The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)Crooke, William
History
The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)
Crooke, William
Caste -- India -- History; Hindus -- India; Tribes -- India -- History
[Marriage.] 6. A man may marry in any of the ten septs (the five last
being regarded as only offshoots from the others), provided both
parties are in possession of full caste rights. Among these people we
have a distinct survival of marriage by capture in the sort of
wrestling or struggle which takes place between the bride and
bridegroom, before the latter during the marriage ceremony applies red
lead to the parting of the hair of the former. This custom of applying
red lead is an obvious survival of the original blood covenant when the
bride was marked with blood drawn from the body of the bridegroom, and
thus formally united to him. A man may have as many wives as he can
afford to purchase with the bride-price and support. The senior wife is
held in special respect and gets more jewelry and better clothes than
her juniors. She alone represents the women of the family at social
celebrations. This appears, as Dr. Westermarck remarks, to indicate a
transition from monogamous to polygynous habits, and not vice versâ, as
has often been suggested. [96] If the family house is large the wives
all live together; if not, in separate rooms grouped round the common
courtyard. [97] Another peculiarity among this tribe is the intense
fear of the menstrual pollution. [98] There are always two doors to the
dwelling house, one of which is used only by women in this condition.
While impure the woman is fed by her husband apart from the rest of the
family, and whenever she has to go out she is obliged to creep out on
her hands and knees so as to avoid polluting the house thatch by her
touch. Concubinage and polyandry are both prohibited, and the latter is
looked upon with such horror by them that it seems impossible to
believe that it could ever have been a tribal institution. [99] Women
enjoy a considerable amount of liberty both before and after marriage.
If an unmarried girl is detected in an intrigue with a clansman, the
tribal council imposes a fine on her paramour and marries her to him.
The fine consists of a goat, rice, and liquor. The marriage age for
girls is from ten to twelve, and to delay the marriage of girls to a
later period is considered unseemly. As the people put it, “the
brotherhood jeer” (birâdari hansat). The marriage of a boy is arranged
by his sister’s husband (bahnoi). It usually takes place by arrangement
between the pair, but love matches are allowed and are not unusual. The
bride-price consists of a sheet (orhna) valued at three rupees, five
rupees in cash, and fifteen sers of liquor. The bride receives the
sheet, and the money and the liquor are used in the marriage feast.
This is the invariable rate and does not vary with the means of the
parties. If after marriage it turns out that the bridegroom becomes
mad, blind, leprous, or impotent, her relations will withhold the
bride. In this case, if the husband have a younger brother, the
marriage is annulled by the council, and the bride is again married to
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