CHAPTER 1
THE BEGINNING OF LAW
- As far as we know, the law began with the family. The father was the head of the family, and the orders he gave, the rules of conduct made by him, were the law.
- As families expanded and the members went out on their own, the family group became known as a clan, subject to the rule of the man who was selected to head it. Eventually , clans in the same area joined forces and became members of a tribe. They chose a chief to head this larger group.
- The chief of the tribe made rules or laws to govern the dealings of one clan with another, but the head of the clan still made the laws for the family group. If a tribal law was broken, the chief decided the guilt or innocence of the person accused and fixed the punishment . The head of a clan judged and determined the punishment for those who broke the rules within his family group.