NOTES ON THE ARRANDA TRIBE. 157 



say: "This custom is not met with in the tribes forming 

 the Arunta (Arranda) nation." 1 Table B of the present 

 monograph will be a sufficient refutation of such an asser- 

 tion. 



Professor Spencer says: k 'Mr. Mathews deals with the 

 organisation of certain tribes in the northern parts of 

 Central Australia. In every tribe he arbitrarily arranges 

 the subclasses (sections) to lit in with maternal descent. 

 In every case in which I have been able to test Mr. 

 Mathews's description of the organisation I have found 

 that either his information or the conclusion which he has 

 drawn from it, is incorrect." 2 If what has been said in 

 the present article, and in the one of August last, cannot 

 be controverted, it will be found that it is Spencer and 

 Gillen's conclusion which is incorrect and not mine. 



The Arunta (my Arranda) tribe are reported by Spencer 

 and Gillen to have assembled at one place for " more than 

 four months."" A statement of this kind, without an 

 explanation of the circumstances, has misled some English 

 writers into the belief that the Arunta natives possess a 

 higher degree of culture than other Australian savages, to 

 enable them to provide food for such a large assemblage at 

 one spot for so long a time. 4 The facts of the case are 

 briefly as follows: — Spencer and Gillen established a depot 

 at Alice Springs, and invited the aborigines of the surround- 

 ing country to meet them there. All the people of both 

 sexes who came in response to the invitation were provided 

 with a liberal supply of food, clothing, cooking utensiis, 

 edged tools of iron and steel, personal ornaments, and 

 everything which was likely to conciliate and please them. 

 In return for this kindness, the conditions were that the 



1 Op. at., p. 107. 



2 Rep. Austr. Assoc. Adv. Sci., x., p. 380. 



3 Native Tribes, pp. 118 and 272. 



4 Secret of the Totem, pp. 88, 89. 



