XXV. The Marriage of Cousins in India

W. H. R. Rivers

doi:10.1017/S0035869X0003642X

XXV. The Marriage of Cousins in India

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 March 2011

W. H. R. Rivers

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In many parts of the world there exist social relations between a man and his mother's brother which are in many ways closer than those between the man and his own father. Often these are associated with the condition of society best known as mother-right, in which the child belongs to the social division of his mother and her brother, to whom may fall the chief or sole direction of the life of the child. In other cases a similar close relation is found between maternal uncle and nephew when descent is no longer counted in the female line, and there is definite evidence1 that in some cases this relation is a survival of a previously existing condition of matrilineal descent.

Type: Articles
Information: Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society , Volume 39 , Issue 3 , July 1907 , pp. 611 - 640

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X0003642X [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Royal Asiatic Society 1907

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References

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^{page 620 note 1} This community of kinship terms may have a different origin in the practice of exchanging brothers and sisters, and is therefore of less importance than that considered in the preceding paragraph.

^{page 621 note 1} “Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family,” pp. 523–67.Google Scholar

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^{page 623 note 3} The importance of the South Indian kinship terms as evidence of cousinmarriage has been previously pointed out by Bernhöft (Zeitsch. f. vergl. Rechtswiss., 1891, Bd. ix, S. 19) and by Kohler, (“Zur Urgeschichte der Ehe,” Stuttgart, 1897, S. 143Google Scholar), both, however, bringing the cousin-marriage into relation with polyandry and group-marriage, with which conditions it has no necessary connection. Kohler has also (op. cit., S. 121Google Scholar) discussed the relation of cousin-marriage to a dual organisation of society.

^{page 625 note 1} For references to the position of the maternal uncle in Indian literature, I may refer to a paper by Hopkins, E. W. in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1889, vol. xiii, p. 57.CrossRef Google Scholar

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^{page 627 note 1} Census of India, 1901, vol. xv, pt. 1, p. 169.Google Scholar

^{page 627 note 2} Ibid.

^{page 627 note 3} Ibid., p. 141.

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^{page 627 note 5} Rivers, : Todas, p. 512.Google Scholar

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^{page 627 note 7} Ibid., p. 30.

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^{page 627 note 9} Madura Manual (quoted by Thurston).

^{page 627 note 10} Grant, : Gazetteer of Central Provinces, Nagpur, 2nd ed., 1870, p. 276.Google Scholar See also Scanlan, Ind. Antiquary, 1872, vol. i, p. 55Google Scholar; and Forsyth, , “The Highlands of Central India,” 1871, p. 186.Google Scholar

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^{page 628 note 7} Vol. xv, pt. 1, p. 158.

^{page 628 note 8} Madura Manual, pt. ii, p. 50.Google Scholar

^{page 628 note 9} Rajputana Gazetteer, 1879, vol. i, p. 69.Google Scholar

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^{page 630 note 2} Census of India, 1891, Madras, vol. xiii, p. 299.Google Scholar

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^{page 630 note 6} Risky, : op. cit., vol. ii, p. 69.Google Scholar

^{page 630 note 7} Ibid., p. 243.

^{page 630 note 8} Ibid., p. 282.

^{page 630 note 9} Campbell, : Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, 1885, vol. xviii, pt. 1 p. 545.Google Scholar

^{page 631 note 1} Thurston, : op. cit., p. 57.Google Scholar

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^{page 631 note 3} Macpherson's, “Memorials of Service in India,” London, 1865, p. 70;Google ScholarGanjam Manual, 1882, p. 69Google Scholar; and Thurston, , op. cit., pp. 9–12.Google Scholar

^{page 631 note 4} Campbell, : loc. cit.Google Scholar

^{page 631 note 5} Ibid.

^{page 631 note 6} Boswell, : Nellore Manual, p. 240.Google Scholar

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^{page 631 note 8} Rajputana Gazetteer, 1879, vol. ii, p. 251.Google Scholar

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^{page 632 note 1} Campbell, : loc. cit.Google Scholar

^{page 632 note 2} Sturrock, : S. Canara Manual, p. 169. These people still follow the custom of Aliya Santana or inheritance by the sister's son.Google Scholar

^{page 632 note 3} Thurston, : op. cit., p. 82.Google Scholar

^{page 632 note 4} Campbell, : Bombay Gazetter, vol. xviii, pt. 1, p. 545.Google Scholar

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^{page 632 note 6} Mateer, : Journ. Roy. Asiat. Soc., 1884, vol. xvi, p. 180.CrossRef Google Scholar

^{page 632 note 7} Thurston, : Ethnographic Notes, p. 25.Google Scholar

^{page 632 note 8} Ibid., p. 30.

^{page 632 note 9} Ibid., p. 57.

^{page 633 note 1} Thurston, : op. cit., p. 84.Google Scholar

^{page 633 note 2} Ibid., p. 57.

^{page 633 note 3} Ibid., p. 35.

^{page 633 note 4} Boswell, : Manual of Nellore District, p. 240.Google Scholar

^{page 633 note 5} Thurston, : p. 26.Google Scholar

^{page 633 note 6} “Kalyān'a Shat'anku, or the Marriage Ceremonies of the Hindus of South India,” Madras, 1868, pp. 27–74.Google Scholar

^{page 633 note 7} Risley, : “Tribes and Castes of Bengal,” vol. i, p. 201.Google Scholar

^{page 633 note 8} Crooke, : “Tribes and Castes of the North-West Provinces,” vol. ii, p. 249.Google Scholar

^{page 634 note 1} Campbell, : Bombay Gazetteer, vol. xviii, pt. 1, p. 545.Google Scholar

^{page 634 note 2} Ibid.

^{page 634 note 3} Ibid.

^{page 634 note 4} Ibid.

^{page 634 note 5} Bombay Gazetteer, vol. v, p. 45.Google Scholar

^{page 634 note 6} Sturrock, : Manual of South Canara District, 1894, p. 169.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 1} Rivers, : The Todas, p. 332.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 2} Census of India, 1891, Madras, vol. xiii, p. 224.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 3} Op. cit., p. 333.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 4} Cox, & Stuart, : Manual of North Arcot, 1895, vol. i, p. 250.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 5} Ibid., p. 249.

^{page 635 note 6} Bosweli, : Manual of Nellore District, p. 223.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 7} Campbell, : op. cit., p. 544.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 8} Ibid.

^{page 635 note 9} Boswell, : Nellore Manual, p. 221.Google Scholar

^{page 635 note 10} Crooke, : op. cit., vol. iii, p. 377.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 1} Op. cit., p. 334.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 2} Thurston, : op. cit., p. 388.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 3} Campbell, : op. cit., p. 544.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 4} Rose, H. A.: Man, 1902, p. 60 (No. 45), where a full description of the ceremonies will be found.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 5} Iyer, A. K.: Cochin Ethnographic Survey, Monograph No. 9, pt. iv, p. 5, 1906.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 6} Risley, : op. cit., vol. ii, p. 75.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 7} Ibid., vol. i, p. 353.

^{page 636 note 8} Crooke, : op. cit., vol. iv, p. 32.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 9} Thurston, : op. cit., p. 157.Google Scholar

^{page 636 note 10} Rivers, : op. cit., p. 499.Google Scholar

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^{page 637 note 2} Gordon, : Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 1902, p. 71.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 3} Risley, : op. cit., vol. i, p. 245.Google ScholarCrooke, , op. cit., vol. ii, p. 335.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 4} Crooke, : op. cit., vol. ii, p. 285.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 5} Ibid., vol. i, p. 288.

^{page 637 note 6} Risley, : op. cit., vol. i, p. 316.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 7} Iyer, A. K.: Cochin Ethnographic Survey, Monograph No. 6, p. 28, and No. 9, pt. ii, p. 15.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 8} Campbell, : loc. cit.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 9} Campbell, : loc. cit.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 10} Op. cit., pp. 395–7.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 11} Risley, : loc. cit.Google Scholar

^{page 637 note 12} Crooke, : op. cit., vol. iii, p. 308.Google Scholar

^{page 638 note 1} Iyer, A. K.: op. cit., Monograph 10, p. 21.Google Scholar

^{page 638 note 2} Census of India, 1891, Madras, vol. xiii, p. 299.Google Scholar

^{page 638 note 3} Painter, : Journ. Anth. Soc. Bombay, 1890, vol. ii, p. 146.Google Scholar

^{page 638 note 4} Crooke, : op. cit., vol. iii, p. 210.Google Scholar

^{page 638 note 5} Ibid., p. 260.

^{page 638 note 6} Ibid., vol. ii, p. 8.

^{page 638 note 7} Ibid., vol. iv, p. 26.

^{page 638 note 8} Ibid., vol. ii, p. 467.

^{page 638 note 9} Rivers, : op. cit., p. 332.Google Scholar

^{page 638 note 10} Iyer, A. K.: Ethnographic Survey of Cochin State, Monograph No. pt. iv, p. 5.Google Scholar

^{page 639 note 1} Crooke, : op. cit., vol. i, p. 225; vol. ii, pp. 180, 241, 283, 324; vol. iii, pp. 211, 260, 479; vol. iv, p. 280.Google Scholar

^{page 639 note 2} Logan, : Malabar Manual, vol. i, p. 144.Google Scholar

^{page 639 note 3} Iyer, A. K.: op. cit,, Monograph 10, p. 18; see also p. 16.Google Scholar

^{page 639 note 4} Thurston, : op. cit., p. 55.Google Scholar

^{page 640 note 1} Boswell, : Manual of Nellore District, p. 240.Google Scholar

^{page 640 note 2} Kearns, : op. cit., p. 49.Google Scholar

^{page 640 note 3} Rivers, : op. cit., pp. 360, 381, 392.Google Scholar

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