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MARRIAGE AND RELATIONS OF SEXES 163
to her mother’s brother and mother's father, and some to his
own sister and father.
The bride’s father then takes the mmsul naai from off the
second basket and hands it to the emissary. As he does so he
makes a short speech in which he emphasizes that his duties
and responsibilities towards the girl as her father are now at an
end, and that henceforth it is for her husband to train her,
“ school â€ù her, and punish her. If she is idle, if she runs away
or goes with another man, her husband is to beat her with the
nensul naai that she may learn what it is forbidden her to do.
The girl is then led forth by her mother ; the basket containing
the yams is given to her bridegrooms party, and the one
containing the pudding to herself. This pudding is for her
supper that night and her breakfast on the following morning
After these two meals she is regarded as being no longer a member
of her father’s village; she must then care for herself in the
village of her husband. The yams serve to provide a small
feast on that evening to the men of the bridegroom's
village.
Generally the bridegroom will have built a house in his
village for himself and his bride to live in. Sometimes, however,
they put up with the temporary makeshift of a Mum tdmbwar of
a neighbour until their own house is constructed. Once the girl
has a.rrived in her husband's village she settles down forthwith
to;the,_ordino.ry. life of a married woman. There is nothing in
the -navtureot a. honeymoon, nor does she visit her people again,
though at some time after her marriage her husband goes to see
theI_I;.and_;makes a. further present of yams.
If after‘ma.rryi.ng a girl her husband discovers that she is
not a virgin, it is said that he does not evince any anger or
disappointment. It is clear, however, that virginity is in some
degree an asset to a girl as the following facts show. If, as is
very general, a marriage is contracted before the girl has attained
puberty, it may not be consummated for some two or three
years. Should the girl's husband die before this, and the girl
be married again, the same " price â€ù which her ï¬Årst husband gave
for her should, according to strict custom, be given for her again.
But ii the consummation of the marriage is an accomplished
fact, however recent, then the " priceâ€ù paid for her by her
second husband is appreciably lower.