ABORIGINAL TRIBES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA. 299 



Although a youth may be allotted a wife from either one 

 of the branches mentioned, he must be limited to that par- 

 ticular lineage. For example, if he be assigned a spouse 

 in the " direct " order, he cannot be permitted to obtain 

 another wife from the " rare " line of descent. He may, 

 however, be allowed more than one wife, but they must all 

 come from the same lineage, if there should be any more 

 women available in that direction. This law applies to all 

 the tribes dealt with in this treatise. 



In making the betrothals, the old men endeavour as far 

 as practicable, to arrange that the brothers and sisters 

 in certain families shall intermarry with the brothers and 

 sisters in certain neighbouring families, whether in the 

 same or in an adjoining tribe. This has the effect of bind- 

 ing the two families together by ties of kinship, and of 

 strengthening their claims to consideration in the tribal 

 councils. It also adds to their importance at the great 

 gatherings which take place for initiatory ceremonies, 

 barter and other purposes. 



Let us take the birth-place of A of the above example as 

 a starting point, and call it "No. 1." In order to get a 

 foundation to work upon, we will assume that owing to 

 marriages in prior generations, the man C of our example 

 had a wife betrothed to him in a district, say fifty miles 

 north of No. 1. It may be only a few miles away, or it 

 may be a hundred or farther still — the distance being im- 

 material. In due time, he brought his wife home to No. 1, 

 and his sister D was taken away to the northern family by 

 the brother of C's wife. 



After a while, C's son B of our example, went, say, fifty 

 miles east to claim his allotted wife, and brought her to 

 No. 1. B's sister, however, was taken away by the brother 

 of B's wife, to her home in the eastern triblet. D, as we 

 have seen, went away northward and bore a son who may 



