56 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



returns to the bride and stays with her for two or 

 three nights, going back after the tenth or twelfth 

 night to his parents' home. An elder is sent to him 

 generally at the new moon to press him on behalf of his 

 wife's parents to return to her. He yields to the 

 invitation and goes to stay with her for about eight 

 days. His visit then comes to an end, and the next 

 visit is not made until after an interval of fourteen days. 

 Thus he continues going backwards and forwards for 

 about six months. Not until then does he become an 

 habitual inmate of his wife's house if his own kampong 

 be close at hand. " Where the [parental] homes of 

 the young couple lie at a great distance from one 

 another it will depend entirely on circumstances 

 whether the man continues to be a mere occasional 

 visitor to his wife's house or entirely exchanges the 

 abode of his parents for that of his wife." An 

 Achehnese daughter never really quits her parents' 

 roof. According to their means her parents either 

 vacate a portion of their house in favour of each 

 daughter who marries, or add to the building or put 

 up new houses in the same enclosure. In spite of this 

 a stringent taboo divides the husband from his wife's 

 family ; and this taboo is only removed to some 

 extent, and that gradually, after years of wedded life 

 in the same house. Nor does the wife become imme- 

 diately on the marriage dependent on the husband in 

 pecuniary matters. He is required to make her a 

 certain gift after the consummation of the marriage, 

 and a monthly present of money amounting on the 

 average to about four dollars. For every bungkay of 

 gold (twenty-five dollars) in the wedding gift the 

 bride is made dependent for a full year on the support 



