[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

60

Inland Nyangumarta system is the “original” system, or at least the system that had diffused
eastwards and south-eastvvards into the Western Desert.

I I/.11. The case of Laverton: firs encounter between Waljen and
Mandjindja

Elkin 1940:3l5tT. has noted the meeting of two different systems in the region of
Laverton and Mt. Margaret Mission: that of the Mandjindja and what he terms the system of
Laverton, which is in fact the Waljen system see the Pintupi case, above, where the respective
systems are presented. The ncounter between these two systems produces combinations
that are somewhat unusual. One would expect that, as with other groups in the same region,
Ibarga and Panaka like Karimarra and Milangka would be “identical”. Yet this is not the
case. Figure 5 summarises what Elkin l940:3l7 reports. The figure must be read bottom-
up or top-down. If it is read bottom-up, then the first column is the wife, the second colunm
the husband and the fourth colunm the child. If it is read top-down, the first column is the
husband, the second colunm the wife and the third column the child.

Husband = Wife Child

Milanga Burunga Iharga Tararu
Burunga Karimara Tararu Panaka
Karimara Ibarga Burunga Tararu
Ibarga Tararu Milanga Burunga
Tararu Panaka Burunga Karimara
Panaka Milanga Tararu Burunga
Wife = Husband Child

1‘

Figure 5: Marriage and filiaflon between sections at Laverton

Milanga marries either Burunga or Panaka, while Karimara marries either Burunga or
Ibarga. Panaka marries either Milanga or Tararu, while Ibarga marries either Karimara or
Taranr. Even if Milanga marries Panaka, and Karimara marries Ibarga, this puts into question
the identities between Karimarra and Milanga, and between Panaka and Ibarga. Considering
only marriage relations, Burunga and Panaka are identical, Burunga and Ibarga are identical,
Milanga and Tararu are identical and Karimara and Tararu are identical following the
second premise, which says that if two sections marry one and the same third section they
are identical. The solution to this problem is relatively simple. We need to look at filiation,
notably at the relation between mother and child Figure 6.