Essay Database

Marriage 1: Every tribe in Australia was divided into a number of small social groups, but for marriage purposes, into two main groups sometimes called marriage moieties. Let's call them A and B. People from group A could not marry people from the same group. In other words they married people from group B. However each marriage moiety was subdivided into a number of smaller divisions. Let's call them A1, A2, A3, A4 and B1,B2,…

…clans, bands. family groups, sub-tribes met for ceremonial purposes. As we have said the ritual was probably a handing-over ceremony but took place at particular places. For example in the Shoalhaven region Coolangatta Mountain was a traditional marriage place or site. It would have been significant because particular ancestors married there (according to a Dreamtime story or stories), and because of the tradition of thousands of couples 'marrying' there over eons of time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**