24 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



gives the black trader a security nothing else can, 

 because naturally he marries into influential families at 

 each village, and all his wife's relations on the mother's 

 side regard him as one of themselves and look after 

 him and his interests." 1 Such reasons may help to 

 strengthen and perpetuate a form of marriage which 

 would otherwise tend to be submerged beneath the 

 husband's desire for exclusive possession ; but it must 

 have originated independently in the practice of mother- 

 right. Among the Wayao and Mang'anja of the Shire 

 Highlands, south of Lake Nyassa, a man on marrying 

 leaves his own village and goes to live at his wife's, 

 though as an alternative he now sometimes pays a 

 bride-price and takes the bride away. If, as frequently 

 happens, he has more than one wife, he spends his time 

 with each of them in turn at her own village. If all 

 the children of any of his wives die he may leave her 

 altogether. 2 We have already found an example of 

 this kind of marriage among the Yakuts, and we shall 

 find others elsewhere. Among the Bassa Komo of 

 Nigeria visits are paid on both sides. Marriage is 

 usually effected by an exchange of sisters or other 

 female relatives. " Husband and wife do not live in 

 the same house ; but all the men live in one part of 

 the village and the women in another. The wife visits 

 the husband or vice versa. The women look after all 

 the children, but when four years old the boys go to 

 work and live with their fathers." The woman's 

 consent is necessary to the marriage, and she is 

 supposed to be faithful to her husband ; but he may 



1 Kingsley, Trav. 315. 



2 Duff Macdonald, i. 136, 140, 146 ; Werner, 132, 133 ; Rattray, 

 116, 202. 



