OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. 583 



conduct. A sister's son is never chosen, unless she be married into one of the royal tribes, her sons 

 being of her husband's tribe. 



Quest. 7. There is strong evidence, amounting to almost absolute certainty, that the sachem's 

 duties were confined exclusively to affairs of peace. Thus, even now, if the sachem go with a war 

 party, the war-king going also, it is the latter who takes command. Practically, however, in some 

 cases the sachem has usurped the duties of both war-king and sachem ; while, in others, the war-king 

 has got into his own hands all the power of both sachem and war-king. A notable instance is that 

 of the Mbau nation, whose war-king, Thakombau, has laid his hands upon everything, not even 

 allowing a sachem to be formally appointed. 



Quest. 8. The office of war-king is hereditary, the order of succession being precisely the same 

 with that of the sachem. 



Quest. 9. The descendants of two sisters, of the same sex, and standing in equal degrees from 

 their common ancestors, are brothers and sisters to each other in theory, throughout all generations 

 So also with the descendants of two brothers. But the descendants of brother and sister are not 

 cousins throughout all generations ; as, for instance, a Fijian's father's father's sister's daughter's 

 daughter is his "sister," because his father's father's sister's daughter is his "mother." (See 

 schedule Nos. 167 and 163.) 



Quest. 10. The Fijians have not one name for childhood, another for manhood, &c. ; but their 

 names are sometimes changed in commemoration of some notable event, as slaying an enemy, &c., or 

 because of some peculiarity either of body or of mind. Thus the Mbau king's birthname was Seru 

 = Comb ; afterwards, because of his stealthy manner of creeping upon his enemies, and the sudden 

 sharpness of his bite, he was called " Thikinovu" = Centipede ; and, finally, during the great rebel- 

 lion, when his father had to flee for his life, he was called " Tha-kombau" = Bau is in evil case. 



Quest. 11. The theory is that on the death of the father his property descends to the widow and 

 her children ; but the practice is for the kinsfolk of the dead, especially his brothers, to take to 

 themselves all they can get ; and I have known many widows " loud in their wail" about property 

 thus taken from them. This, however, is perhaps not quite so unjust as it seems to be, for the 

 brothers of the dead are the " fathers" of his children, and so care for them. " My father's brother 

 loves me more than my father," said a native whom I was questioning about this matter. 



Quest. 12. On the death of the mother her property remains with her husband, excepting the land 

 which she brought with her as her dower, and which now reverts to her own tribe. 



Quests. 13, 14, 15. I am not able to say whether any of the castes or subdivisions among the 

 Fijians be analogous to the tribes of the North American Indians, nor have I any books of reference 

 to help me. If by " castes" we are to understand something similar to the " castes" of India, then, 

 judging from the little I know of them, there are no such divisions among the Fijians. There are 

 chiefs of various degrees, and commoners of various degrees. One tribe is " mbati" to another, i. e. 

 has to follow it to war ; but such tribes are paid for their services, after the fight ; they are much 

 esteemed, and moreover often not a little feared by the very tribe whose mbati they are, for they are 

 inconstant and often rebellious. 



Another tribe is nggali to the chief tribe. This class has not only to fight at the command of the 

 chief tribe, but to present food, and to do work in times of peace. There are, moreover, degrees of 

 the gali the nggali kaisi being abject serfs, holding their lands, their property, their wives, their 

 children, nay, their very lives, only at the will of their chiefs. 



Quest. 16. The members of these subdivisions are not necessarily akin. 



Quest. 17. Kinsfolk salute each other by the term of kinship. 



