MOTHERRIGHT 287 



Among the peoples of the Eastern side of the 

 African continent the Kunama of northern Abyssinia 

 are as we have seen not yet wholly emancipated from 

 the stage of motherright. The father has a right to 

 his son's earnings until the son marries. But his power 

 extends no further : a child's life and liberty belong to 

 the maternal uncle. In case of death the inheritance 

 goes first to the uterine brother, then to the sister's 

 sons by seniority, failing them to the sisters. The 

 Barea and Baze, who are still without doubt matrilineal 

 hold the relationship between a man and his sister's 

 children to be very close, but they entirely disregard 

 that between father and son. It is the more remark- 

 able that they agree in this since the sexual morality of 

 these two tribes is very different. Among the latter 

 the matrimonial tie is very slight, and adultery is not 

 resented ; while among the former the reverse is the 

 case, and adultery is very rare. Both prefer as children 

 daughters to sons ; a woman returns to her mother's 

 house for her first delivery ; her son often receives her 

 brother's or father's name ; her brother can sell her 

 child, but her husband cannot. 1 Among the Bogos 

 when a youth comes of age he presents himself before 

 daybreak at the house of his mother's brother, who 

 comes forth, ceremonially shaves his head, gives him 

 his blessing and a gift of a lance and a young cow. 2 

 There could hardly be a plainer recognition of the 

 ancle's position as head of the family. In defiance of 



1 Munzinger, 477, 490, 527, 528. See however the Table of 

 Kinship, p. 448, which seems to relate only to the Kunama. 



2 Post, Afr. Jur. i. 16, citing Munzinger. Compare Kilhwch's 

 application to his cousin King Arthur to cut his hair and grant him 

 a boon (Y Llyvyr Coch, 102 ; Nutt's Mabinogion, 103). 



