they come after him (in the line of descent). This form of expression derives from the fact that the elder brother exercises the right of guardianship over his brothers and sisters; hence the obligation devolves upon him to support and protect them, as is here expressed in a figurative manner.
It stands to reason, as a matter of course, that a man demonstrates his sympathy for a kinsman.
Only an elder brother may venture to start this, for the younger has to submit, because the neji as the elder brother exercises the powers of guardianship.
[Originally, [this word] bore reference only to one's blood relationship and tribal territory, but in course of time it acquired an extension of meanings, especially in the Christian sense.].
This is a big insult and disgrace to her elder brother.
ego's wife's brother or ego's sister's husband.
mother speaking. When the father is speaking, the word is taru.
brother speaking.
There are two classes which are permitted, on a reciprocal basis only, to marry from one into the other. These are: Mattari and Kararu, or Kulpiri and Tidinwa. Adherents of one [and the same] class call each other neji brothers The names Kulpiri and Tidniwa are the Jandruwonta equivalents of the Matteri and Kararu class names of the Diari, etc. (idem, p.91).
A father's heir is his brother and a mother's heiress is her sister. A son or daughter would always be [unhappily] reminded of the parents if the deceased's property were left to them.
It is a disgrace to an elder brother, if his sister is not willing to respond to her husband's wishes.
A neji or elder brother, is the kapara to his ngatata, and these are his servants. tanaka mili tanani poto kaparaia waltai they there servants their things to the superior carry the younger brothers take their things to their elder brother. [He is their superior]
The father [respectively husband] is the kapara of his wife and child, i.e. wife and children are his mili.
The first-born son is called a panturu, the last-born a ngamamudani, a one and only [son] a kudakulno, while those [sons] born intermedially [are called] milara.
not to be confused with the first-born. All elder brothers are neji, all younger brothers ngatata. The oldest brother always has the right of guardianship over his other brothers and sisters; accordingly, he is most highly respected. In every situation of life his younger brothers and sisters turn to him. He acquires a wife for himself by offering his sister in marriage to another man, and in exchange receives his sister for a wife. He deals in the same way with his other brothers and sisters. If he hasn't enough sisters to offer in exchange for a wife on behalf of each of his brothers, he has to make some other arrangements. In these matters the neji is, as it were, his mother's executive counsel, for soon after the child's birth she, together with a woman from the opposite moiety, has decided on its marriage. If the mother dies, the elder brother assumes full powers of attorney. He protects his younger brothers and sisters, intercedes for them, and, if need be, avenges the death of a younger brother or of his father. However, he is embarrassed (ashamed) if his sister's marriage turns out a failure, and is obliged to care for her as a widow. The respective brothers call each other nejimara brothers in common; blood brothers. Reuther: "Brueder zusammen, bebruedert, verbruedert". These kinship terms are rather ambiguous; however, I believe that 'blood brothers' in this instance fits the case. In the same way [the members of] the two moieties, Reuther: "Geschlechtslinien" Materi and Kararu, call themselves nejimara tribal brothers, Reuther: "bebruedert". This also is not an accurate description of the relationship. The common term used is 'tribal brother'. i.e. one Materi man calls the other 'brother' because he is of the same moiety. So they are blood relatives, as it were. From this it follows that no one in the Materi moiety can marry another Materi [person]. The same applies in the case of the Kararu. Since in pagan circles such a marriage is regarded as incestuous and draws strangulation in its wake, even at the Mission these two moieties have not yet vanished. Nejijai! (elder brother) is the form of address when speaking in public. Thereby people are respected. Even in ordinary, everyday life one likes to say neji to an older man, although it is desirable to hear pirnaru (honourable, prestigious, old man). Even the particular animal, whose [totemic] name one bears within the moiety, is called one's neji. (cf. pintara). cf. No. 2788, No. 317-16. Winter is [also] called neji because it is a more refreshing season for the native people. They are enabled to walk, hunt, and travel about more. In the same way everything that revives, refreshes and gratifies, etc. is called neji. The index finger is a neji; it is the first-born of the [hand's] 'mother,' Reuther inadvertently wrote "Vater" 'father'. However, the thumb is the 'mother-finger' cf. marangandri No. 1133. because it is next to the thumb ('mother of the hand') Reuther inadvertently wrote "Vater" (father). However, the thumb is the 'mother-finger' (cf. marangandri Entry 1133. and is the longest [finger]. The other three fingers are ngatata. The big toe on the foot is the ngandri mother), while the other toes are her 'daughters'.
In most instances the elder brother (neji) attends to this, unless the mother has already made provision for it. A man (brother) receives the sister of another man in the opposite moiety, and in exchange gives his sister to her brother. In this way both he and she receive a marriage partner.
Ngatata is also used to describe one's grandmother's country, in order to honour her. The country of one's mother's birth [is called] ngandri marduka mother's totem country, because one inherits his mother's totem mita kamaneli one's tribal country; country of one's birth
Children of both sexes inherit the mardu totem of their mother.
All people in common, who belong to one and the same mardu [totem], call themselves ngandri kulno of one mother. All male members of the same mardu call each other neji marra brothers, and those of the female sex are kaku marra sisters in common.
This is the sister of the child's mother, (and kaka the latter's brother).
place where one's mother was born and reared.
place where I myself was born and reared.
child, father speaking. If the accent is placed on the 'u,' then the eldest son is meant; ngatamura, without the accent on the 'u,' denotes any child (male or female, father still speaking).
child, mother speaking.
These are the brothers of the child's father, i.e. his uncles.
son-in-law speaking. A daughter-in-law calls her mother-in-law as well as the latter's brothers and sisters kalari.
On no account may a pirranguru relationship be established or maintained in secret. It must be known to everybody and be proclaimed in public, so that everybody knows how things stand, when both de facto couples appear together. Generally it is like this, that two married couples stand in a mutual de facto relationship: Reuther: "Wechselehe". both men have [sexual] intercourse with each other's wife, and vice versa; and not seldom [do the couples live together] for some time as [de facto] husband and wife. Since each husband has already for some time cast amorous glances at the wife of the other, both want to enter into a pirranguru relationship with each other's wife. After the affair has once more been discussed in detail, this is announced one night during a favourable opportunity in the hearing of all: both [parties] are now pirranguru, that is to say, one husband [accepts] the other's wife, and vice versa. Both wives call each other ngura wulu (two camps), while both husbands are mutual friends. Just as both men do so, also the two women stick together and love each other. This relationship is tantamount to a marital exchange. They frequently live together for a considerable time, and then part again. Neither of the two men raises an objection, when the other sleeps with his wife. An unmarried man can enjoy a pirranguru [relationship with a woman], if her husband is agreeable. Generally, however, they are given (receive) such women as have been other men's pirranguru, but whom these have now cast off because the girl promised to them (and whom they now take as wife) is almost grown to maturity. No girl may become a pirranguru. The marriage formula Reuther: "die Verbindungsform". in this case reads: pintamatija ngurumanawalkura jajeljajudlani this union is permanent and invulnerable by virtue of your mutual promises If it turns out that two married couples cannot get along with each other, they simply live in a de facto relationship, where the rule then applies: ngura puntibana to divide the camp. If, now, a woman gives birth to a child and it is uncertain as to which of the two is the rightful father, this is determined by the child's [physical] features, e.g. [its] big feet, facial features, nose, whether it is left or right-[handed, etc.]. On the occasion of the marriage of such a child, both men talk with the mother who then decides the issue.
on the part of both husband and wife.
According to the Aborigines' point of view, an only-begotten daughter does not develop to the 'blossoming' stage, since she has no brother to represent and care for her. [Consequently], since this type of girl has no brother, the eldest son(s) of her father's brother espouses her cause and calls her his sister.
name by which grandchildren call their grandfather