Totem Clans and Secret Associations in Australia and Melanesia. Author(s): Hutton Webster Source: The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 41 (Jul. - Dec., 1911), pp. 482-508 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2843184 Accessed: 11-12-2015 12:17 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Wiley and Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 193.0.65.67 on Fri, 11 Dec 2015 12:17:17 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 482 TOTEM CLANS AND SECRET ASSOCIATIONS IN AUSTRALIA AND MELANESIA. By HUTTON WEBSTER,PH.D. INTRODUCTION. THE difficultieswhich beset an inquirerinto the mentaland social lifeof primitive peoples are obviously redoubled when the investigationconcerns their esoteric orders. The mysteriesof the savage enshrinehis innermostreligion and worship; forhim theypossess the sanctionof high antiquity; theirceremonial rites, ordained in the beginningof things by the tribal deities,are preservedwith jealous care from the gaze of women.