Table of Contents
Chapter I Introduction 1
Note on Orthography 4
Earlier Publications 5
Chapter II The Significance of the Kinship and Age Set Systems 6
Chapter III Pre-marital Relations and Betrothal 11
Chapter IV The Marriage Rites 20
Announcements of Marriage 20
Gathering the Marriage Firewood 22
Offerings to the Matriclan Shrines 23
Clitoridectomy Rite 25
Handing over the Marriage Money 26
Wedding Feasts 27
Marriage Rites for a Pregnant Bride 31
Chapter V Analysis of Marriage Sites 32
VI Seclusion of the Bride 36
Circuit of the Akota 37
Chapter VII Rites during the First Pregnancy 39
Rite at the Bride's Patrician Shrine 39
Rite at the Bride's Matriclan Shrine 40
Ketukpoli Rite 40
Chapter VIII Frequency of Pre-Marital Pregnancy 42
Chapter IX Marriage Money: Libeman 45
Source of the Marriage Money 50
Nature of 'Bride Wealth' among the Yakö 52
Changes in the Amounts of Marriage Money 56
Non-Payment of Marriage Money 59
Chapter X The Establishment of a Household 65
Chapter XI Dissolution of Marriage 69
Death 69
Divorce 71
Frequency of Divorce 75
Chapter XII Polygyny 78
Chapter XIII The Relative Ages of Spouses 83
Changea in Relative Ages of Spouses 84
XIV Fertility 91
The Desire for Offspring 91
Actual Fertility 94
Chapter XV Household and Family 100
Multiple Households 100
Domestic Obligations 102
Adultery 103
Companionship Between Spouses 104
Foster-Parentage and Adoption 105
A Household History 108
The Family 113
List of Illustrations
Frontispiece, a, Procession for the clitoridectomy rite of a pregnant bride
b, A Bride in seclusion after the marriage rites
c, A youth bringing a betrothal bundle to his prospective father-in-law.
Fig. 1 Sketch map of the territory and settlements of the Yakö and their neighbours 3
Fig. 2 The Marriage Firewood 22
Fig. 3 The Compound of Okoi in 1935 107
List of Tables
Table 1 Relative frequency by age sets of clitoridectomy before and during pregnancy 43
Table 2 Incidence of transfers of marriage money to matrilineal kin 48
Table 3 Relatives of bride receiving marriage payment from bridegroom at first marriages 49
Table 4 Main providers of marriage, money at first marriages 51
