The Origin of Totem Names and Beliefs. 397
general theory that totem-names are originally nicknames to be correct, such names arise amongst groups closely related in some way or other, and friendly on the whole rather than hostile. Indeed, how otherwise would such groups come to understand the meaning of the nicknames fastened on them from without — by the stranger ?
Mr. Lang : They always took wives from one another.
Mr. MaretT: Ah, that assumes exogamy to have been prior to totemism — a somewhat big assumption. To esta- blish such a view one would have, I take it, to cast about on the one hand for instances of tribes that were exogamous but non-totemistic, and on the other for instances of tribes that displayed totemism of some more or less recognisable kind without exogamy. Now if the former class of cases turned out to be decidedly commoner than the latter, this would look as if exogamy were the more fundamental institution. But if contrariwise a totemism free of exogamy was common and an exogamy free of totemism rare, then we might guess that totemism had begotten exogamy. And I may add that in attacking such a problem of distribution one must beware against defining totemism too narrowly, even if philologically the name "totem" applies to the group symbol only. If totemism were cause and exogamy effect, such totemism, we may be sure, would cover a good many forms of theriolatric belief and custom. Meanwhile, I believe that this question whether exogamy is cause and totemism effect, or vice versa, is the prime difficulty we have to face in connection with the subject broached by Mr. Lansf.
- ,* With regard to the Cornish evidence on pp. 385, 386, Mr. Lang
writes to us that he communicated it to the Athetixuiii three years ago, using the same pseudonyms ; and that the real names, which he thought it unadvis- able to make pubHc, may be found in the authority cited in Note 2, p. 388. Neither he nor his informants knew, when writing to the Athenxiim. that the facts had akeady been published in 1895. — ^^-
