Uniqueness of Marriages among Tribal Community of Jaunsar Bawar

Abstract

There is a famous quote that “Marriages are made in heaven”.  However, if we look at the various phases leading to evolution of marriage in society, we perhaps wouldn’t believe this myth. The origin and development of human marriage have been discussed by such eminent writers as Darwin, Spencer, Morgan, Taylor, Westermarck and many others. If marriages were made in heaven,then it would not have taken, as per LH Morgan, fewer than fifteen stages in the evolution of marriage and family. Marriages over a long period of time have evolved differently in different societies. Infact as per a survey conducted in recent past (2012), on classical polyandry, undertaken by Katherine E Stark weather and Raymond Hames, they identifiedfifty-three polyandrous societies outside classical Himalayan &Marquesean area. This goes to show that process of evolution to Monogamous marriage is still continuing in number of societies. Marriage celebrations in JaunsarBawar area of district Dehradun in Uttrakhand, India has an unique tradition, which perhaps were devised based on social economy of the people of the area.  Infact it is interesting to note that in traditional Jaunsari Marriages, it is the bride which along with marriage party comes to bridegroom’s place for the marriage and all the expenditure of the marriage are borne by father of the bride groom. Different categories of marriage also have been conceptualisedinJaunsari system of marriages to accommodate the varying economic capacities of the parents of the bridegroom. Literature available so far on Jaunsari Culture / Marriage covers some part of Jaunsari Marriage categories and process but fails to give descriptive ethnographic account of the uniqueness of marriage celebration in JaunsarBawar area. This paper is meant to highlight the process of Jaunsari marriage, which, I assimilated during my recent visit to Jaunsar area and is intended to chronicle this extraordinary system which may become extinct in not too distant a future. The description in this paper is unique as it has the advantage of an ‘insider’ or native anthropologist’s in making view which incidentally is not covered in earlier literatures published so far. It is my endeavor through this paper to allow the readers to understand the deepest layers of the Jaunsari marriage system rather than’ touching the skin and failing to reach the heart[1]. ‘Acculturation’ of the JaunsarBawar hill tribal people to more dominant culture of the plains of Dehradun is however witnessing rapid shift in the tradition of the marriages which has its own repercussions.