Extract about marriages from Kinship in Western Central Australia

Kinship in Western Central Australia
Oceania Volume 4 Issue 4 June 1934
Henry Kenneth Fry
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The information presented in this paper was obtained during a visit of the Adelaide University Anthropological Expedition to Mount Liebig, the western limit of the McDonnell Ranges, in
August, 1932. News of our coming had been sent out beforehand, and about one hundred bush natives from the surrounding districts came in and settled temporarily near the camp of the Expedition. The majority of these people were members of the Ngalia tribe from the sandhill country to the north-west, and of the Pintubi tribe from the west and south-west. Some Jumu (Luritja) natives of the locality and a few Aranda natives from Hermannsburg also were represented.

Lists the following relationships :-

The following records of the actual circumstances of marriages were made.

I. Mintun-Mintun, Pintubi, Tararo Tjungarai.
  
    First wife, Maramintjini, Iparka. The mama, father, of
    Maramintjini, the nunari of Mintun-Mintun, told him to
    marry her, so he went and called her to his camp. She was
    a little girl about knee high. Mintun-Mintun's father
    called Maramintjini's father watjera.
  
    Second wife, Koreilja, Panaka Napurula. (A kameru
    marriage.) This girl was the daughter of Nalbilala,
    Purukulla, who told him to take her to his camp. She was
    a little girl like a small girl of four or five years of age who
    was pointed out. Mintun-Mintun called Nalbilala kameru,
    and his father called Nalbilala kandia, wife's brother.
    Nalbilala called Mintun-Mintun's father numpana, sister's
    husband.

    Third wife, Mulunga, Iparka. The sister of Maramintjini,
    by the same father. Ngunari, the girl's father, told him
    to take her. She was a little girl like the others.

    Fourth wife, Milbanga, Iparka. She was the daughter of the
    same father as his first and third wives. Milbanga called
    Mulunga kankoro. Mulunga called Milbanga malango.

    Fifth wife, Iparka. This woman was the widow of his deceased
    "elder brother," actually his father's elder brother's
    son. He stated that he looked after her and her children,
    but that she was not really a wife.

NB. South Australian Museum Series AA 338/05  Dr Norman Barnett Tindale
       Photographs relating to journals
       57 'Mintun mintun strengthening mulga wood stick for a spear Mt Liebig,
       N B Tindale  photo Aug. 1932'. One b/w photographic print, annotated by Tindale.

II  Nalbilala, Pintubi, Purukula Takamara.
    He had only one wife, Napaltari Purunga. When a young
    fellow, he was frightened of women and kept away from
    them. His nunari, Wallowaritji, Tararo Tungarai, told
    him to marry this woman, who was his daughter. Everyone
    told him to marry. His wife came and made a fire and a
    camp ready for him, along with his people. She was a
    young woman, he called her korei. Nalbilala's father
    called Wallowaritji watjera. Nalbilala called Wallowaritji
    nunari, and Wallowaritji called him kameru.

III Koijanu, Pintubi, Purukula Takamara.
    Only one wife, Purunga Napaltari. She was promised to him
    by his nunari, her father, when she was a baby. When
    she was about hip-high (? six years) he took her. When
    she was about breast-high (demonstrated), he began
    marital relations with her. This was before her breasts
    had come up. He used to sing to her to make her grow
    quickly. His nunari was Kateirelba, Tungarai. It was
    the custom to give kangaroo and euro to the nunari from
    the time that his daughter was promised. He still did this.
    When he was about breast-high (demonstrated), he used
    to play with the girls in the bush, only proper ones watjerawatjera.
    He would meet them by arrangement. He
    would give the girl euro or kangaroo meat.