"The daughter represents her mother’s family, the son also represents his mother’s family: In no case did a person marry one of the same family, even though the relationship was lost in remote antiquity. Such a marriage is incest. The penalty for incest is death. Thus the daughter must marry either her father’s sister’s son, or her mother’s brother’s son, neither of whom would be of the same clan name. Failing these she may marry any of their name, and should no such bridegroom be available, marriage into a third family becomes necessary."³

[In the Trobriand Islands the father’s sister’s daughter is regarded] as specially suited for intercourse and for marriage. They are often engaged to each other by infant betrothal. The natives will say that the paternal cross-cousin should be the first person, if age allows, with whom the boy should copulate. . . . [On the contrary] intercourse with the mother’s sister’s daughter is a form of suvasova [incest]; it is of rare occurrence; it is regarded as very bad and always kept secret; on discovery it is severely penalized.⁴

[In Fiji marriageability is indicated] between persons whose parents respectively were brother and sister. The opposition of sex in parents not only breaks down the barrier of consanguinity but even constitutes the child of the one a marital complement of the child of the other. The young Fijian is from birth regarded as the natural husband of the daughters of his father’s sister and of his mother’s brother. The girls can exercise no choice. They were born the property of their male con-cubitant if he desire to take them.¹

³Seligman, C.G.n/an/an/an/a and B.n/aZ.n/an/an/an/a, , 75 (quoting Nevill).

⁴ Malinowski, B., The Sexual Life of Savages, 533, 534 (London: George Routledge and Sons; New York: Harcourt, Brace & Company. By permission).

¹ Thomson, B., The Fijians, 184.