APPENDIX B 319 



somewhat similar method is that described by W. E. 

 Roth. A spHt hearth-stick is held by the feet, but fire 

 is made by sawing with another piece of wood, a device 

 which appears to be widely spread in Queensland and 

 occurs also on the Lachlan River, N.S.W. (N. Queensland 

 Ethnogr. Bull. 7, 1904, sect. 9, pi. 11. figs. 17, 18). 



So far as is known the social structure of the Negritos 

 is very simple. Among the Andamanese there is no 

 division of the community into two moieties, no clan 

 system nor totemism, neither has a classificatory system 

 of kinship been recorded; the social unit appears to be 

 the family, and the power of the head-man is very 

 limited. Our knowledge concerning the Semang and 

 Acta is extremely imperfect but they probably resemble 

 the Andamanese in these points. The Andamanese and 

 Semang are strictly monogamous, polygyny is allowed 

 among the Acta, but monogamy prevails. The only 

 restriction at all on marriage appears to be the prohibition 

 of marriage between near kindred, and divorce is very 

 rare. All bury their dead, but it is considered by the 

 Andamanese more complimentary to place the dead on a 

 platform which is generally built in a large tree, and the 

 more honourable practice of the Semang is to expose 

 the dead in trees. The Mafulu bury ordinary people, 

 but the corpses of chiefs are placed in an open box either 

 on a platform or in the fork of a knid of fig tree. 

 Nothing is known about the social life of the Tapiro, 

 and Williamson says, "The very simple ideas of^ the 

 Mafulu, as compared with the Papuans and Melanesians, 

 in matters of social organization, implements, arts and 

 crafts, religion and other things may well, I think, be 

 associated with a primitive Negrito origin" (I.e. p. 30^)- 



