Marriage a different customs followed in different culture this is a study on TRIBAL MARRIAGES IN INDIA - ARISE ROBY

1. TRIBAL MARRIAGES
IN
INDIA
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2. ARISE TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER

3. FORMS OF MARRIAGE
• The institution of marriage among the tribals is
different from that in the Hindu society. Marriage
among the tribaSs is not a religious sacrament but a
social contract with the purposes of enjoyment of
sex, procreation and companionship. The forms of
marriage, the ceremonies, the taboos and the laws of
dissolution of marriage are different in the tribal
world from civilized society.
• Normally the tribal male marries only one
woman, because he is not enough to maintain more
than one wife and secondly the number of males and
females in a tribe is usually equal. The following are
the important forms of getting a mate in tribal
society.
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4. MARRIAGE BY PURCHASE
• The most prevalent method of securing bride in primitive societies is
marriage by purchase. This is equivalent to Asur marriage
described in Hindu scriptures. According to Robert
Lowie, however, the bride price is not paid as the price for the girl
but symbolizes her utility for the male and the compensation to the
parents for giving away their daughter in marriage.
• Again among some Indian tribes there is the custom of dowry, which
finishes the value of bride price. This is particularly true about
Santhal, Ho, Oraon, Kharian, Gond, Naga, Kuki and Bhils among
Indian tribes.
• Like Hindus, the problem of bride price is becoming complex in
tribal society. In the Singh Bhumi district the amount of bride price
in the Ho tribe is so much that very few persons can pay it, with the
result that other forms of marriage are preferred.
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5. SERVICE MARRIAGE
• This is a special type of marriage by purchase. While in marriage by
purchase the bridegroom gives some money or gift to his father-in-
law, in service marriage he pays off for the marriage in terms of
service rendered to his father-in-law.
• This custom is particularly found among those persons who are too
poor to pay any money as bride price. In the Gond tribe the
bridegroom, desirous of marrying through service, is known as
Lamnai and Lamsena in Vaiga tribe. In Himachal Pradesh he is
known as Kamaoos.
• In service marriage the youth has to serve his future father-in-law
for three to five years. During this period if the father of the girl is
satisfied with the youth, he gives his daughter in marriage to him.
If, however, the father is dissatisfied, he dismisses the youth and
gives this chance to another person. During the course of service the
young man can meet the girl but cannot enter into sex relationship
with her.
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6. MARRIAGE BY CAPTURE
• An important method of securing a bride in Indian tribes is marriage by capture.
This form of marriage is prevalent due to different types of causes. In the Ho tribe
its cause is the excessive bride price. Another cause is the misbehavior to the
woman by her sister-in-law so that the woman is always waiting for someone to
carry her by force.
• Though the relatives apparently try to revenge for the capture of the girl but in 99%
cases the capture is regularized by means of marriage in which the young man has
only to apply vermilion on the forehead of the girl.
• The custom of marriage by capture is found among the
Santhal, Munda, Bhumij, Gond, Bhil and Naga tribes. Among the Bhumij tribe, it is
considered to the best form of marriage, so much so that even after the settlement of
marriage the parents of the girl request the bridegroom to run away with the bride.
• In the Kharia and Birhor tribe of Bihar if a young man forcibly applies vermillion
and oil on the forehead of a girl, she is declared his wife. Among the Nagas of
Assam, a cause of marriage by capture is the dearth of women in their own tribe
due to the evil custom of killing just born daughters. With the application of Indian
Penal Code in Tribal circles, the custom of marriage by capture is gradually
disappearing.
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7. Marriage by mutual consent
and
Elopement
An interesting form of securing a bride prevalent in
Indian tribes is marriage by mutual consent and
elopement. This was known as Gandharva
marriage in the ancient Hindu scriptures. Among
the Ho tribe of Bihar it is known as 'Rajikhushi'
marriage.
• In this form of marriage the girl elopes with a
young man by her own consent and does not
return to parents till they consent for marriage.
Naturally, no bride price is demanded in this type
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8. MARRIAGE BY EXCHANGE
In this type of marriage
when a man'sson is
prepared to marry
another's daughter, the
latter's son accepts the
former's daughter in
marriage; thus an
exchange of boys and
girls is made between
the two families.
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9. Probationary marriage
This system of marriage is found in the Kuki tribe of Assam. In
this system the bridegroom stays in the house of the girl for a
certain period. If during this probation period they decide to
marry, the marriage ceremony is solemnized, otherwise the
young man leaves after paying some compensation to the
parents of the girl.
Anader or intrusion marriage
This method of marriage is followed if all other valid sources of
marriage have been closed so much so that even the parents
of the girls fail to marry her with the desired boy. In this type
of marriage the girl forcibly enters the house of her lover and
dees not leave it in spite of bearing all types of insults and
cruelties. If she does not leave the house for a sufficient
period, she is married with the young man. This custom of
marriage is found among the Oraon, Ho and Brishor tribes.
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10. MARRIAGE BY TEST
• In this type of marriage the young man is allowed to marry the girl of his
choice after he successfully passes the test for his bravery. A strange
custom of this type of marriage is found among Bhil tribe which is known
as Gol Gadbedo.
• In it a social function is celebrated around a tree or a high pole at the top
of which a coconut and some sweets are put. The boys and girls dance
around this pole or tree, the girls remaining nearer the tree and the boys
forming their circle outside the circle of the girls.
• Now a young man suddenly tries to break the circle of the girls and reaches
the pole or tree, eats the sweets and breaks the coconut.
• The girls beat him and try to restrain him. If he comes out successful in this
aim he is given a right to select any girl from the gathering as his wife.
• Besides the above mentioned methods securing a bride found among the
Indian tribe there are some other methods as well. Of these the following
two are worth mentioning :
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11. 1. Levirate
In this type of marriage when a person dies, his
younger brother marries his wife. This custom
is found in the Santhal, Gond and Kharia
tribes among others.
2. Sorrorate
In this type of marriage when the wife dies, the
husband marries her unmarried sister. This
type of marriage is found in Gond and Kharia
tribes.
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12. CEREMONIES OF MARRIAGE
• The celebration of marriage in a tribe is a social occasion
for much festivity and rejoicing though the marriage
ceremonies are quite simple. In some tribes the mere
application of vermilion on the forehead of the girl by the
bridegroom is the sole ceremony of marriage.
• In some other tribes, the blood of the bride and the
bridegroom are mixed as a token of their intimate union. In
Gond tribe the procession of marriage starts from the
bride's place instead of from the bridegroom's house.
• There are almost no religious sanskaras observed on the
occasion of a tribal marriage, but generally there is
provision for community songs and dances and feasts.
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13. THANK YOU
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