72 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
appears to be to render incest impossible. The marriage laws of 
many of the islands in the Malay Archipelago have the same tendency. 
There are in the Kimberley district four marriage sects, or families, 
viz. : — Paljari, Kimera, Boorungoo, and Bannighu. 
JN'ow, a Paljari cannot marry a Paljari, nor a Kimera a Kimera. 
I should mention that the four sects exist in each tribe ; but the 
following is the rule : — 
Man. 
Woman. 
Children. 
Grandchildren. 
Paljari marries 
Kimera ,, 
Bannighu „ 
Booroongoo „ 
Kimera. 
Paljari. 
Booroongoo. 
Bannighu. 
Bannighu. 
Booroongoo. 
Paljari. 
Kimera. 
\ Paljari 
> or 
/ Kimera. 
\ Bannighu. 
> or 
/ Booroongoo. 
It will be observed that there is in each generation a constant 
change of marriage sects, and as these sects are altered according to 
male or female tribal marriages, the ultimate relations of members of 
the same tribe are very difficult to make out. 
Por instance, if a Paljari man marries a Kimera woman, the issue 
is Bannighu; but if a Kimera man marries a Paljari woman, the 
offspring is Booroongoo. 
One thing is certain, on analyzing the above Table, that although 
cousins may in some cases intermarry, it would be impossible for a 
man to marry his sister or his daughter, although he might marry his 
granddaughter, an event hardly likely to occur. 
These curious marriage laws — evidently intended to prevent inces- 
tuous intercourse — are general throughout the Australian Continent ^ 
as well as in the Malay Archipelago. 
The extraordinary resemblance which this general law of these 
savage tribes bears to that laid down in Leviticus xx. is very striking. 
And while I am on this subject, I may mention another curious coin- 
^ See Brough Smith; Aborigines of Victoria; also A. W. Howitt: "Notes 
on Australian Class System." — Journal Anthi'ojpological Society , Vol. xii., No. iv.> 
p. 497. 
