Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/776

 powell] SOCIOLOGY, OR THE SCIENCE OF INSTITUTIONS 7°5

three marriage customs, springing up from time to time among the tribes, which require special mention.

A young man and a young woman may form a clandestine marriage and live apart in the forest, regardless of the consent of the elders of the two clans involved, until a child is born, pro- vided the taboo is not violated, that is, that the two parties do not belong to the same clan.

There is another custom which the exigencies of life frequently produce. The clan of the bridegroom may have many male candidates for marriage, while the clan in which their brides are found may have few eligible women. Then the young man may wish to marry a woman in some clan other than that in which his rights inhere. In such a case the wife may be captured ; but the capture is always a friendly one. If the girl has other contestants for her hand, she must be won by wager of battle. The battle is fought as a hand-to-hand conflict, without weapons other than those furnished by nature.

A third custom is found, especially on the western coast of North America, where men buy their wives. This seems to occur in the case of polygamy, where the man who takes a second or a third wife not only remunerates the woman's clan, but makes presents to certain persons throughout the tribe who might have an interest in disposing of the girl in some other way. This seems to be the case in many tribes where " potlatch " weddings are observed ; and it may be true in all.

The possession of property which is exclusively used by the individual, such as clothing, ornaments, and various utensils and implements is inherent in the individual. Individual property cannot be inherited, but at death is consigned to the grave. Property which belongs to the clan, such as the house, the boat, the garden, etc., is common property. No article of food belongs to the individual, but is the common property of the clan, and must be divided by the authorities of the clan, often according to some rule by which a special portion is given to the person who

AM. ANTH. N. S., I— 45

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