127 Letourneau also seems to consider slavery foreign to the way of life of these tribes. He has not, however, recourse to a hypothetical former agricultural state, but to the great ethnological pons asinorum, derivation (pp. 132, 134). But he does not inform us whence slavery can have been derived. Perhaps from the inland tribes who, as Letourneau himself proves to be aware, have no slaves? Or from the Siberians, who are rather in a lower than in a higher economic state as compared with the Indians of the Pacific Coast? Or from the Hindus or any other mythical early visitors of America? ↑
160 A writer of the 18th century tells us of the women of the Dutch isle of Ameland (the men being fishers and mariners): “They are generally somewhat imperious, and by their foolish cleanliness most men are [222]hardly ever allowed to have a fire on the grate during the winter. The cause of this imperious behaviour of Ameland women is not difficult to detect: as the men are at home only in the winter, the women rule for the greater part of the year, and are not inclined to part with their authority in winter-time. Therefore most men, so to speak, board at their wives’ houses, and if they want to keep peace, have to put up with female ascendency.” Tegenwoordige Staat der Vereenigde Nederlanden, XIV pp. 363, 364.
In the same sense Professor Nieuwenhuis writes about the Kayans on the Mendalam: “As the men are often absent on long journeys, the women get the lead in household affairs” (Door Centraal-Borneo, I p. 77.). ↑
173 Some other writers, however (whom Grosse does not refer to), speaking of the Kutchins in general, state that women are badly treated; see Kirby, p. 419; Hardisty, p. 312; Jones, Kutchin tribes, p. 325. ↑
193 Literature. On the Moore River District, Oldfield; on S. W. Australia, Salvado; on the natives on Herbert River, Lumholtz; on the Cammarray, Collins; on N. S. Wales, Fraser and Angas; on Central Australia, Spencer and Gillen, Native tribes, p. 53; on the Tasmanians, Ling Roth. As we had not got all the books at hand, but only some notes which we had previously made, in which the pages were not specified, we could not give all the exact references. ↑
197 Fraser, p. 67. “Taurai” is the land owned by a tribe or a division of a tribe, see ibid., p. 36. ↑
209 Thomas, p. 143; see also Howitt’s detailed account of chieftainship in South East Australia, pp. 296–320. ↑