I Wonder The Africans Do Not Wear Flowers
More Frequently, For They Are Devoted To Scent, Both Men And Women.
The Igalwas are a proud race, one of the noble tribes, like the
M'pongwe and the Ajumba.
The women do not intermarry with lower-
class tribes, and in their own tribe they are much restricted, owing
to all relations on the mother's side being forbidden to intermarry.
This well-known form of accounting relationships only through the
mother (Mutterrecht) is in a more perfected and elaborated form
among the Igalwa than among any other tribe I am personally
acquainted with; brothers and cousins on the mother's side being in
one class of relationship.
The father's responsibility, as regards authority over his own
children, is very slight. The really responsible male relative is
the mother's elder brother. From him must leave to marry be
obtained for either girl, or boy; to him and the mother must the
present be taken which is exacted on the marriage of a girl; and
should the mother die, on him and not on the father, lies the
responsibility of rearing the children; they go to his house, and he
treats and regards them as nearer and dearer to himself than his own
children, and at his death, after his own brothers by the same
mother, they become his heirs.
Marriage among the Igalwa and M'pongwe is not direct marriage by
purchase, but a certain fixed price present is made to the mother
and uncle of the girl. Other propitiatory presents (Kueliki) are
made, but do not count legally, and have not necessarily to be
returned in case of post-nuptial differences arising leading to a
divorce - a very frequent catastrophe in the social circle; for the
Igalwa ladies are spirited, and devoted to personal adornment, and
they are naggers at their husbands. Many times when walking on
Lembarene Island, have I seen a lady stand in the street and let her
husband, who had taken shelter inside the house, know what she
thought of him, in a way that reminded me of some London slum
scenes. When the husband loses his temper, as he surely does sooner
or later, being a man, he whacks his wife - or wives, if they have
been at him in a body. He may whack with impunity so long as he
does not draw blood; if he does, be it never so little, his wife is
off to her relations, the present he has given for her is returned,
the marriage is annulled, and she can re-marry as soon as she is
able.
Her relations are only too glad to get her, because, although the
present has to be returned, yet the propitiatory offerings remain
theirs, and they know more propitiatory offerings as well as another
present will accrue with the next set of suitors. This of course is
only the case with the younger women; the older women for one thing
do not nag so much, and moreover they have usually children willing
and able to support them.
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