Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/661

596 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [n. s., i, 1899 3. Burralangee marries Neonammer

4. Bullerringee marries Nemurramer

5. Bolangee marries Nungallermer

6. Kommerangee marries Nulyarramer

7. Narrabalangee marries Nurralammer

8. Yakamurry marries Nongarimmer

The four first-mentioned sections form a group which may be called A, and the remaining four constitute group B. The sons of one group marry the daughters of the other, in a certain prescribed order, which is determined by the sectional names of the parties to the marriage, and the sections to which the offspring will belong are regulated in a similar manner. These rules will be elucidated by the accompanying table:

It will be seen that the women determine the sections which constitute a group. For example, Nolangmar is the mother of Jummeyunyee, Jummeyunyee of Neonammer, Neonammer of Nemurramer, and Nemurramer of Nolangmar, the same name with which we started, and this order of succession is repeated ad infinitum. These four sections therefore form a group, called A.

If we take the women of the other four sections, it is found that they constitute another group, B, in precisely the same way. The women never change from the group to which they belong, but pass successively through each of the four sections in as many generations. It is also seen by the table that the sons of the women of one group marry the daughters of the women of the other, as already stated. The foregoing groups, A and B, are respectively equivalent to the groups marked A and B of the Warramonga tribe, reported by me to the Royal