"Eight  days  after  the  birth,  the  father  of  the  new-bom  child  pro-
ceeds with  some  of  his  friends  to  the  house  where  the  mother  is,  and
they  there  seat  themselves  in  a  circle  in  front  of  the  entrance.  The
child  is  then  brought  out  and  handed  to  the  father,  who  returns
thanks  to  the  tutelary  deity.**  •

Often  he  names  the  child  at  this  time,  but  in  some
parts  it  is  the  priest  who  gives  the  name.  Until  very
recently  it  was  the  custom  in  some  tribes  to  bury  a
woman's  tenth  child  alive,  while  the  mother  was
obliged  to  isolate  herself  completely  for  a  year.
A  marriage  ceremony  is  a  still  more  elaborate  affair.
Marriageable  age  is  determined  solely  by  physical  de-
velopment, and  is  usually  between  the  twelfth  and  four-

^  Op,  cit,^  p.  227.
'  "  Tshi-speaking  peoples  **,  p.  232.
•  Ellis,  "Tshi-speaking  peoples  **,  p.  233.
76  American  Economic  Association.  [482

teenth  years.  At  that  age  the  girl  is  taken  to  the  water-
side and  washed ;  offerings  are  made  to  the  phallic
gods,  she  is  attired  in  the  best  that  her  family  can  afford
or  borrow,  and  accompanied  by  singing  girls,  is  con-
ducted through  the  village  with  all  possible  publicity.
