Kinship. • 157 



4. The children of my father's brothers are called my 

 brothers and sisters. So also are the children of my father's 

 sisters, as well as those of my mother's sisters, and those of 

 my mother's brothers. In other words, I address as my 

 brothers and sisters, not only my own brothers and sisters 

 according to om' system, but all my cousins also. 



5. All the children of my brothers are called my children. 

 They address me as " father." So also with the children of 

 my sisters. 



6. All the grandchildren of my brothers, and all the 

 grandchildren of my sisters, I call my grandchildren. They 

 call me grandfather. 



7. There are double terms for the relationship of brother 

 and sister — one for the elder, and another for the younger. 

 Whence there is no term by which I can designate all my 

 brothers or all my sisters, unless I be either the eldest or the 

 youngest of the family. 



This seventh peculiarity I have found more or less 

 modified in every tribe with whose system I have been able 

 to make myself acquainted. It prevails among all the 

 North American Indians, the Tamil and Telugu peoples of 

 South India, the Polynesian tribes, and the Aborigines of 

 Australia. 



These characteristics reveal to us a Communal Family 

 founded on the cohabitation of brothers and sisters. This 

 family begins with a number of brothers living in 

 promiscuous intercourse with a number of women who 

 are their sisters. As they live so their children live, 

 and the family is thus an infinite series of the nearest blood 

 relations, no divergence into the collateral line being 

 possible. An examination into the characteristics now 

 given, will at once show that they all (excepting the last, 

 which, though not in any way at variance with the communal 

 idea, does not appear to be the necessary outcome of it) can 

 be satisfactorily accounted for on this supposition, and that 

 they can be no otherwise explained. 



For instance, I being male, all my brothers' children are 

 called my childi'en, and they call me " father." This can be 

 accounted for no otherwise than on the supposition that I 

 cohabit with all my brothers' wives. 



Again, I call my sisters' children my children, and they 

 address me as " father." Tlie evident reason of this is, that 

 I cohabit with my sisters ; for, if I recognise the child of a 



