my fathers brothers children are my brothers and sisters, my mothers brothers children are my cross-cousins; and that my mothers sisters children are my brothers and sisters, whereas my fathers sisters children are my cross-cousins. Further, my fathers fathers brother being fathers father [principle ii], his son is father to me; but my sisters son is not my fathers brother, but my fathers cross-cousin, and I call him uncle; that is I classify him with my mothers brother, while his sister is grouped with my mother. There are two important social facts associated with this third principle which makes its operation clearer; in the first place, my father and his brothers and sisters, and also his fathers brothers children, all belong to one country, one local subdivision of the tribe, whereas my mother and her brother and also her fathers brothers children belong to another country. Now this difference of country or local group is reflected in the use of distinct terms for them, namely father and fathers sister for the first lot, and mother and mothers brother for the other group. The second fact is that in many Australian tribes two men frequently exchange sisters in marriage. This means, for example, that my mothers brothers wife is actually my fathers sister, and further, that my mothers brothers children are in fact my fathers sisters children. Hence, with a very few exceptions, the one term is used for all cross-cousins, be they the children of mothers brother or of fathers sister. In the former case they are matrilateral and in the latter patrilateral, cross cousins. On the basis of these general principles the natives know or work out the relationship of any particular person to any or everyone else concerned. If nobody knows the actual relationship of a particular visitor to a mutual relation, then such general matters are considered as the visitors approximate age, his totemic affiliations or any local or social groupings to which ...
