Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/188

162 visit to the Dieri, and is the guest of two brothers who are of the same totem as himself, the relative ages of these three men will determine which is the Neyi and which are the Ngatata.

But there may be a brother of the two who is not in the fraternal relation to the stranger. Such a case would be like that referred to later on, in which the kindred altered the mutual relationships of a man and a woman from Kami to Noa. Such alterations only affect the persons immediately concerned, and not their brothers and sisters, and the new relations are transmitted by their descendants, so that in time it is not possible to trace the older relationships.

The Dieri hold that the relationship of the children of two or more sisters is much closer than that of the children of two brothers, although both these groups are, as between themselves, "brother and sister." The special term Buyulu applies to the former.

The relations of Neyi, Kakii, and Ngatata in the Table are between 1-2, 3-4; 5-6, 7-8; 9-10, 11-12; 13-14, 15-16. Other examples in the third and fourth level need not be further specified.

Besides these, which may be termed the usual instances in any line of descent, there are others which arise in the tribe through a remarkable and far-reaching provision, which places the grandchildren on the same level, as to relationships, with their maternal grandparents.

This is so important in its consequences that it is necessary to explain it at some length, before speaking further of the fraternal relations.

Taking the man No. 1 in the Table as an illustration, he and 27-28 are Nadada-mara, that is, in "Nadada-ship" (the postfix mara having that significance), the line of descent being through the woman 10. This relationship of Nadada also includes the brothers and sisters of No. 1. The children of a woman are considered as being the younger brothers and sisters (Ngatata) of her father. Moreover, this carries with it all the consequential relationships. This will be seen when other relationships are considered, for instance, those of Papa and Ngatamura.