ORIGIN OF TOTEMISM 407 



in their power to enter into a woman ; in the capacity of the woman 

 to receive them ; and for the fact that there were totem centres 

 already existing, places sacred to kangaroo, or other spirits, at each 

 of which " only the spirit of one particular totem," who were waiting 

 to be born again could congregate, and from which a spirit child 

 could enter the woman. There must, in fact, have been totems 

 before the totemic spirit could enter into the womb of a woman. 



I do not, however, think that it necessarily follows that 

 because the Arunta and a few other scattered tribes had certain 

 ideas on these matters, we must therefore take it for granted that 

 the development of totemism has proceeded on the same lines 

 amongst tribes who lived in a very different environment, for, 

 even if we admit the evolution of man from very primitive con- 

 ditions, it is still certain that this has been carried out in varying 

 and greatly differing environments. The Central Australian tribes 

 are nomad peoples, living in almost complete isolation, far inland, 

 and in localities where the conditions of life are often very un- 

 favourable. The development of such peoples would naturally be 

 slow, and their ideas upon many things would certainly be crude 

 indeed. The fact, as stated, that they have no adequate conception 

 of the causes of pregnane}'- and do not associate it with sexual 

 intercourse is so abnormal and so contrary to all experience that 

 we must assume some reasons for it which are not yet apparent, 

 and seek for further information. It is, therefore, unfortunate, I 

 think, that Dr. Frazer rejected the evidence of Dr. C. Strehlow as 

 being tainted, especially as he has subsequently quoted him in 

 another place. I do not know what Dr. Strehlow's views are on 

 the subject under consideration, but I understand that he has lived 

 among the Arunta natives for years ; that he knows their language 

 well, and that he has published a book on the folklore of the Arunta 

 and Central Australian tribes. The reasons given by Dr. Frazer 's 

 correspondent, which caused him to abstain from making use of 

 Dr. Strehlow's information would, to my personal knowledge, compel 

 us to reject much valuable information which has hitherto been 

 regarded as trustworthy. Some of the most careful observers of 

 the manners and customs of the native races have been the 

 missionaries who lived and laboured among them, and as a rule 

 even those who have little sympathy with them in their work have 

 readily acknowledged the value of their contributions to anthro- 

 pological science. The fact of a man's condemning a heathen 

 custom need not and does not, I think, make his description of it 

 untrustworthy. 



But whatever may be the beliefs of the Central Australian 

 tribes on these matters I do not think that there ever was a stage 

 in the development of man when such ignorance was universal. 

 Anyone who has lived for any great length of time among natives 

 will know well that they are very close observers of nature and of 

 all organic life. Let anyone go, for instance, with a South Sea 

 islander into the dense forests of the island on which he lives and 



