IN SUMATRA. 143 



the quickest means of settling the point; for their reading, like 

 their act of inscribing, was, even as now, a painfully slow and 

 difficult affair to the most learned. Now-a-days these interest- 

 ing relics are very rare, and almost impossible to procure. 



Each marga, as a rule, has in it several viUages, each with a 

 chief. Each Tillage community is a collection of families, 

 either related or not to each other by the ties of blood—con- 

 sisting of the original family or nucleus of the village and 

 those descended from it, and of the companies of immigrants 

 who have come from diff'erent places, and at different times, 

 with their descendants. Each of these companies, or families, 

 was called a siikii, and each selected one of their number to 

 represent them in all matters affecting their interests. So 

 then a village community consisted, and still more or less 

 completely consists, of several sulcus^ each with its head, all 

 subject to the village chief, w^ho would, in the first instance, 

 be the representative of the first siikii or nucleus of the village, 

 and thereafter, if that representative left no heirs, the person 

 on whom the choice of the siihiis might fall. A trivial cause 

 of dis2:)ute in a sulcu would be brought before the chief 

 of the sitlm^ associated with some of its old men from whom 

 an appeal might lie to the head of the village with one or 

 more of the KajMla sukus. A case in which more than 

 one suhii was concerned would come before the village chief, 

 sitting with the uninterested Kapala sulcus. An appeal from 

 this vilhige court might be made to the chief of the marga, 

 possibly along with the village chiefs of the marga, beyond 

 which, of course, it could not in past days go. This court 

 also exercised jurisdiction in cases of inter-village disputes. A 

 marga was therefore a little independent principality, or rather 

 clan, whose boundaries were the limits claimed by the first 

 immigrants to the place ; and seems to have been at first ruled 

 by him among the settlers who was most influential or of the 

 closest biood relationship with the chiefs or princes of Menang- 

 kabau giving them the right to the title of Fenyimhang. 



The highest Penyimbang within the boundaries ruled over 

 the marga; then in each village the highest ranked was chief of 

 the village, and the next after him became chiefs of the village 

 sections. The Penyimbang need not of necessity become chief 

 of this village or marga ; he could delegate his authority to 



