LXII ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 



and the tribes of mankind cannot be classed in two great 

 groups, one practicing endogamy, and the other exogamy. 



The law of exogamy is universal. Among all peoples there 

 is a group, larger or smaller, and natural or artificial, within 

 which marriage is prohibited. Exogamy is a derivative insti- 

 tution; its antecedent is marriage by legal appointment within 

 a prescribed group. Marriage by prescription falls, but mar- 

 riage within the enatic or agnatic group is still considered in- 

 cest. Until, therefore, the right of marriage extends to all 

 clans but that of the individual himself, exogamy is not fully 

 established. 



This may be restated: The primitive institution is marriage 

 by prescription; this develops into marriage by personal 

 choice. But there remains as a survival from the primitive 

 institution a prohibition which may be called exogamy, the 

 violation of which is a crime called incest. 



Tribal society is of great antiquity; and in the vicissitudes 

 of tribal life kinship society has undergone many changes, 

 though these changes are restricted to narrow limits. Yet, 

 within these limits the changes are very many, and the sub- 

 ject is thereby greatly complicated, and cannot be understood 

 without long and careful research Passing travelers can no 

 more set forth the institutions of tribal society than they can 

 give a proper description of the flora of a country, the fauna 

 of a region, or the geologic structure of a continent, 



PREHISTORIC TEXTILE FABRICS OF THE UNITED STATES, 

 BY WILLIAM H. HOLMES. 



This paper is complementary to the preceding one by Dr. 

 Matthews. The latter describes an existing industry which 

 has been long continuously practiced in an Indian tribe with 

 but little influence from civilization, while Mr. Holmes has re- 

 produced the details of the same industry as in prehistoric 

 activity from fragments of pottery, most of them undoubtedly 

 ancient. The ingenious method of discovery arose from the 

 observation that nets or sacks of pliable material had evidently 

 been used in the construction of many vessels taken from the 

 mounds of the [Jnited States in or upon which fabrics such 



