134 THE WINNEBAGO TRIBE [bth. ann. 37 



attempted liberties with people who did not belong in the category 

 of the "joking relationship" they would stop him immediately, 

 saying, "What joking relation am I to you" {Djagu' nhjJc' idajitcgad- 

 ja^) ? 



It is impossible to determine the significance of the "joking rela- 

 tionship." Two points of interest may be referred to, however: 

 First, that it existed between a person and such close relatives as the 

 children of his father's sister and his mother's brothers and their 

 children, on the one hand, and his relatives by marriage only, as his 

 brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, on the other; and second, that his 

 mother's brother was at the same time a person with whom he was 

 on particularly intimate terms. With regard to the first point, the 

 author suggests the following explanation: Both groups just men- 

 tioned had this in comnaon — they did not belong to the man's clan 

 and with the exception of their mother's brother they did not belong 

 to any individuals but those of their own generation. Now we know 

 that the prohibition of marriage into a man's mother's clan extended 

 only to members of her generation and that theoretically, at least, 

 he could marry her brother's children. In the same way the children 

 of a man's father's sister, belonging as they did to the side into which 

 he had to marry and not belonging to the generation of his father, 

 belonged also to the group into which he theoretically might marry. 

 The author has never heard any Winnebago state that a man may 

 not marry any of the individuals included in the "joking relationship, " 

 with the exception of his sister-in-law, but he feels certain that such 

 marriage would be considered improper, although equally certain 

 that it would not be regarded as incest, as would be the case if a 

 person were to marry the son of his mother's sister or of his father's 

 brother. The suggestion is offered, therefore, that the "joking 

 relationship" implies, first, close relationship of individuals who 

 have different clan membership, and, second, perhaps, the possibility 

 of marriage. If there is any explanation for the existence of the 

 relationsliip between a man and Ms mother's brother I feel that it 

 is probably to be sought in the first of these suggestions. The second 

 is really advanced merely to suggest some reason for the grouping 

 together of blood relations with relations by marriage. 



The "joking relationship" is very peculiar from the point of view 

 of a European, and for that reason it is perhaps likely that we exag- 

 gerate its importance. In actual practice joking was probably 

 indulged in only during the first moments after meeting, except by 

 the habitual punster. An important psychological factor may have 

 been the opportunity for relaxation it afforded an individual who 

 was constantly surrounded by close relatives in intercourse with 

 whom he had to observe at all times strict rules of propriety. 



