OF THE BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY. XLIII 



generations might be much shorter in one line than in another. 

 If three sisters have each three daughters, the eldest daughter 

 of the eldest sister may be many years older than the youngest 

 daughter of the youngest sister, and in several generations the 

 discrepancy of ages might become very great. We do not 

 know in all cases how this confusion is avoided, but in some 

 tribes a method of adjustment has been discovered which is 

 very simple. 



It must always be remembered that relative age is expressed 

 in the kinship terms of this stage of culture. Thus there are 

 two terms for brother, one signifying elder brother, the other 

 younger brother. There are also two terms for sister — elder 

 sister and younger sister. In the Shoshonian cases to which 

 reference is .here made, if a male child is born who is a "group" 

 brother of Ego's father, but younger than Ego, Ego does not 

 call him father, but younger brother. In one case discovered, 

 Ego calls the "group" father born after himself, son. Among 

 the same tribes, in the case of uncles, the uncle born after the 

 nephew is called nephew. 



A case like the following has been discovered: There are 

 two brothers born of the same mother; the elder brother calls 

 a particular person son, because that particular person was 

 born after himself; but the younger calls him father, because 

 he was born prior to himself. This method of adjusting gen- 

 erations has been discovered in but few cases, viz., among the 

 Shoshonian tribes, and perhaps among the Wintuns. In this 

 stage language frequently lends its aid to adjustment. This is 

 the case when the kinship name is a reciprocal term with a 

 termination signifying elder or younger. Thus, in a Shosho- 

 nian tribe ain is such a reciprocal term used by uncle and 

 nephew; the termination sen is a diminutive. The nephew calls 

 his uncle ain, the uncle calls the nephew ainsen or aitsen, little 

 uncle; and in this case, if the uncle was born after the nephew, 

 the nephew would be called ain and the uncle aitsen. A recip- 

 rocal relationship term, i. e., one designating a relationship and 

 used by both parties, is common. 



In some of the cases adjustments are known to have been 

 made by convention, and individuals have been taken from 



