232 TOTEMISM AND EXOGAMY 



exist and greater complications arise. Let us see 

 what these regulations amount to in terms of 

 ordinary relationship. " The effect of the two- 

 class system is to bar the marriage of brothers and 

 sisters, but not in all cases the marriage of parents 

 with children, nor the marriage of a man's children 

 with his sister's children. The effect of the four- 

 class system is to bar the marriage of brothers 

 with sisters and of parents with children in every 

 case, but not the marriage of a man's children 

 with his sister's children. The effect of the eight- 

 class system is to bar the marriage of brothers 

 with sisters, of parents with children, and of a 

 man's children with his sister's children. The 

 result of each successive dichotomy is thus to 

 strike out another class of relations from the list 

 of persons with whom marriage may be contrac- 

 ted : it is to add one more to the list of prohibited 

 degrees " i., 279). In all these divisions the classes 

 are indicated by totems, so that we prolong the 

 prohibition that Crow may not marry Crow by 

 saying that Crow (Cockatoo) may neither marry 

 any other kind of Crow nor may he marry Eagle- 

 Hawk (Owl) and so on. 



It may be added that further regulations as to 

 marriage may be found in certain cases outside 

 the ordinary totem rules. A curious example of 

 this in Melanesia will explain what is meant. In 

 this instance, with maternal descent, whilst the 

 marriage of a son with a mother, or of brothers 

 and sisters, or of cousins who are the children of 

 two brothers or of two sisters is excluded, the 

 marriage of a father with a daughter or of cousins 



