282 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



in case of her death to another wife in her place. He 

 has no control over his children by her. They belong 

 to their mother's family ; and as they grow up they go 

 to live with their uncles. 1 Among the Igalwas the 

 father's authority over his children is very slight. 

 " The really responsible male relative," says Miss 

 Kingsley, " is the mother's eldest brother. From him 

 must leave to marry be obtained for either girl or boy ; 

 to him and the mother must the present be taken 

 which is exacted on the marriage of a girl ; and 

 should the mother die, on him and not on the father, 

 lies the responsibility of rearing the children ; they go 

 to his house, and he treats and regards them as nearer 

 and dearer to himself than his own children, and at 

 his death, after his own brothers by the same mother, 

 they become his heirs." 2 Two kinds of marriage are 

 known among the Bambala. The first is child- 

 marriage. " A little boy of his own free will may 

 declare that a certain little girl is his wife ; by this 

 simple act he acquires a prescriptive right to her. He 

 visits his future parents-in-law and takes them insig- 

 nificant presents. When he is of mature age he gives 

 a larger present, of the value of about 2000 djimbu 

 (a small shell of the species Olivella Nana), and then 

 he is allowed to cohabit with her. Their children 

 belong to the eldest maternal uncle. This form of 

 marriage is attended by no special ceremony. \If the 

 girl, when of age, is unwilling, he cannot coerce her ; 

 but if she marries another man, the latter must make 

 him a present of several thousand djimbu" The 

 other form of marriage is contracted between adults. 

 The man pays a bride-price from 10,000 to 15,000 

 1 JBentley, ii. 333. 2 Kingsley, Trav. 224. 



