and elaborate carvings. These wooden 

 carvings have the closest resemblance to the North American totem 

 posts, inasmuch as they represent the totem of the person in whose 

 honor they are er.ected. In most museums these carvings are well 

 known and, upon closely observing them, no difficulty will be found in 

 recognising the particular totem bird, sometimes executed in a very 

 realistic form, so that the special bird the carver wanted to represent 

 is readily identified, sometimes carved in a highly idealised manner, 

 so that the uninitiated are scarcely able to guess the kind of bird repre- 

 sented. Besides these totem birds the carvings also represent several 

 other forms of life, especially sharks, pigs, lizards, snakes, and so on. 

 These are not totem signs, they represent evil spirits which in his life- 



