The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-04-19
ODD MARRIAGE CODE
The Peculiar Sex Laws Of the
Australian Aborigines.
MOST eLAsoaArE IN THE WORLD



81, r,,.csJl my Nas the rule OF the sexual
s,nIoy hut - soon as q savage race
~vn.rvss into the conscious state and be-
~ins 10 organise, the most elaborate an
fccedeus conditions OF marriage are pre-
nared. The mere ceremony OF taking
wife continues - simple ana As Drasas e.
before bur I vast preliminary social for
,naI,tv h. prSducel, which possesses for
sho,ebff ul p<rsons profound interest.
Tbs strange thing ls that from the low
sst form Of life among barbarians, through
al, the ascending grades Of socia. dessi-
opmeut to the highest stages OF snignt-
eminent. the aneecedent regulations with
respect to marriage become more and more
simple AZ society progresses, until IN the
very hixhest forms OF life marriage be-
comes 4 cfyfl contract Between the par
sies All the way up from the bushmen TO
sbe parisIans. the law holds good. The
lower the race the more elaborate are the
preliminary conditions Of the sexual union;
Tho higher the social evolution the simpler
and easier II the law OF marriage.
on the other hand, the ceremony OF taxi
snr the wife becomes ever more formal
end epccfaculsr. The ceremony begins
among Tn lowest savages with the simple
act Of carrying on the bride by force.
To this II added In many cases the bru-
tally Of striking her unconscious before
eke Ii borne away on the shoulders OF The
husband 10 bis own cave or tent From
this the ceremony rises 10 purchase from
purchase. TO fhc agreement OF the parents;
from this. By complicated stages. to the
Joint agreemep< OF the parents and the
parties. and from this finally 20 the agree
ment Of the parties only. In the highest
stages Of society the principle OF purchase
seems 10 rezppear. Thus. while the cere-
mony Of marriage becomes more and moro
formal and ornate. the antecedeEs soc nj
law OF the marriage becomes less and less
severe. until the man and the woman,
IN the vesy hlghes; estate. virtually make
the law FOR themselves hy reducing mar
gIase 10 civil contract Of the parties
Tho native Australians farn.gh Inc best
example Of the extremely complex laws OF
barbarian marriage. The Aasfraiffn may
bs regarded e. the lowest form nf existing
man life on the earth. In few particulars
he IS superior 10 the bushrnan. In all par
ticulars he b Inferior TO the Hoftentes In
brain capacity he II absolutely al the bot
tom Of tho scale wincheI has shown by
careful examination that tho craniai mass
Of the Australians r. much below thai ~ any
~ the snvaRes OF South Africa The brain
~ the negroes exceeds that Of the Austria
liam by an average OF about 81 cubic cent?
meters. Of &C. per cent. of the whole. We
should hardly expect a race having only an
average II Its cubic centimeters Of brain
IN the world. but such Is the fact The an
secedent conditions under which a native
Australian may become n married man ara
20 complicated and cur.ons that they might
veil be made the foundation Of treatise in
social science.
The natives Of Australia are now only a
handful. They coxsr away on the horizon
and refuse to BIZ known by their destroycrs.
hut their characteristics have been lnvesti-
<U-fx sIxx .f.. -
astonishing things In their life and usages.
Tho natives are polygamists. 10 begin With.
q fact that seems TO contradict the theory
that poiyAndry II the original marriage law
Of barbarians.
Tho Australian may take as many wives
~ ne can. but he has to approach marriage
through \ social formula most exacting.
Tho savsRes are divided into four castles or
orders. and these are observed with as
much strlctners as are those OF india, but
not In the rame manner. The castles arc
not 10 be regarded as grades the one above
the ctNkr. hut rather a. social cycle hav-
ing Its foundation In sex. There are really
eight divisions. four male and four female.
The -four male and the four female groups
ere set over against each other IN man.
ner most peculiar and complicated. Every
child. whether a hoy or a girl. Ia born Into
enc Of the caste divisions. and takes the
name Of the division and carries !; through
NE
n We begin on the male side. the upper
caste II called ippai. The second division
n named Murri. the third Kubhi and the
fourth Kun,ho. on the female side the
highest caste Is called fppata. the second
Mata. the third kapo;a and the fourth
Ruta. Under special circumstances some
Of the castles are designated hy other
rames-ss, for instance. the caste Mnrri
may be called flaia. for the reason that tho
word murri differently accented Is the gem
spal term for hack mar or Australian.
Consider then. these low savages ar
yanged IN the two columns, male and Re-
male. Each column 81 divided into four
groups, as inst described The male Tppai
caste stands over against the female group
called iprasa. The Murri caste Is opposite
the female Mata rank. The kuhhi uiRics
s'ena facing. a. u were. the kapota wo-
men. while tho kumho men are opposite
10 The lsuta wofnen. When marriage Is to
be undertaken the code comes IN with
great eNacfn.ss to define In what manner
the marriage may be contracted The
Ippai men AMI tnpata women are OF the
same ratk, but may not Inter marry The
teme Is true Of the Nurrt men ana the
Ma'a women, OF the Kubhi men and The
Faroia women; OF the Eumho men and
the nuta women
Nor IL the reason for the lnteralct In
theac cases far 20 seek N tho hrufhers IN
given family are iprai. the dauEhfe-e ~
tnai FAMILY are tnpata. and are fhcref0ro
~ nc correlated group. n the lppa' man
should chonse hts wife from thr ippata
group or worlsn no mich, choose his sia-
teri Ana the like Is true ~ AL TIE other
castles occupying tho 81 me level. That is.
" the male caste he Murri the man ~ thnt
caste "UNl rot choose 4 Msta woman. for
she might have the sane father ana
ssaNf ites ~ "a assx
not marry karo;a woman for the came
reason, and tho Kunaha man must not
choose from thu female caste % Rata y
happens TOR this rs.sSan that thc two upper
castles tho ippai urn and lppata women.
are inHonnntiiae. ana FOR 20. same r-aenu
the MhrH men ana the Mata women the
kuhhi mer and The karota Women. AND
interdictri
The general law requires that the man
OF the ippai mus marry Karnts gifi.
mat caste being the bird grade from his
owl tNrIN - 4 limited exception &C. thts
III peHmiiiins aR iIpai nrap 80 many an
Irpata woman, provided care hc taken that
shc Is not akin 10 him. ptherwisc every
iNpSi must aNosd his own correla ed
group. pass hv ,he Malta rro,lr NJ women
and tan" wife from .he kspota xrola.
IN thc tr'otlu plsce ths las requires
that ihe Marti nan ints' take 8 FHta 80
man Tie IS !n'frlictel irom she Mats
women, Nho are nasFv4f 80 hiai and must
pass BY Tho kapetR rroup and Sc 20 the
second class from hls cNn hefor, ~ can
take. The man OF The f1ahhi Ypnst marry
an ipPata womNR. Tets is also a third
caste remove, hat. oddly enough. in the
inverse direction The inferior kubld
reaches NJ two STAKES and takes q superior
Inpata. The law Tor the klinho ia that
he may marry only a Malta woman and
this AGAIN Is n thiri remove upward
THIS strange and ciaHo'ste systen -