26 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



the latter account (which is said to be accentuated 

 when neither husband nor wife has had sexual inter- 

 course before) points to secret intercourse as the 

 ordinary mode of marriage. This inference is con- 

 firmed by von den Steinen's statement that the con- 

 sent of parents is not required. They neither give 

 nor receive anything for the marriage, which is 

 evidently regarded as a matter concerning only the 

 contracting parties themselves. If the parents object, 

 strife ensues and the matter may have to be decided by 

 force. Residence in a separate dwelling after children 

 have made their appearance may be dependent on 

 circumstances. Where for instance there are more 

 daughters than one in a family it is obvious that the 

 husbands of all of them cannot ultimately succeed to 

 the headship of the household, and in such a case 

 separate dwellings would be necessary. 



An interesting counterpart to the practice of the 

 Boror6 is found among the Bontoc Igorot inhabiting 

 the central part of Northern Luzon in the Philippines. 

 There not the men but the unmarried girls of each 

 village live in a large building called the oldg. Sexual 

 intimacy is a preliminary to marriage, which rarely 

 takes place prior to pregnancy. Infant betrothal is 

 practised ; but it is subject to the confirmation of the 

 parties when they grow up, and family quarrels on the 

 subject are said to be common. When a young couple 

 wish to marry, if the parents consent, the girl continues 

 to sleep in the oldg and the youth spends most of his 

 nights with her ; but they take their meals with the 

 girl's parents, and the youth gives his labour to the 

 family. This is the visiting stage. It continues for 

 some months, until either she becomes pregnant or he 



