Page:The sexual life of savages in north-western Melanesia.djvu/127

3
MARRIAGE GIFTS

This simple declaration of marriage is followed by that exchange of gifts which is so typical of any social transaction in the Trobriands. Each gift is definite in nature and quantity, each has to take its proper place in a series and each is reciprocated by some corresponding contribution. The subjoined table will help to make clear the description which follows it:

Marriage Gifts
I G-B	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	1.	Katuvila — cooked yams, brought in baskets by the girl's parents to the boy's family.
		2.	Pepe'i — several baskets of uncooked yams, one given by each of the girl's relatives to the boy's parents.
		3.	Kaykaboma — cooked vegetables, each member of the girl's family bringing one platter to the boy's house.
II B-G	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	4.	Mapula Kaykaboma — repayment of gift (3), given in exactly the same form and material by the boy's relatives to the girl's family.
		5.	Takwalela Pepe'i — valuables given by the boy's father in repayment of gift (2) to the girl's father.
III G-B	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	6.	Vilakuria—large quantity of yam-food offered at the first harvest after the marriage to the boy by the girl's family.
IV B-G	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	7.	Saykwala — gift of fish brought by the boy to his wife's father in repayment of (6).
		8.	Takwalela Vilakuria — a gift of valuables handed by the boy's father to the girl's father in payment of (6).
G — B (girl to boy), gifts from the girl's family; B — G, return gifts from the boy's relatives to the girl's.

The girl's family have to make the first offering to signify their consent to the marriage. Since their agreement is absolutely essential, this gift, in conjunction with the public declaration of the union of the partners, con-