ABSTRACT
In north India, the compilation of genealogies is the occupational prerogative of a special caste. In Samoa, genealogies formerly committed to memory are now recorded in notebooks. Two terms, 'genealogy' and 'pedigree', are often used interchangeably for statements of genealogical connexion, and 'genealogy' is also used as an abstract noun for the study of these statements. The collection of genealogies has long been regarded as part of the stock-in-trade of the ethnographer. As soon as the genealogical narrative is completed, it can be summarized in diagrams or charts. Indeed, it is good practice in the field to summarize every portion of genealogical narrative diagrammatically as soon as it has been recorded. Genealogical charts reveal quickly whether the testimonies conflict and where they confirm one another. Record charts provide checks on the internal consistency of separate genealogical narratives and on the compatibility of each informant's narrative with all the others.
