Kuki (Indic people); Lushai (Asian people); Lushai language
Widow Re-marriage.--There is no objection to a widow remarrying. If
a woman has a son and there is any property, it is proper for her to
remain unmarried and look after her son and his interests; should she,
however, wish to remarry there is nothing to prevent her, but her
late husband's relatives will take charge of the children and all the
property. Should a widow be left with daughters only, it rests with her
husband's nearest male relatives whether she shall continue to live
separately or shall enter his house. It is not unusual in such cases
for the widow to be allowed to bring up her daughters, utilising,
with the heir's approval, whatever property has been left, but the
marriage prices of the girls will be taken by their father's heir. In
olden times a widow had to remain unwashed and with her hair uncombed
for a whole year from the death of her husband, but the period has
been reduced to three months, out of pity for the women, and after
that time remarriage is allowed. A widower who remarries before
three months has passed since his wife's death used to be fined,
but this excellent custom has dropped out of use. Should a woman
elect to live in her late husband's house and bring up his children,
she is considered as still married to him, and should she be detected
in an intrigue her relatives will have to refund her marriage price
just as if her husband were alive.
[4. Female chastity.] The unmarried girls are not very strictly
looked after, and, if they conduct their intrigues with a fair
amount of secrecy, nothing is said. As has been described in Chapter
II, 3, there is a sleeping place on each side of the hearth, that
furthest from the door--kumpui--being reserved for the parents, the
other--kumai--being for the girls and young children. Sometimes,
however, if the family is large, one of the girls sleeps with her
parents. If a young man is found on the kumai nothing is said to him;
if, however, he trespasses on the kumpui he is fined. In some villages
if he even crosses the centre of the hearth he is fined. The fine
varies in different villages, but it is about Rs. 10/-. If a girl
becomes pregnant, the man responsible is at once surrounded by her
relatives, who demand a mithan as the price of his indiscretion. This
is called "sawn man," "the price of the bastard." This has to be
paid even in the case of the child being born dead and in cases of
premature births where the legs and arms are complete.
When the father has paid the sawn man he can claim the child as soon
as it is old enough to leave its mother.
In cases in which the girl has been prodigal of her favours, no sawn
man can be demanded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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