Page 95 - DSOC402_SOCIOLOGY_OF_KINSHIP_ENGLISH

Unit 13: Monogamy and Polygamy

Mitchell writes, “To marry other males by a female having a living husband or to marry two or Notes
more males at a time is called polyandry”.
According to Kapadia, “Polyandry is a kind of relation in which a woman has more than one
husband at a time or in which all brothers enjoys one wife or wives in a combined way.
It is that in polyandry one woman establishes marriage relation with many men. From very
ancient period polyandry is practiced in India, although this was practiced in limited quantity.
Polyandry was strongly prohibited in Vedic literature, but some examples of such marriage is
found in Mahabharata Era. Draupadi was married to five pandava brothers, but it was consid-
ered as an extraordinary event instead of custom. Polyandry is popular in people of Malavahas
of Dravin culture. Dr. Saxena believes that polyandry was a custom of some Prag-Dravin Cul-
ture of South. This custom was popular in Khas Rajputs living in the hilly regions of Jaunsar of
Dehradoon, Babur, Pargana, Garhwal and Shimla, Toda and Kota people of Nilgiri Hills, Bota
of Laddhakh, Tian and Irava of Madras, Nayar, Harawan and Kampala of Malabar, Combale,
People of Kurga and till sometimes ago in Santhal tribe of Chhota nagpur and Uraov Tribe of
Central India, but in modern period the popularity of this marriage is gradually eliminating.
Two forms of polyandry is also found.
(i) Fraternal or Adelphic Polyandry: When two or more than two brothers marries a woman to-
gether or if the eldest brother marries a woman and other brothers automatically considered her
husband, then such marriage is called Adelphic or Fraternal Polyandry. Fraternal polyandry is
found in Khas, Toda and Kota people and hilly regions of Punjab, Speety and Lahole Paraganas
of Kangra District and in Laddhakh. In Khas people when elder brother marries a woman the
remaining brothers automatically becomes the husband of the woman. Fraternal polyandry is
also popular among Toda people of Nilgiri Hills. Dr. Reverse says that sometimes brothers of
same races combine to marry a woman instead of real brothers.
(ii) Non-Fraternal or Non-Adelphic Polyandry: In this type of marriage the husbands of a wom-
an are not brothers. The woman lives with every husband by and by for equal periods of time.
Both the maternal and paternal side can be joined with polyandry. In Toda, Khas and Kota etc.
paternal polyandry is found in which the woman, after marriage, go and live either in the group
house of her husbands or by and by with all the husbands for the similar periods. In Maternal
Polyandry the woman lives in the house of her mother after the marriage and the husbands
comes there by and by to live with her. This custom is found in Nayyar’s of maternal generation.

Causes of Polyandry

1. Westermark quotes that the main reason for polyandry is unbalanced sex ratio. Polyandry
is found in the societies in which males are more in comparison to females. A reason for
this is imbalance is that, in many societies, there is custom of female infanticide. Societies
in which life is struggling, women are felt burden there. Thus, they are killed at the time of
the birth only. The view of Robert Brifault is this is not true always because in Laddhakh,
Tibet and Sikkim, there is no major difference in the ratio of male and female. In Laddhakh,
females are more than males, even though polyandry is practiced there.
2. Sumnor, Conningham and Dr. Saxena believe that poverty is responsible for such types of
marriages. Due to less production, lack of agricultural land, difficulty in making money etc.
are the reasons for hardship in maintaining a family. Therefore many men unite to marry a
woman.
3. Polyandry is also practiced to limit the population because less children born from this type
of marriage.
4. Bride Price: In many societies, there is abundance of bride price due to polyandry. So, peo-
ple make common effort to manage the bride price and in these circumstances there is a
common right of all above people on the bride bought.

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