Most marriageable widows remarry. Unless they have a number of children, they are much in demand; and women often remarked that life without a man is hard. They may remarry within the circle of their husband's kin. In the genealogies, widows often married their husband's brother, occasionally polygamously. In two cases, barely adolescent boys had been married to an elder brother's widow, and in one case to mother's brother's widow. Equally, a widow may return to her father, who will arrange for her remarriage. Her children may remain with her husband's kin, or with her own natal household, or may go with her to her new husband, according to circumstances. The villagers are aware that according to the Seriat a child belongs to its father, but should remain with its mother until it is seven, but they seem to attach remarkably little importance to formal rights in this matter. This is understandable. No one wants daughters, and other people's sons, even a brother's, are a limited asset. They are likely to cause trouble over inheritance, and in any case to leave the household at their most useful point - at marriage, when their labour, their children, and their obedience should serve to build a joint household.
Polygamy is still socially acceptable. Successful polygamy is a source of prestige, but it is also a frequent subject for jokes, and a polygamist is close to ridicule. It appears to be becoming rarer. It is not of course legal, and polygamous marriages are never registered with the State. Only four cases existed in Sakaltutan. I know only one man with a healthy and fertile first wife who