RISE OF FATHERRIGHT 85 



In the last chapter we considered some aspects of the 

 social organisation of the Haida of Queen Charlotte 

 Islands. They are still in the stage of motherright. 

 The wife is the head of the household. She transmits 

 her name and family crest to her children, though 

 fatherright has so far made inroad upon the older 

 organisation that the descent of property has become 

 paternal. There are two kinds of marriage. One is 

 an informal marriage, in which the lover simply goes 

 to the girl's house and spends the night with her. 

 They are found together in the morning and continue 

 to live together as man and wife. The other kind of 

 marriage is arranged when one or both of the parties 

 are quite young. The boy goes after puberty to live 

 at his mother-in-law's house until the time for actual 

 marriage arrives, and works for her family. A feast 

 and formal exchange of gifts then take place at the 

 bride's house, and she is brought by the bridegroom's 

 family to his maternal uncle's house, where his proper 

 home is. 1 The former kind of marriage is often 

 practised where for any reason the latter is delayed, 

 as where the husband has been betrothed to a mere 

 child and has to wait for her until she has grown up. 

 In such a case he is expected to put an end to the 

 informal marriage on wedding his previously betrothed 

 bride ; and his mother-in-law looks sharply after the 

 morals of the man who is formally married to her 

 daughter and exacts a large amount of property from 



but comparison of his statement and citations with his general 

 account of the Spokanes renders it clear that band is what is meant ; 

 I suspect the bands are exogamous. 



1 Swanton, Jesup Exped. v. 50 ; Deans, Hidery, 20, 23. Cf, 

 ante, vol. i. p. 296. 



