As among some of the other primitive tribes, a man stands in a special
relation to his sister's children. The marriage of his children
with his sister's children is considered as the most suitable
union. If a man's sister is poor he will arrange for the wedding
of her children. He will never beat his sister's children, however
much they may deserve it, and he will not permit his sister's son
or daughter to eat from the dish from which he eats. This special
connection between a maternal uncle and his nephew is held to be a
survival of the matriarchate, when a man stood in the place a father
now occupies to his sister's children, the real father having nothing
to do with them.