Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/194

168 change, however, necessitated some consequential alterations of relationships, namely, of two of his kindred, from Kaka and Tidnara to Neyi and Ngatata, in order to provide him with a sister to exchange for his wife.

In considering the peculiar features of this case I requested Mr. Siebert to make some further inquiries as to the practice of changing the Kami to the Noa relationship. He informed me that, according to the testimony of the Dieri old people, this is not a new practice, but that it is an ancient one of their tribe. They attach much importance to it, and the mother-in-law in such a case is not called Paiara but Kami-paiara, from the altered relationship.

This seems to me to be merely a reversion to the older rule which obtains with the Urabunna, namely, that a man can only marry a woman who is the child of his mother's elder brother or of the elder sister of his father, own or tribal. In the Dieri tribe there are men who have married Dieri women in accordance with this earlier rule, but they were only able to obtain the consent of the women's kindred by means of presents.

The strongest contrast which I have found with the Dieri system of relationships is that of the Kurnai. This tribe has neither classes nor sub-classes, and the totems do not affect marriage. Marriage is between individuals of certain local groups, but with traces of former group-marriage. Descent of names is from father to son.

The system of relationship in this tribe indicates a social condition in some respects of a more primitive character than that of the Dieri. The following table gives the Kurnai terms:—