The Truth About WomanHartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)
History
The Truth About Woman
Hartley, C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine)
Women; Women -- History; Women -- Social and moral questions
Even tribes that have adopted paternal descent preserve numerous
customs of the earlier system. The husband still remains in the wife's
home for a probationary period, working for her family.[147] Women
retain rights which are inconsistent with father-rule. The choice of
her lover often remains with the girl. If a girl fancies a young man,
all she has to do is to give him a kick on the leg at the tribal dance
of the _Karama_, and then the parents think it well to hasten on a
wedding. Among Ghasiyas in United Provinces a wife is permitted to
leave her husband if he intrigues with another woman, or if he become
insane, impotent, blind or leprous, while these bodily evils do not
allow him to put her away.[148] We find relics of the early freedom
enjoyed by women in the licence frequently permitted to girls before
marriage. Even after marriage adultery within the tribal rules is not
regarded as a serious offence. Divorce is often easy, at the wish of
either the woman or the man.[149] This is the case among the Santal
tribes, which are found in Western Bengal, Northern Orissa, Bhagulpur
and the Santal Parganas.[150] It seems probable that fraternal
polyandry must formerly have been practised.
Polyandry must have been common at one time in southern India. It will
be sufficient to give a few examples. The interesting Todas tribe of
the Nil'giri Hills practise fraternal polyandry. The husbands of the
women are usually real brothers, but sometimes they are clan brothers.
The children belong to the eldest brother, who performs the ceremony
of giving the mother a miniature bow and arrow; all offspring, even if
born after his death, are counted as his until one of the other
brothers performs this ceremony. It is also allowed sometimes for the
wife to be mistress to another man besides her husbands, and any
children born of such unions are counted as the children of the
regular marriage. There is little restriction in love of any kind. In
the Toda language there is no word for adultery. It would even seem
that "immorality attaches rather to him who grudges his wife to
another man."[151]
Similarly among a fine tribe of Hindu mountaineers at the source of
the Djemmah fraternal polyandry has been proved to have existed. A
woman of this tribe, when asked how many husbands she had, answered,
"Only four!" "And all living?" "Why not?" This tribe had a high
standard of social conduct; they held lying in horror, and to deviate
from the truth even quite innocently was almost a sacrilege.[152]
To-day the Kammalaus (artisans) of Malabar practise fraternal
polyandry. The wives are said to greatly appreciate the custom; the
more husbands they have the greater will be their happiness.[153]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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