REMBAU- HISTORY, ETC. : 57 
For that child’s up-bringing (bélanja ménetek) the Undang is 
responsible, and, if a female, for suitable marriage provision. 
This duty of adoption: brought no compensating advantage to the 
Undang and the most searching tests preceded a claim to his: 
protection. On the pregnancy of an unmarried woman, en- 
quiries into the putative fatherhood are first instituted by the 
local mosque officials (pégawati masjid) who report to the 
Kathi. The unsupported testimony of the mother is not 
admitted in evidence. If a proma facie case for parentage be 
established the Kathi prosecutes the enquiry further, and may 
order marriage. 
_ if these enquiries prove fruitless, the spiritual courts, 
have no further jurisdiction, and the question then comes 
before the lesser tribal officials (pégawai Adat). Their finding 
is based on evidence inadmissable at the previous enquiry. 
The testimony of witnesses is not essential. They may be 
satisfied that probabilities point to the guilt of an individual, 
and on such a reference to him the lémbaga demands the 
marriage fees (adat sa’salahan) from the man’s waris (relations 
on the mother’s side). Only if the second enquiry produces 
no result, is the lembaga bound to bring the matter to light 
in the audience hall of the Undang. Once reterred there the 
question of paternity admits of no further argument, but by 
the fiction of custom the child, born or unborn, becomes the 
Undang’s offspring. This settlement, however, bears some- 
what heavily on the minor chiefs on the mother’s side. 
Each elder and tribal officer would pay a fine of 1 bhara ($14.00) 
to the Undang for his negligence in permitting such a scandal 
to rise amongst his anak buah. 
The practice described above is entirely free from the 
objectionable characteristics which have necessitated the re- 
nunciation of the parallel right formerly vested in the Raja in 
the Negra Sembilan. In Sri Menanti both child and mother 
became virtual slaves of the Raja. They were forced to reside 
within the precincts of the royal astana. In Rembau the 
(1) Hukum berdiri dengan sakst, adat berdiri dengan tanda. 
R. A. Soc,, No. 56, 1910. 
