286 A NATURALIST IN CELEBES ch. xi 



clan but exclusively to the father's. Upon marriage the 

 woman leaves her own clan and becomes for the rest of her 

 life the property of her husband, and on his death of her 

 husband's family. She can neither hold nor inherit any 

 property or title, and is in many respects little better than 

 a slave in her husband's family. When her true husband 

 dies she becomes the wife of his brother as a matter of 

 course, or if he has no brother, she is appointed by the 

 chief to be the wife of some other member of the marga. 



Wherever we find a strict patriarchal system with the 

 law of exogamy, we also find traces of the ' capture ' 

 customs ; thus amongst the Bataks the bridegroom steals 

 into the village of his bride, and runs off with her, leaving 

 behind him something as a sign that the capture has been 

 effected. The sum of money paid to the bride's parents 

 should be considered rather as an indemnity to the parents 

 for the insult of the capture than as an actual price paid 

 for the bride. 



Let us now consider a third type of marriage laws, 

 namely, that which is found amongst some of the Dyaks of 

 Borneo. It is a system of ' beena ' marriages without any 

 strict rule of exogamy. Amongst the Dyaks we find large 

 houses inhabited by some 250 to 300 people. Newly 

 married couples do not go to live in a new house of their 

 own, but a compartment is set apart for them in the house 

 of the bride's parents. 



Both the husband and wife possess their own property, 

 and on the death of either of them it is inherited by the 

 children. If either of them dies before there are any 

 children, then their parents inherit the property. 



Among the Dyaks of Sarawak we find, however, the 

 idea of common property similar to that we mentioned 

 when dealing with the Minahassers. Husband and wife 

 and children work together on the land belonging to the 



