the joint family." This
was a partnership composed of three or four members of a sept whose
individual wealth was not sufficient to qualify each of them to be an
_aire_, but whose joint wealth qualified one of the co-partners as head
of the joint family to be one.

So long as there was abundance of land each family grazed its cattle
upon the tribe-land without restriction; unequal increase of wealth and
growth of population naturally led to its limitation, each head of a
homestead being entitled to graze an amount of stock in proportion to
his wealth, the size of his homestead, and his acquired position. The
arable land was no doubt applotted annually at first; gradually,
however, some of the richer families of the tribe succeeded in evading
this exchange of allotments and converting part of the common land into
an estate in sevralty. Septs were at first colonies of the tribe which
settled on the march-land; afterwards the conversion of part of the
common land into an estate in sevralty enabled the family that acquired
it to become the parent of a new sept. The same process might, however,
take place within a sept without dividing it; in other words, several
members of the sept might hold part of the land of the sept as separate
estate. The possession of land in sevralty introduced an important
distinction into the tribal system--it created an aristocracy. An _aire_
whose family held the same land for three generations was called a
_flaith_, or lord, of which rank there were several grades according to
their wealth in land and chattels. The _aires_ whose wealth consisted in
cattle only were called _bo-aires_, or cow-_aires_, of whom there were
also several grades, depending on their wealth in stock. When a
_bo-aire_ had twice the wealth of the lowest class of _flaith_ he might
enclose part of the land adjoining his house as a lawn; this was the
first step towards his becoming a _flaith_. The relations which
subsisted between the _flaiths_ and the _bo-aires_ formed the most
curious part of the Celtic tribal system, and throw a flood of light on
the origin of the feudal system. Every tribesman without exception owed
_ceilsinne_ to the _rig_, or chief, that is, he was bound to become his
_ceile_, or vassal. This consisted in paying the _rig_ a tribute in
kind, for which the _ceile_ was entitled to receive a proportionate
amount of stock without having to give any bond for their return, giving
him service, e.g. in building