The history of Sumatra : $b Containing an account of the government, laws, customs and manners of the native inhabitantsMarsden, William
History
The history of Sumatra : $b Containing an account of the government, laws, customs and manners of the native inhabitants
Marsden, William
Natural history -- Indonesia -- Sumatra; Sumatra (Indonesia)
The modes of marriage, according to the original institutions of these
people, are by jujur, by ambel anak, or by semando. The jujur is a
certain sum of money given by one man to another as a consideration for
the person of his daughter, whose situation, in this case, differs not
much from that of a slave to the man she marries, and to his family. His
absolute property in her depends however upon some nice circumstances.
Beside the batang jujur (or main sum) there are certain appendages or
branches, one of which, the tali kulo, of five dollars, is usually, from
motives of delicacy or friendship, left unpaid, and so long as that is
the case a relationship is understood to subsist between the two
families, and the parents of the woman have a right to interfere on
occasions of ill treatment: the husband is also liable to be fined for
wounding her, with other limitations of absolute right. When that sum is
finally paid, which seldom happens but in cases of violent quarrel, the
tali kulo (tie of relationship) is said to be putus (broken), and the
woman becomes to all intents the slave of her lord.*
(*Footnote. I cannot omit to remark here that, however apposite the word
tali, which in Malayan signifies a cord, may be to the subject of the
marriage tie, there is very strong evidence of the term, as applied to
this ceremony, having been adopted from the customs of the Hindu
inhabitants of the peninsula of India, in whose language it has a
different meaning. Among others who have described their rites is M.
Sonnerat. In speaking of the mode of marriage called pariam, which, like
the jujur, n'est autre chose qu'un achat que le mari fait de sa femme, he
says, le mari doit aussi fournir le tali, petit joyau d'or, qu'il attache
avec un cordon au col de la fille; c'est la derniere ceremonie; elle
donne la sanction au marriage, qui ne peut plus etre rompu des que le
tali est attache. Voyage aux Indes etc. tome 1 page 70. The reader will
also find the Sumatran mode of marriage by ambel anak, or adoption,
exactly described at page 72. An engraving of the tali is given by P.
Paolino, Systema Brahmanicum tab. 22. This resemblance is not confined to
the rites of marriage, for it is remarked by Sir W. Jones that, "among
the laws of the Sumatrans two positive rules concerning sureties and
interest appear to be taken word for word from the Indian legislators."
Asiatic Researches Volume 3 page 9.)
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