300 THE HUMAN SPECIES 



The necessity for setting up sub- to terns first arose from the 

 great extension of the totem in a single tribe, and it was con- 

 venient to take the sub-totem from the father who transferred 

 his totem-name to his son. So the sub-gens changed to 

 father-right and gradually abandoned mother-right, especially 

 among such tribes as divided the means of subsistence in each 

 family into halves (e.g., Australians). Among the Australians 

 mother-right as well as communal marriage is becoming ob- 

 solete : in other tribes it still persists, and long families and 

 tribal constitutions have developed. 



Communal marriage is rapidly decaying among the Dravi- 

 das, although it is still customary among a few southern tribes. 

 In its stead polyandry frequently obtains. Among the Todas 

 and Himalayan tribes several brothers share one wife who is 

 bought by one of the brothers, the others contributing their 

 share to the purchase-price. In addition to this there are 

 communal marriages, where several brothers marry several 

 sisters, and every child of these women is regarded and treated 

 by each man as his own. 



Temporary marriages exist among the Nairs, according to 

 which the woman does not have several husbands simultane- 

 ously but changes from one husband to another after vary- 

 ing lengths of time. Actual polyandry goes further among 

 the Bhils of Panchmahal, the Cingalese and the Tottyar of 

 Madura, where brother, uncle and nephew take the same 

 wife. 1 



Polygamy is not by any means confined to the animal 

 kingdom. It existed more extensively among many races of 

 olden times, being regarded as an institution in a measure self- 

 evident. The literature of folk-lore shows how large a part 

 of Africa, Asia and even Eastern Europe is occupied by nations 

 practising polygamy. Polygamy is in direct contrast to poly- 

 andry, and owes its existence to exactly opposite motives : for 

 while polyandry is the outcome of poverty-stricken conditions, 

 where no single individual can permit himself the expensive 

 luxury of a wife, but three or more brothers must share the 

 cost, polygamy, with its harem of secondary wives and concu- 

 bines, originates in an ostentatious superfluity of riches applied 

 1 Kohler, loc. cit., p. 143 et seq. 



