Social Origins and Primal Law

The family. Theory of Mr. Atkinson--Primitiveness in man--Recent history of the speculation as to the early human family--What is exogamy? Difficulties of terminology--Totemism...

American support of the author’s hypothesis--Deliberate arrangement--Totems all the way--Distribution of totems in the ‘phratries’--The ideas of Mr. Frazer. His earlier theory--...

‘Group marriage’--Mr. Morgan and the class system--Difficulties of Mr. Morgan’s theory--Mr. Morgan on terms of relationship--How the terms of relationship originally arose--Supp...

Sacred animals in savage society--Proposed restriction of the use of the word ‘totem’--The word ‘totem’--The totem ‘cult’--‘Totem gods’--Savage speculations as to the origin of...

How the origin of totem names was forgotten--Other sources of sacredness in plants and animals--Recapitulation--An objection answered--Other objections answered--Totems and magi...

Mr. Darwin on the primitive relations of the sexes--Primitive man monogamous or polygamous--His jealousy--Expulsion of young males--The author’s inferences as to the evolution o...

Brother and sister avoidance, a partial usage among the higher mammals--Males’ attitude to females in a group dominated by a single male head--Band of exiled young males--Their...

Effect of the absence of a special pairing season on nascent man--Consequent state of ceaseless war between sire and young males --Man already more than an ape--Results of his p...

Truce between semi-human sire and son--Consequent distinction taken between female and female, as such--Consequent rise of habit of brother and sister avoidance--Result, son see...

Results in strengthening the groups which admit several adult males--Disappearance of hostile band of exiled young males--Relations of sire and female mates of young males now w...

Resemblance of semi-brutal group, at this stage, to actual savage tribe--Resemblance merely superficial--In this hypothetical semi-brutal group paternal incest survives--Causes...

Survivals in custom testify to a long period of transition from group to tribe--Stealthy meetings of husband and wife--Examples--Evidence to a past of jealousy of incestuous gro...

The classificatory system--The author’s theory is the opposite of Mr. Morgan’s, of original brother and sister marriage--That theory is based on Malayan terms of relationship--N...

The Family is the most ancient and the most sacred of human institutions; the least likely to be overthrown by revolutionary attacks. In epochs of change the Family naturally in...

Under this name appear to be blended, (1) the prohibition to marry within a division, which, in its simplest form, is said to cut the tribe into two ‘classes’ or ‘phratries,’ or...

The system which I advocate here, as to the smallness of the original human groups, and their later combination into larger unions, seems to have, as regards America, the suppor...

The essential question is, why, among the more archaic Urabunna, do the large exogamous divisions never include the same totems, whereas, among the more highly developed Arunta,...

The prohibitions on marriage, with which we have hitherto been concerned, are based on what savages regard--while we do not--as relations of kindred. Men and women of the same ‘...

We have hitherto, for the sake of lucidity, spoken chiefly of _two_ ‘primary classes’ (‘phratries’), such as the Kirarawa and Matthurie of the Urabunna. But among the Arunta, an...

The opinions of Lord Avebury (Sir John Lubbock) are to be collected from the sixth edition (1902) of his _Origin of Civilisation_. First published in 1870, this was a pioneer wo...

Up to this point, we have treated of totems just as we find them in savage practice. We have seen that totem names are the titles of groups of kindred, real or imagined; they ar...

We have, fortunately, an opportunity in Melanesia of studying, as it seems, the Australian marriage system in a state of decay.[1] The institutions of Melanesia bear every note...

Mr. Darwin on the primitive relations of the sexes.--Primitive man monogamous or polygamous.--His jealousy.--Expulsion of young males.-- The author’s inferences as to the evolut...

Brother and Sister Avoidance, a partial usage among the higher mammals.--Males’ attitude to females in a group dominated by a single male head.--Band of exiled young males.--The...

Effect of the absence of a special pairing season on nascent man.--Consequent state of ceaseless war between sire and young males.--Man already more than an ape.--Results of his...

Trace between semi-human sire and son.--Consequent distinction taken between female and female, as such--Consequent rise of habit of Brother and Sister Avoidance.--Result, son s...

Results in strengthening the groups which admit several adult males.--Disappearance of hostile band of exiled young males.--Relations of sire and female mates of young males now...

Resemblance of semi-brutal group, at this stage, to actual savage tribe.--Resemblance merely superficial.--In this hypothetical semi-brutal group paternal incest survives.--Caus...

Survivals in custom testify to a long period of transition from group to tribe.--Stealthy meetings of husband and wife.--Examples.--Evidence to a past of jealousy of incestuous...

The classificatory system.--The author’s theory is the opposite of Mr. Morgan’s, of original brother and sister marriage.--That theory is based on Malayan terms of relationship....

Gairsay Buckies Wyre Whelks Egilsay Burstin Lumps Rousay Mares Shapansey Sheep Stronsay Limpets Sanday Gruelly Belkies North Ronaldshay Selkies = Seals (also called ‘Tangie Whes...