58 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



converse is the case. 1 Comparison of these two cases 

 is instructive. The Alfiir practice obviously looks back 

 to a time when the husband always came to reside 

 with the wife's relations: the title of " dependent " 

 given to the husband is not easily explicable in any 

 other way. It would seem that the purchase-money 

 paid on behalf of the Belunese bride on the contrary 

 has arisen by analogy with the payment made by a 

 man to obtain the right to take away his wife and to 

 obtain full paternal authority over his children, in- 

 cluding the reckoning of patrilineal descent. 



The Kafirs of the Hindu-Kush, as has been noted 

 in the last chapter, are a patrilineal people. A bride- 

 price of from eight to twelve cows is exacted ; but it 

 seems not to be always paid before marriage. 

 " Although," says Sir George Robertson, "a man may 

 marry a woman with the full consent of all concerned, 

 and although she may bear him children, neither she 

 nor her children would be allowed to leave her father's 

 house until the last penny of her price had been paid. 

 It is not quite certain, however, if sons would not 

 belong to the father. Daughters certainly would not. 

 It is paying the full price which gives the man the 

 right to take his wife to his home for her to work in 

 the fields." 2 Among the Sunuwar of Nepal, " by 

 Kiranti custom, if a young man runs away with a girl 

 and is unable to pay the fine which is appointed for 

 such cases, his children by her are regarded and may 

 be claimed as slaves by her parents." The Kirantis, 

 it is noted by Mr. Risley, look upon a son-in-law 

 " rather in the light of a servant." There can be 



1 Wilken, op. tit. 708. Compare other customs on the island of 

 Timor, supra, p. 34, 2 Robertson, 535. 



