ABSTRACT
A Man's position depended on his control over women, but women were not so easy to coerce. Their action was much freer than Lele institutions, described from the male point of view, would imply. It was not impossible for a woman to end a marriage which did not please her. If she transferred her attentions to one of her husband's brothers, her preference would be hard to resist. If she favoured a man of another clan, fighting might ensue; men might be killed, but not she. If she ran away to another village, her husband would be prevented from reclaiming her by the armed force of the whole village which had given her refuge. The self-confidence of Lele women gave them much of their charm.
