Note 66 — G

Marriage rules. 5. If a man takes to shoe-making, no one will marry in his family, and the making of drums (mândar) is also thought a low occupation. Polygamy is allowed, and the number of wives depends on a man’s means. Few have more than one. Polyandry is unknown. If a girl is caught in an intrigue with a stranger, the father has to give two dinners: one pakki (or food cooked in butter) and one kachchi (or plain) with five goats and a still of liquor. They practise adult marriage, men being married at eighteen or twenty and girls at fifteen or sixteen. The marriage is arranged by the Mahto, who gets as his fee a turban and Re. 1–4 in cash. All marriages are supposed to take place with the consent of the parents; but as a matter-of-fact the parties often arrange their matches, and 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 as well to hasten on the wedding.66 In fact, it seems often to be the case that the man is allowed to try the girl first and if she suits him, and seems likely to be fertile, he marries her.67 The bride-price is twelve rupees in cash, two cloths, one for the bride and one for her mother, and ten bottles of liquor. This is an invariable rule. If after marriage the husband becomes insane, impotent, blind, or leprous, his wife may leave him; but no fault of this kind in the wife will justify the husband in discarding her. Mistakes of this kind are provided against by the careful examination of each by the friends of the other previous to marriage.