208 COLE. 



on the clay of pahalon and is distrilnited to the girl's jiarents and rel- 

 atives; but tlie balance is often left unpaid until the man's death. How- 

 ever, no division of his jDroperty can be made until the marriage agree- 

 ment is paid in full. The children usually receive the unpaid j)ortion 

 of the marriage gift, as well as all the property possessed by the father 

 at his death ; if there are no direct heirs, the wife's relatives receive 

 the balance due on the marriage list, while the man's relatives receive 

 the remainder of his property. The completion of the list is the signal 

 for great merriment; basi circulates freely; the men sing claleng and 

 tadeh is danced far into the night. The music for tlais dance is made 

 with three gansas and a drum. The gansas are jDressed against the 

 thighs of the j)layers who kneel on the ground. Two of the coppers are 

 beaten with a stick and the palm of the hand, while the third is played 

 by the hands alone. The stick or left hand gives the initial beat which 

 is followed by three rapid strokes with the right palm. A man and a 

 woman enter the circle each holding a cloth about the size of a dingwa. 

 The man extends his cloth toward the woman and bringing it suddenly 

 down causes it to snajD, which is the signal to begin. With almost 

 imperceptible movement of the feet and toes and a bending at the knees, 

 he approaches the woman, who in a like manner goes toward him. They 

 pass and continue until at a distance about equal to the start, when they 

 again turn and pass. Occasionally the man will take a few rapid steps 

 toward the woman with exaggerated high Imee action and much stamp- 

 ing of the feet, or he will dance backward a few steps. At times the 

 cloth is held at arm's length in front or at the side ; again it is wrapped 

 about the waist, the woman always following the actions of the man. 

 At last they meet: the man extends his hand, the woman does likewise, 

 but -instead of taking his, she moves her own in a circle about his, 

 avoiding contact. Again they dance away only returning to repeat the 

 performance. Finally she accepts the proffered hand, the head man 

 brings basi for the couple to drink and the dance is over. The man 

 sometimes ends the dance by the sharp snapping of his cloth, or by put- 

 ting it on his extended arms and dancing toward the woman, who places 

 her cloth upon his. 



After the pakalon the children stay with their parents until they are 

 old enough to live together. The age for the final ceremony depends 

 entirely on the wealth of the boy's family. If he is able to care for the 

 girl, the marriage often takes place before either of the children reach 

 puberty: in case the boy must earn a living, the marriage may not be 

 consummated until he is eighteen or nineteen years of age. 



When the time for the ceremony to be completed has arrived, the boy 

 goes in company at night to the girl's house. In place of the customary 

 bolo, he wears a head-ax, but he is the only one so armed. He carries 



