MOTHERRIGHT 285 



apparently unless the bride be a mere child the bride- 

 price is paid to them. 1 The Ewhe-speaking peoples also 

 trace kinship through females, except the upper classes 

 of Dahomey, among which male kinship is the rule. 

 " The eldest brother is the head of the family, and his 

 heir the brother next in age to himself; if he has no 

 brother his heir is the eldest son of his eldest sister . . . 

 Members of a family have a right to be fed and clothed 

 by the family head ; and the latter has in his turn a 

 right to pawn and in some cases to sell them. The 

 family collectively is responsible for all crimes and 

 injuries to person or property committed by any one 

 of its members, and each member is assessable for 

 a share of the compensation to be paid. On the other 

 hand, each member of the family receives a share of 

 the compensation paid to it for any crime or injury 

 committed against the person or property of any of its 

 members. Compensation is always demanded from 

 the family instead of from the individual wrong-doer, 

 and is paid to the family instead of to the individual 

 wronged." 2 



Among the Ewhe of Anglo in Upper Guinea the 

 maternal uncle has more authority over his sister's 

 sons than their father. Since they succeed to him at 

 his death he requires from them labour and support in 

 his lifetime. The nephew accompanies his uncle on 

 trading journeys, carrying provisions cowries and 

 merchandise. Under his uncle's tuition he thus gradu- 

 ally learns to trade, besides other useful work such as 

 weaving and so forth. By-and-by he begins to trade 



1 Clozel, 391, 392, 393, 394, 397. As to the Yoruba and the 

 Egbas, see Ellis, Yoruba, 176 ; Journ. Afr. Soc. i. 88. 



2 Ellis, Ewe, 207, 208, 209. 



