Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 17, 1906.djvu/129

Rh volumes with this. The mythical tales they give often throw light upon the practices and beliefs recorded here. We can to some extent fill out the summary contained in the chapter on Byamee with the stories of the wonders performed by this "mightiest of Wirreenun" (wizards or doctors), and of his last great Bora, when he fled away into a thick scrub on one of the Noondoo ridges, where he still abides.

What makes it specially necessary to gather the real sense of the word Father is that the Euahlayi are still in the stage of Mother-right. Their relationship terms are not parallel with ours. Those of a savage people never are. As we have seen, the word Father is applied to Mother's Sisters' Husbands. Mother's Sisters include a much larger class among the Euahlayi than among ourselves; and they are all called by the name which includes mother. The authoress has given us a list of relationship terms with their explanations in English, Unfortunately, it is far from complete. What is the real meaning of the word given as Uncle? What is the real distinction between the words given as "Full Brother" and "Half-brother"? What are the limits of Brotherhood and Sisterhood? What is a father's father called? What is a child called when the mother speaks? What when the father speaks? I could wish that Mrs. Parker had worked out a genealogical table on Dr. Rivers' plan, or even given us such as those contained in Messrs. Spencer and Gillen's works. The attempt to do this would have revealed to her many lacunæ in the information contained in the chapter on Relationships and elsewhere.

The Euahlayi are organized into phratries and totem-kins. We are told on p. 20 how the latter are divided between the phratries. But the list is incomplete. I cannot find it stated to which of the phratries the Burrahwahn and Buckandee belong. And there may be others not mentioned: there are at least three totem-kins now extinct whose position is not assigned. I am led also to wonder whether there is any legendary connection between the phratries and the story mentioned above that Byamee and Birrahgnooloo gave their totems to the people. Did one phratry derive its totems from Byamee and the other from his wife? The question might be worth Mrs. Parker's while to put to her