Non-local descent groups

The terms clan and phratry in the literature do not necessarily refer to local land-owning entities, For instance matriclans and matriphratries among the Tiwi and Western Arnhem Land groups, or the matrilineal totemic ‘clans’ of southern Australia do not have these properties. Rather there are patrilineal or patrifilial descent lines which tie people to places, in addition to the matrilineal.

In some regions there is only one level of matrilineal groupings, as with the ngurlu ‘totems’ of the Victoria River and neighbouring regions (including Gurindji and Mudburra). Elsewhere for instance in western Arnhem Land illustrated below, and many areas of southern Australia, othere are two levels, a more inclusive one referred to here as a matriphratry; and component matriclans belonging to one or other matriphratry. These groups are also known as ‘totems’ or ‘totemic groups’.

•    Matriclans
•    Matriphratries

Matriclans

In Western Arnhem Land there are matrilineal descent groups which we may call ‘matriclans’. These are grouped into matriphratries.
 

Matriphratries

There are 4-6 matriphratries in different parts of Western Arnhem Land.
See Table 6 based on Table 1.8 Evans, 2003,  Bininj Gun-wok p.56 –Only four main matriphratries are shown in this adaptation: Kunwinjku has one, and Mayali and Beswick two additional matriphratries, not shown here.

 
Table 6: Matriphratry names and their associated signs in Western Arnhem Land

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