| caption: |
chapter four - the village administration |
| note: |
footnotes indicated by boxes within square brackets |
| text: |
To call a court, one or both parties, or their kinsmen (92) acting for them, inform the kadepeo and the tingkhupeo that they desire to have the case heard. The kadepeo and the tingkhupeo then decide which of the village elders they shall ask to attend. The tingkhupeo himself always attends a court unless prevented by illness, as he is the council's adviser on custom. Men connected with the parties to the dispute are not infrequently asked to sit in the court which tries it and are expected to reach as fair a decision as possible. No special number of elders is needed to form a court and its strength and composition are as circumstances dictate. |
