1 62 NOETLING : PETROLEUM IN BURMA. 



chief rites and customs of the twinzayo community have been 

 ascertained : — 



1. There are 24 families which enjoy the joint right to dig for oil 

 in a certain not well defined area close to the villages of Beme and 

 Twingon. They are called the yoya-families and every member 

 of them was entitled to dig for oil. A well owner must necessarily 

 belong to one of these families ; no outsider could therefore own a 

 well. 



2. The head of one of these families is called the twinzayo, 

 and enjoyed the following privileges. When a member of his family 

 wanted to dig a well, he had to apply for the site to him. In re- 

 turn for the grant of a site, the well owner (twinza) paid a 

 small monthly rent, according to the quantity of oil derived from the 

 well, to the twinzayo. He was, as well as other members of the 

 family, exempted from the so called eight royal services, that is to 

 say, he had not to do forced services or to pay any taxes. 



3. The yoyas are divided into male and female yoyas, there 

 being 18 of the former and 6 of the latter. Title and rights of a 

 yoya descend strictly in primogeniture, the male yoya being solely 

 in the male, the female yoya in the female line. The yoya could 

 not be sold to an outsider, but if any twinzayo had no direct descen- 

 dants, he could, with the consent of the other twinzayos, seil the 

 yoya to a distant member of his family. It is known that at least 

 four yoyas were purchased by junior members of the family, the elder 

 branch having no direct heirs. 



4. Among their number the twinzayos elected a head man called 

 twinggimin, who settled disputes, and in later years gave the final 

 permission for digging a well, for which permission he received a 

 small fee. 



5. The following customs were observed as regards the wells : — 



(a) No well was to be nearer than 30 cubits ( = 48 feet) to any 

 other already in existence. 



(/>) No well was to be sold or mortgaged to an outsider, but 

 ( 208 ) 



