Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 18, 1907.djvu/360

 324 Collectanea.

seizes her and conveys her back to her father's home. A wife thus separated cannot be espoused to another man, neither can the husband claim her back, but a payment of sheep or goats will generally put matters straight.

Separation between man and wife is rare amongst the Gallas, but a husband can inflict punishment upon his wife with impunity, even to death. A Galla cut the end of his wife's nose off for unfaithfulness, but although he thus mutilated her he did not divorce her; she remained his wife.

Unmarried women are not allowed to part their hair ; this is a privilege accorded only to married women. Should a woman be divorced from her husband, her hair is again ruffled up and she is not allowed to part it.

The duties devolving on Galla wives are various. They build the huts ; mould the pottery ; make the sororos, or vessels for holding milk; plait strong bags, called dadu, of the fibre of the baobab tree. They also weave small bags of the same material, tastefully variegating the woof with different coloured threads. They bring fuel from the bush, water from the river, lake, or pond, and cook and prepare the food. They sew the leather garments they wear, which reach from the shoulders nearly to the ankles, of sheep-skins and goat-skins, but if they wear a garment of coarse cloth called lemale, the husband acts as dressmaker, and sews the lengths together and fringes the ends.

On the migrations of the family, the wife takes down the framework of the hut and takes off the skins used for covering it, and packs all together with the household stuff on the backs of the cattle, and while walking beside the baggage carries a small load herself. Occasionally, asses are used as beasts of burden instead of the cattle. On reaching the destination, the wife unpacks, rebuilds and puts the settlement in order on new ground.

Girls are under the control of the mother of the family, and correction is administered to them only by the mother. Husband and wife eat together whenever circumstances render it possible, which is a great advance upon the social customs of many other uncivilised tribes. A Galla widow cannot marry again. The