Nature . marriage. The authors are careful toadd that the indications do not afford any direct evidence 1 The Native Tribes of Central Australia. By Prof. B. Spencerand F. G. Gillen. Pp. xi: -V 671. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd ,1899.) NO. 1535, VOL. 59] of the former existence of actual promiscuity, but onlythat evidence is afforded in such direction. The tendencyof the evidence of prehistoric promiscuity is, however,so strong that we cannot doubt its former existence ; andif the authors had elucidated no other point than this,they would have done good work. The totemism of thetribes shows
Nature . marriage. The authors are careful toadd that the indications do not afford any direct evidence 1 The Native Tribes of Central Australia. By Prof. B. Spencerand F. G. Gillen. Pp. xi: -V 671. (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd ,1899.) NO. 1535, VOL. 59] of the former existence of actual promiscuity, but onlythat evidence is afforded in such direction. The tendencyof the evidence of prehistoric promiscuity is, however,so strong that we cannot doubt its former existence ; andif the authors had elucidated no other point than this,they would have done good work. The totemism of thetribes shows some curious departures from the customscommonly associated with the idea of totemism as metwith amongst other .Australian tribes, as well as withprimitive people elsewhere. Each individual considershimself the direct reincarnation of an ancestor, whosespirit having become humanised, has entered a woman,and so the individual is born in human form ; thelotemic animal or plant is not regarded exactly as a. Iruntarinia ceremony of the Unjiamba Totein to illustrate one form ofNurtunja ; the small cross pieces represent pointing sticks. close relative, and an individual may help to kill ordestroy his totem ; members of the same totem are notbound to assist one another, nor does totemism , so that two individuals of the same totem maybe lawfully man and wife. The authors are unable toexplain satisfactorily these anomalies, nevertheless theirinquiries on the subject of totemism are quite amongstthe most fascinating of the book. The .\runta tribe, thedescription of whose customs occupy the greater portionof the monograph, reckon descent through the maleinstead of, as do most of the surrounding tribes, throughthe female ; but, as is pointed out (p. 36), it is doubtfulwhether in all cases the counting of descent in the female 512 NATURE [March 30, 1899 line has preceded the counting of it in the male line, andwe are also shown good reason for excepting the state-ment that
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