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Exogamy has been referred to a supposed scarcity of women, which forced the young men to seek wives abroad. On the assumption of early sexual promiscuity it has been regarded as a deliberate attempt to prevent the marriage of blood relations. It has been supposed to result from the absence of sexual attraction between persons who have been brought up together.
Animal clan-names and tribe-names, belief in kinship with animals and plants and in descent from them, exogamy, transformations, refusal to eat certain animals except ceremonially, apologies for killing them, omens derived from them, worship of animal-gods, incarnations of gods in animals, animals sacred to gods, tribal marks derived from animals all these are found in such diverse social combinations that it is impossible to infer merely from the occurrence of this or that custom the existence of the peculiar form of social organization to which the name 'totemism' proper is given above.
+428+. The particular exogamic customs vary considerably among early tribes, the differences following, in general, differences of social organization. Well-organized social life tends to promote individual freedom in marriage as in other things. Marriage with a half-sister was allowed by the old Hebrew law, and Egyptian kings often married their sisters. +429+. Theories of the origin of exogamy.
Having separately examined the three principles of exogamy, lineage and totemism, we must now try to see how they work together. Generalization in regard to these matters is extremely risky, not to say rash; nevertheless, the following broad statements may serve the reader as working hypotheses, that he can go on to test for himself by looking into the facts.
Exogamy has begun to be practised; and the family in this way has been increased not only by the presence of the group-sons, but by their captured wives. We have seen that this would necessitate certain rules of sexual avoidance; thus the patriarch still holds marital rights over his wives and the group-daughters, while the captured women are sacred to the group-sons.
Firstly, exogamy and totemism, whether they be in origin distinct or not, tend in practice to go pretty closely together. Secondly, lineage, or the one-sided system of reckoning descent, is more or less independent of the other two principles. It is certainly not the fact that, wherever totemism is in a state of vigour, mother-right is regularly found.
Where totemism now exists in full force, there we find exogamy and derivation of the family name through women, the latter custom indicating uncertainty of male parentage in the past. Are we to believe that the same institutions have existed wherever we find survivals of totemism?
Exogamy, endogamy, monogamy, polygamy, all these are customs and taboos, and though in our day and country monogamy has the social and religious sanction, there is nothing to indicate that this is a permanent resting place for marriage. Certainly the statistics of divorce indicate a change in the permanent status of marriage. What this is meant to emphasize is the social nature of sexual modesty.
Probably the horror of incest is a derivation from economic and other situations and laws that arose naturally in early society it is a habit hardened into an instinct. +436+. Though exogamy differs from totemism in origin and function, the two are often found associated their conjunction may be said to be the general rule. There are, however, exceptions.
Yet we need not despair of extracting some evidence from exogamy, and that evidence, on the whole, is in favour of Mr. M'Lennan's general hypothesis. This is obvious, whether we suppose it to have arisen in a society which reckoned by male or by female kinship.
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