220 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



among the Wayao. She is only punished for obstinate 

 refusal to live with him. 1 



The Bassa Komo on the Benue in Nigeria do not 

 regard adultery as a punishable offence. It may 

 cause a quarrel even a fatal quarrel between the 

 husband and the adulterer ; but it is no cause of 

 repudiation of the wife. Indeed the adulterine issue 

 belongs to the husband, so far as we can gather, just 

 like his own children. 2 



Among the Tuareg the freedom of women goes very 

 far. The dissolution of morals is said to be unpre- 

 cedented. Though the women largely outnumber the 

 men their infidelity seldom puts an end to the marriage. 

 The husband may quarrel with the paramour, scold his 

 wife or even go the length of giving her a few blows, 

 but that is all. A murder on that account would entail 

 the penalties of murder, and is in fact unheard of. 

 The women practically do what they like with no 

 interference by the men before marriage, and very 

 little after. If they are tired of a marriage they put 

 an end to it without further ado ; it is extremely rare 

 for a husband to take such a step. 3 



Among the Berbers a friendly exchange of wives is 

 said to take place often between two men. The 

 owner of the less young and plump wife pays money 

 by way of equality of exchange. 4 The Berbers of the 

 Tunisian oases are reported to hold women in great 



1 Spieth, 120, 195-197, 187, 744. As to ceremonial observ- 

 ances in connection with the worship of some of the gods, Id. 797, 

 802. 



2 Journ. Afr. Soc. viii. 15. 



3 Globus, xciv. 1 88. 



4 Post, Afr. Jur. i. 471, citing Rohlfs, Beitrage zur Entdeckung 

 und Erforschung Afrikas, 1876, 89. 



