140 HUNTING AND FISHING EACES 



of either temporary or permanent celibacy. Apart from the 

 instances to be given below the evidence with regard to other races 

 in this group is very similar to that given before of the Australians. 

 Thus the average age for a girl to marry in Vancouver Island was 

 sixteen, 1 among the Californians generally between twelve and 

 fourteen, 2 and among the Stseelis and Skaulits tribes fifteen. 3 

 Veddah girls married between eleven and twelve. 4 



There is no doubt that, generally speaking, postponement of 

 marriage is rare, though occasionally some slight delay is reported, 

 as in the instances given in what follows. It should be mentioned, 

 however, that from time to time there is quite a considerable delay 

 upon the part of the man amongst these races ; to this point we 

 shall return later. As regards women, Crantz states that some- 

 times Eskimo girls do not marry until they are twenty. 5 Hill Tout, 

 speaking of the Salish and the Tinneh, says * with the exception 

 of the Carrier tribes early marriages were everywhere the custom '. 6 

 The same author mentions that among the Thompson tribes girls 

 did not marry until seventeen or eighteen, 7 and this is confirmed 

 by Teit. 8 The latter author gives somewhat similar evidence for 

 the Shushwap, 9 and also says that among the Lillooet Indians girls 

 are isolated for two years after puberty, and only marry when from 

 sixteen to twenty years old. 10 As regards South America we are 

 told by Musters that among the Tehuelches the girls ' often remain 

 several years spinsters ', n and by Dobrizhoffer that among the 

 Abipones girls do not marry before their twentieth year. 12 



There is one other matter to which reference may be made here. 

 There is often very considerable disparity in age between husband 

 and wife at marriage among primitive races. It is frequently the 

 practice for the girls on reaching the age of puberty to be taken in 

 marriage by the older men, while the young men marry women 

 twice their age. 13 Since, however, as pointed out in Chapter IV 

 the age of the husband has little or no effect upon fertility, this 

 practice is of no importance from our present point of view. The 

 important fact which results from the evidence is that almost 



1 Sproat, loc. cit., p. 94. 2 Powers, loc. cit., p. 413. 3 Hill Tout, J. A. I., 



vol. xxxiv, p. 319. * Sarasin, Forschungen aus Ceylon, vol. iii, p. 469. 



6 Crantz, loc. cit., p. 158. a Hill Tout, British North America, p. 182. 



7 Hill Tout, loc. cit., p. 190. 8 Teit, Jesup North Pacific Expedition, 

 vol. i, p. 190. Ibid., vol. ii, p. 591. 10 Ibid., p. 255. Musters, 

 Patagonians, p. 186. Dobrizhoffer, loc. cit., vol. ii, p. 42. 13 See, 

 for instance, as regards the Australians, Malinowski, loc. cit., p. 48 ; Tasmanians, 

 Bonwick, loc. cit., p. 85; Bushmen, Theal, Yellow> and Dark-Skinned People, 

 p. 46 ; and Chinooks, Bancroft, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 241. 



