232 A NATUBALI8T IN CELEBES ch. ix 



conceded only certain rights of use and profit to individuals 

 and their heirs for ever under certain definite conditions. 



We find, then, under those conditions of society that the 

 district was divided into (a) lands which had never been 

 opened up and cultivated, i.e. primitive forest, called talun, 

 and (6) lands which had at one time been cultivated, called 

 uiimaan, which were again divided into (1) lands which 

 were actually at the time in cultivation (iima) ; (2) lands 

 which had lain fallow for one or two years (rekat) ; (3) lands 

 which had lain waste for four, five, or six years, and were 

 yielding crops of young short wood (sawukaw) ; and (4) lands 

 which had lain waste for many years, and were already 

 covered again with large forest trees (kakaian). 



All the members of the. tribe had equal rights over 

 all the talun, or primitive forest, in their district. In this 

 respect the noblemen and chiefs were no better off than 

 the humblest individual. It was never sold to members of 

 a neighbouring tribe, and could only be let to them for a year 

 at a time by the consent of all the people. 



Every man could demand a portion of the forest to culti- 

 vate, and it then became his own private property, and 

 was inherited by his heirs. He could not make any claim 

 upon it unless he opened it up. No man had any claim 

 to any portion of the primitive forest he had not cleared 

 and cultivated. If any portion of the land remained un- 

 cultivated for many jesiia after it had once been opened 

 up it reverted to the tribe. 



In former times cultivated land was usually held com- 

 munally by families in the tribes. This was owing to the 

 prevailing custom that when a man who had opened up a 

 piece of forest land died, the real property was not divided 

 among his children, but descended undivided and com- 

 munally to them as the pusaka. Nowadays, however, 

 it is becoming much more common to divide the real 



