Howitt to Fison 11 October 1878

Transcription - Page 2

Further, among
the Kurni "All men are Yeerung
- all women Djeetgun" without any
totems - these names being totems
where subsequent multiplication
by "fission" has been arrested through
the establishment of the Pairing family.
I cannot understand how I can
have told you that they Wakerak
are Yeeung and Djeetgun. My
informant gave me totems and subdivisions
Merūng and Yūkembrūk as elsewhere
- Bellet Bellet (Lyrebird) +c
I must look this up (Your manuscript
see p 12.)

The Kurni tell me that "Biduelli" are
partly Kurni and partly Brajerak - their women
used to fo to Maneroo. You will see that substituting
Mūngan for lung (father) the other terms
are mostly Kurni. Yet they have the
class names Merūng + Yūkembrūk with
totems in a state of decay.

Since glancing over your work I see
pretty clearly that we have in the Kurni
an exceptional development on the
same general lines of the other Australian
tribes. It will act I think as a foil