The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 1 (of 4)Crooke, William
History
The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 1 (of 4)
Crooke, William
Caste -- India -- History; Hindus -- India; Tribes -- India -- History
practically, as regards such matters, Hindus of high caste, and permit
no widow re-marriage: hence the high proportion of widows.”
12. This marriage of widows, known to the east of the Province as sagâi
and to the west as karâo and dharewa, is a perfectly legal form of
marriage, and when recognised by the tribal council the children are
regarded as legitimate and succeed to their father’s estate. In
subsequent pages will be found numerous details of the ritual in widow
marriages. Among many of the lower castes the general rule appears to
be that the widow is married to a widower: but this rule is subject to
exceptions. The prohibited degrees for the widow are the same as for
the virgin bride, with the additional limitation, as already explained,
that she cannot marry her elder brother-in-law or her senior cousin.
Though the marriage is quite legitimate, there is a certain amount of
secrecy connected with it. It is performed at night. The bridegroom
after eating with the woman’s friends invests her with a new robe and
some jewelry, and withdraws with her to a private room. Next day he
brings her home and procures the recognition of the union by feasting
his clansmen. The rules as regards the custody of children by the first
marriage are not very clearly defined. The usual course seems to be
that if she has an infant she takes it with her to her new home, where
it is practically adopted by its step-father. Children who have passed
the stage of helplessness fall under the guardianship of their uncles,
who manage their estate until they attain years of discretion, or, in
the case of girls, arrange their marriages.
[Age for marriage.] 13. As regards the age for marriage the following
table taken from the last Census Report [72] deserves re-production.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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