Page:Native Tribes of South-East Australia.djvu/140

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114
NATIVE TRIBES OF SOUTH-EAST AUSTRALIA
CH.
BUNTAMURRA TRIBE—continued
Classes. Sub-Classes. Totems.


Not ascertained Banburi crow
mountain snake
porcupine (Echidna sp.)
Wongo wild goose
wild turkey
white duck
swan
opossum
diving duck
Gubero bandicoot
iguana
smallest iguana

The feminine name is formed by the postfix gun, as Gubero and Guberogun.

This tribe appears to be on the boundary of this sub-class system, and of the class system of the Darling River with the names Mukwara and Kilpara.

Tribes with Four Sub-Classes and Male Descent

The next stage of social development is where there are two primary classes and four sub-classes, with descent in the male line.

When our knowledge only extends to the four sub-classes, with their marriages and descents, it is possible by pairing them in different ways to produce either female or male descent.

But when the class names are known, no such difficulty can arise. Failing this knowledge, the totems will give a clue, except in tribes like the Arunta, where the totemic name is not inherited. In the absence of these guides, custom will serve: for instance, in games played with a ball, the two segments of one class will play together against those of the other; or when the whole tribe is gathered