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Show Inheritance Laws Born in Private Ownership ! I ! should have first claim to his former belongings. From this developed the customs and laws of inheritance which j have taken varied, and in some cases, very complex forms, In different parts of the world. National Geographic Society Bulletin. i Among our primitive ancestors there were no such tilings as a will or even inheritance by a limited number num-ber of heirs, because there was nothing noth-ing to inherit or to will. All property w;is community property. When i man died he simply ceased to use the common property "pool." and without any formalities the surviving members mem-bers of the group continued to make use of it. When private ownership of things and land came to he recognized, the governing unit village, tribe or stare found that it had to t:ilce some action ac-tion when a man died, leaving property. prop-erty. IS nothing were done, anyone who happened to he near or strong might seize the ownerless property, even though he were a total stranger to or even an enemy of its former owner. Tribal concepts of fair play-came play-came into operation, and it was recognized rec-ognized that the dead man's family |