750 REPORT— 1902. 



were called from it ' the children of the great totem,' but the water group were 

 called ' the children of the little totem.' There is reason to believe that the dual 

 grouping of the kins is ancient. The erecting Kwoiam's emblems as the head 

 totems of the two groups of kins must be comparatively recent. Here again the 

 primitive association of a group of men with a group of natural objects obtains in 

 the small groups or totem-kins, but in the larger synthesis a manufactured object 

 replaces a group of animals, and this object possesses definite magical powers. 

 There were two navel-shrines connected with the cult of Kwoiam, which were 

 constructed to show that the two augud were born there. When it was deemed 

 necessary to fortify the augiid — that is, the emblems — they were placed on their 

 respective navel-shrines. Further, in Muralug and the adjacent islands Kwoiam 

 himself was a totem (auffiid). Thus in the westernmost islands of the Western tribe 

 the transition from totemism to hero-worship was in process of evolution till it 

 was arrested by the coming of the white man. 



To what was this transformation due ? It is not very easy to answer this 

 question. We have evidence that in comparatively recent times a change took 

 place in the social organisation of the people, and that the former matriarchal 

 conditions had been replaced by patriarchal. Although superficially the marriage 

 system of the Western tribe appears to be regulated by totemism. Dr. Rivers 

 has found' that it is really a relationship system, and that descent, rather than 

 totemism, is the regulating factor. The Eastern tribe, as represented by the 

 Murray Islanders, had progressed further along this road than had the Western 

 tribe. Such a change as this could not fail to have a disturbing effect upon other 

 old customs. 



The folk-tales that I collected clearly indicate a migration of culture from 

 New Guinea to the Western tribe, and from the Western tribe to the Eastern 

 tribe. I believe I can demonstrate the migration from New Guinea of a some- 

 what broad-headed people that spread over the Western Islands but barely 

 reached Murray Island. It is conceivable that the culture myths have reference 

 to this migration, and that the gradual substitution of a hero cult for totemism 

 may be part of the same movement ; but, on the other hand, this social and 

 religious change is most thorough in Murray Island, where, I imagine, the 

 racial movement has been least felt. The isolation of Murray Island from out- 

 side disturbing factors is very complete, and, as it is but a small island, a change 

 once started might take place both rapidly and eftectively. 



It is interesting to note that the totem heroes of the Western tribe were 

 invoked when their votaries were preparing to go to war. I obtained the 

 following prayer in Yam Island: — '0 Augud Sigai and Auffud Maiau, both 

 of you close the eyes of those men so that they cannot see us,' which had for 

 its intent the slaughtering of the enemy without their being able to make a 

 defence. I was informed that when the Yam warriors were fighting thej would 

 also call on the name of Kwoiam, who belonged to another group of islands, and 

 on Yadzebub, a local warrior. Yadzebub was always described as ' a man,' 

 whereas Kwoiam and Sigai were relegated to a ' long time ' back. From the folk- 

 tales it is evident that Sigai and Maiau are more mythical or mysterious than 

 Kwoiam. We thus have an instructive series : Y''adzebub, the local famous man ; 

 Kwoiam, the hero, who was also a totem to other people ; and Sigai and Maiau, 

 the local totem heroes whose cult was visualised in turtle-shell images, and the 

 life of each of whom resided in a particular stone. Perhaps it would be more 

 correct to speak of this as the grafting of a new cult on totemism rather than 

 to describe it as an evolution of totemism. A transformation has certainly 

 occurred, but it does not appear to me to be a gradual growth — a metamorphosis 

 in the natural history sense of the term — so much as the pouring of new wine into 

 old bottles. 



I hope on another occasion to deal with the question of religious and secret 

 societies, as the growth of these has invariably disintegrated whatever antecedent 

 totemism there may have been. 



' Reports Caml, Anthrop. Expedition to Torres Straits, v. ' Kinship ' (in the press). 



