Chap. XX f. LAWS OF INHERITANCE. 429 



same name, in botli regions — Ouganga, Uganga, 

 Mganga, or Nganga. 



The law of inheritance among these Western tribes 

 is, that the next brother inherits the wealth of the 

 eldest (women, slaves, &c.), but that if the youngest 

 dies the eldest inherits his property, and if there are 

 no brothers, that the nephew inherits it. The head- 

 ship of the clan or family is hereditary, following the 

 same law as that of the inheritance of property. In 

 the case of all the brothers having died, the eldest 

 son of the eldest sister inherits, and it goes on thus 

 until the branch is extinguished, for all clans are 

 considered as descended from the female side. 



What struck me also was that at each steji occa- 

 sioned by death the heir changes his name. The 

 chief of the Abouya clan of the Commi was formerly 

 called Oganda, then his next brother was called Quen- 

 gueza, and another Kombe-Niavi, names which my 

 friend Quengueza has successively borne^ being now 

 called Oganda, and no one would dare to call him 

 by the name of Quengueza. The title is generally 

 assumed after the bola ivoga has taken place. 



On my second journey, Obindji, the Bakalai chief, 

 was called Ratenou, having taken the name of his 

 father — the Bakalai, as far as 1 know, being the only 

 tribe among which the son inherits his father's pro- 

 perty. 



The only custom I have not found prevalent among 

 them all was cannibalism, the traces of which and 

 records of which I have not found amongst any of the 

 tribes inhabiting south of the equator which I have 

 visited. In my former work on Equatorial Africa, 



