Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-02-16

CUSTOMS OF The NEGROES o.
T4E COLO COAST.
Divorce Go a Rare oeearrenee-ssth.
Or Lewe One of Their Strongest
Pelnts-Strset lass as .
PreeeFsy Rights.

II IL said that divorces are rare
zn80as akaEse ls.b~s Nho lead a simple
life aaatstnr a<-a, As ~sth civilized
people. marriage canaot ae dissolved
without ioTmalasy P~ranessses of the
gOid sa2st on, have the privilege ot
separating troGa their husbands wiSh,
out f~ogGnAlN, some wAt,~ e!4y hand
I'd 10 ah@ husband is i sign of dis
missaL
Cosnnaun ~l't4,s.}~. on ths. Whtr hand.
have 90 al,i-ar 3etuFe lA.- chiefs. whO
decide the ease. II the, present the
wife with = p!srv ui &aa1r clay. she
must msark 'hr trt~s III the principal
streets 0i the village as = syn that
she Is ~ longer a welded W3te, II
the divorce liz g.au',-l 10 the man. the
wife's family must return the ~9uiVa
lent al the purt hAs'. usOglry.
Old aga among 'hr true nes9u%s. as
among many other I~e~llslt"s. il l8s-A In
high esteem. sa} : the. Southern W0rA
II CONTRARY 10 the l~Ep.uiar not lon
the family !itr III many African tribes
before the! AMI In contact with
European civilization was b+auiifuI.
The large fanlil, prevails,
There H. piutaabll no rac" in which
offspring lis 81 highly priced As among
the negroes. lntanticide Is rare here
in comparison with Polynesia and
Meianelsa. They rejoice at the birth
of a child. In this respect they are
much like Europeans. Mother love
Is very strong. II a mans mother and
his wife. they say. are on the point Of
drowning and he a save only M
be must v the mother. for II the
wife is lost he may marry another. but
he will never find a second mother.
The original right 10 private owner.
ship of land Is acquired. as with US.
either by fee or allodium. IL IL said
that tenure Of land among the Daho-
meys and Bechuanas Is in fee simple.
In asst Africa II In everywhere ailOdial.
On the gold coast property in the soil
is acquired by bringing 1t under cult.
Walton. All the land In the neighb0r-
hood Of a town IL considered a. be.
longing TO the inhabitants generally
and the man who first cuts down the
bush and grows a crop Is regarded as
the proprietor OF that portion,
Among some west African tribes
there Is Inder native law, no COM
munity In goods between a man and
his wife. Each keeps separate estate.
women owning and holding property
under identical conditions with men.
The laws Of inheritance vary. In
some eases the brother inherits; In
some the eldest or most influential
son: In some the chief slave. The un.
DERIVING idea In the inheritance OF
property seems to be TO keep the
wealth of the house. !. @. the estate,
together. This Is somewhat similar
to the idea underlying the English law
of inheritance. The strong and the
cunning. as with us, defraud the weak
out of property. particularly women
and children who have no powerful
relatives.
In spite of abuses there Is a definite
and acknowledged law. to which an
appeal a be made by persons OF all
classes. provided they have the means
of setting the machinery Of the law In
motion. There are wills. but they are
not the rule. Gifts take the place OF
wills. A rich man gives things dur
ing his lifetime to his friend or favor
tie wife or child or slave, so that he
can see that they get what he wishes
them 10 have.