258 AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS
formerly treated with derision and his settlement often plundered by Tale clans which have no ties through chiefship with him.
An elector has, correlatively, no direct ritual, political, or military responsibilities for a clan whose chief he appoints* He is morally and ritually bound to select, in consultation with his elders, the best candidate for a chiefship, recking less of his pecuniary offer than of his reputation and pedigree. He must see that the office circulates, so that it is not monopolized by any one segment, thus stressing the common interest of the whole unit in the nctam* An immoral choice would evoke the wrath of the ancestors. To this extent only has an elector a moral responsibility for the well-being of the community whose chief he appoints. He is the repository of na'am, so when a chief he appoints dies the insignia with which he was invested must be ceremonially restored to the elector pending the appointment of a successor. Thus the cycle is completed.
IX. The Complementary Functions of Chiefs and Twdaanas
Every Tale chief says, 'Man so ntzy; ndame' (ĢI own my land. I bought it'). In certain respects the rights and authority implied in this are precise. He owns the products of all locust-bean trees (Parkia filicoidea) growing within the precincts of his clan settlement, as well as certain stretches of river and of hunting bush, the exploitation of which is prohibited until they have been communally fished or hunted at the chief's instance. Big fish and special portions of any animal slain or found dead in his bush must be delivered to the chief. Stringent ritual sanctions uphold these rights. Vagrant humans (da'abr), stray dogs or cattle, and brass or copper ware found lying about must be delivered to a chief. These prerogatives have some, though limited economic value even to-day.2
1 Owing to the advanced age at which chiefs were often appointed, the average duration of a chieftaincy was only about ten years. This conduced to a fairly rapid circulation of a chiefship amongst the segments of a clan.
2 The right to vagrant humans has, of course, been abolished. Some minor privileges of chiefs corresponding to it in political significance have not been mentioned, as they are also falling into abeyance. In several cases, chiefship reduced entirely to these rights until the pacification of the country led to the establishment of permanent settlements on the fringes of what used to be merely hunting bush. Thus the chiefs of Biurj and Gbiog used to live amongst their clansfolk as members of communities dwelling within the zone of authority of other clan heads, though vested with rights over their respective tracts of river and bush, Sec.