THE KEGULATION OF NUMBEKS 211 



The conditions in Oceania are in their main elements, which 

 alone are relevant, similar to those in America and Africa. In 

 the Pelew Islands every family had its plot of land, which was 

 considered as private property so long as it was occupied and 

 cultivated. 1 In New Zealand * land was held primarily by tribal 

 rights ; and within this tribal right each free warrior of the tribe 

 had particular rights over some portion'. 2 In Sarawak * each 

 tribe had its limits, which have been handed down from father 

 to son for ages, so that every old man of a tribe knows the exact 

 extent of its district '. 3 In British New Guinea we hear of ' pro- 

 perly regulated and well-defined property rights, certainly not 

 bounded by surveyed lines commonly used to indicate European 

 land claims, but marked and known by natural features such as 

 surface conditions afford '. 4 It may also be noticed that rights 

 over certain areas are recognized by the peoples of Northern Asia, 

 such as the Tunguses and the Yakuts. 5 



5. Passing to the second and third points we find that within 

 these areas there is evidence even among the most primitive 

 hunters of co-operation in the search for food and of strict rules 

 for the division of the available food. Coupled with this we find 

 that there is a social obligation which is strongly enforced for 

 every man to do his share. Thus, where hunting and fishing can 

 only be carried out by joint parties, strict rules exist for the 

 division of the catch among those who have taken part and among 

 their dependents. This may be illustrated by a few examples. 

 Howitt gives many details of the rules in force in Australia 

 with regard to the division of food. These rules not only differ 

 from place to place but also for the various forms of game. Thus 

 among the Kurnai ' a wombat is cooked, then cut open and 

 skinned. The skin is cut into strips and divided with parts of 

 the animal thus. The head to the person who killed the animal. 

 His father the right rib ; mother the left ribs and backbone, 

 which, with some of the skin, she gives to her parents. Her 

 husband's parents receive some of the skin. The elder brother 

 gets the right shoulder, the younger the left. The elder sister gets 

 the right hind leg, the younger the left hind leg, and the rump 

 and the liver are sent to the young men in the camp.' 6 ' If 

 a man only killed enough game or procured enough food for 



1 Wilson, Pelew Islands, p. 297. 2 Tregear, loc. cit., p. 106. 3 Ling 



Roth, loc. cit., p. 419. ' Thomson, British New Guinea, p. 194. 5 Miiller, 



Unter Tungusen, p. 46. 6 Howitt, Native Tribes, p. 759. 



02 



