Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-01-11
MARRIAGE cUsroMs.
Peoples who Have But f,,,,. -
'~--NA ~

TOT Mothers-in-Law.
In the anthropologicai section n, ~.
British Association z. B. TYLER recan,e
y described method OF INVESTIGATE,
inc development Of institutions as an.
piled to laws of marriage and descent
he said; with the view of ann,vina
direct numerical method to antb rono,,
ogy, the writer has compiled schedules
OF the systems OF marriage and descent
among some three hundred and fftv
peoples OF the world, 30 as to ascertain
by means OF method OF adhes,on,
now far each rule co-exists or not with
other rules, and what have been the
directions OF development from one
RUE 10 another! As a first test of the
results TO be obtained by this maans
the barbaric custom Is examined
winch forbids the husband and his
wiie's parents Though on friendly
looting) TO speak or look at one
another Or mention one anotber,o
names. Some seventy peoples prac-
tlce this or the converse custom, of the
wife and her husbands relatives being
Obliged eeremonially TO cut one An.
other. On classifying the marriage
rules OF mankind marked distinction
Is found to lie between those people
whose custom IL for the husband tn re-
side with his wife's family and those
where he removes her to his own
home. 1t appears that the avoid ance
custom between the husband and his
wife's family belongs preponderantly
(in fourteen cases, as compared with
eight computed as likely to happen by
chance; tc the group OF cases whore
the husband goes to live with the
wife's family. This implies casual
connection between the customs of
avoidance and residence. suggesting as
reason that the husband, being an
lnterloper in the wife's family. must be
treated as stranger; to use an English
idiom expressing the situation, he is
not recognized Other varieties of the
customs show similar preponderant ad-
nesions. Another custom, here called
teknonmy. or naming the parent from
the child, prevails among more than
thirty people; as an example was men,
toned the name of Ra-mary. or father
OF Mary. by which Livingstone was
generally known in Africa This GUS
tom proves on examination to adhere
closely to those Of residence and avoid
ance, the three occurring together
among eleven people-that is, more
than six times as often as might be ex-
pected to happen by chance concur
renee. Their connection finds salts
factory explanation in the accounts
given OF the Cree Indians OF Canada,
where the husband lives in his
wife's house, but never speaks
to his parents-in-law till his
irst child is born; this alters the whole
situation, for though the father is no
a member OF the family his child is
and so confers on him the status o
father OF so-and-so.' which becomes
his name, the whole being thel
brought to logical conclusion by tn,
family ceasing tc cut him. Tines,
etiquettes of avoidance furnish an in
dication of the direction OF change il
social habits among mankind; there
are eight people (for instance, the
Zulus) whore residence is in the hus
bands family, with the accompanying
advoidances. but at the same time the
advoidance is kept up between the
husband and wife's family, indicating
that at recent period he may have
habitually lived with them -Londo'
j E.Lnhe