Marriage- Its Rules and Practices in Meitei Society
- Part 1 -

Dr. L. Basanti Devi *

Keinya - Lu-hong-ba-gee Dollai-da - a Meitei marriage ceremony ending where the bride goes on top of a 'Dollai' with her hand tied to her brother who guides the bride to her new home
Pix - David M Mayum

In every society, whether primitive or civilized, marriage in much aspect is the most important social institution. Marriage is a socio-religious institution. It is a social contract for the satisfaction of physical, biological, psychological and spiritual needs of Man and Woman leading to the formation of a family.

Thus the growth and development as well as the stability of human society depend upon this universal and primary institution. On account of this vital importance, the sanctity and permanence of marriage has been emphasized in most societies and the Meitei Society is not an exception in this regard. The paper tries to present the rules and forms of the marriage system which has been prevailed in Manipur from the very early times.

The Meitei concept of marriage implies the sacred and ceremonial union of a man and a woman with due religious rites. The vernacular term for marriage is "Luhongba" which is a combination of two words, "Lu" which means "head" in archaic Manipuri and "Hongba" to solemnize. Hence Luhongba is the ceremonial union of the "Lu" of the man and the woman implying the oneness of their heart and soul rather than the state of their being double.

In the long journey of life the Meiteis believed that woman is called oigilamdang (left way) and man Yet Ki lamdang (rightway). Thus Meitei marriage is primarily conceived as lifelong physical and spiritual companionship between the wife and the husband.

The Meiteis are generally exogamous but endogamy was found in the early times. Khaba Shokchremba alias Leirenhan the father in law of Panthoibi (now worshipped as the goddess of Meitei) married a Women of his own clan (Panthoibi Khongul, M. Chandrasing, P.70, 1973). Actually this endogamous system is prohibited in Meitei society but his practice is prevalent among the members of the hill tribes (T.C. Hodson, The Meitheis, Page 75).

Politically, the introduction of the practice of exogamy can broaden and strengthen the power of the clans. Polygamy was also very popular. It was also prevailing custom among the Meitei that as a symbol of success in the war, the victor took the wife of the vanquished, weak rules or chiefs used to offer their daughter to the powerful king. Thus powerful kings had many wives or queens. Their example was followed by the nobles and well-to-do families and lastly to common people.

In Meitei society both in early and present days there are certain taboos and rules connected with the institution of marriage. If anybody breaking the rules was expelled from the common society to Haochongpal or Samupal which were known as loi areas (socially boycotted areas).

The important rules to be strictly prohibited in marriage are
1. Yekthoknaba or Putinnaba (belonging to the same clan/kinship)
2) Shairuk tinnaba,
3) Pentinaba and
4) Mugnaba.

Yek thoknaba

Marriage within the cIan or yek is strictly prohibited. This is a long time honoured custom in the Meitei society. Meitei are socially divided into seven clans known as salais or yeks viz, Ningthouja, Angom Khuman, Luwang, Moirang, Khaba Nganba and Chenglei. Marriage within the same yek is forbidden as it is descended from a common ancestor. So yek thoknaba also known as Pu-tinnaba ( Pu-forefather, tinnaba-same origin ).

This rule is especially based on blood relationship. Those who neglected the rules were banished and ex-communicated. Intermarriage between two different clans is also forbidden e.g. Khuman and Luwang do not intermarry as both of them are descended from a common ancestor

Shairuk Tinnaba

Shairuk tinnaba is another patrilineal marriage rule. It may be divided into two a) Shairuk Achouba ( big relation ) b) Shairuk Macha ( small relation ). The shairuk Achouba is applied to the royal family and the Shairuk macha to be common people.

Pen-tinnaba

Along with the patrilineal form of Kinship, Meitei also followed the rule of matrilineal consanguineal Kinship. Such kinship relation traced from the matrimonial side is known as Pen-tinnaba. Pen-tinnaba literally means the progenies of the same grandmother but of different grand fathers. Thus people belonging to two-different clans who are the offsprings of the same mother but of different fathers are prohibited to intermarry as they are uterine brothers and sisters.

Mungnaba

Mungnaba is another proscriptive marriage rule. It is also, a custom that prohibits intermarriage between the offsprings of two sisters who were married to two persons, each belonging to two different sageis and clan. Thus the offsprings of two sisters though belonging to different clans are forbidden to intermarry. In the same way though in a lesser degree, intermarriage between the offsprings of the daughters of to brother who were married to men belonging to different clan are also forbidden.

The forbidden degrees of the two consanguineous instancesduring pre-Hindu days are not exactly known. But according to Sambandhi Nirnay enacted in the year 1790 A.D. during the reign of Rajashree Bheigyachandra incorporating the earlier customs, the forbidden degrees were five and three years respectively. It is also believed that a man may not marry a girl who has the same name as his mother. The "Piba" the man who is socially head of the clan is not permitted to marry a woman who is a tuman (widow or divorcee).

But intermarriage within the same clan is permissible if they belong to different origin. Thus a member of the Nongchup haram ( People who migrated from the west) may marry with the Nongpok haram ( people who migrated from the east) even though they may belong to the same group or clan.

In Meitei society child marriage was totally unknown. Widow remarriage was allowed. The Royal Edict of King Naophangba who reigned in the 5th century A.D. commands that - "Widows should get married and no widow should remain single" ( MS Masil). But the widow could not marry her deceased husband's brother and relatives. No practical ceremony is performed for widow remarriage.

Courtship or Koiba, the act of wooing had been in vogue among the Meitei's since ancient days. In the traditional system of courtship the young man usually accompanied by one or two of his friends appeared in the house of the girl a little after sunset. When they were seated, the girl presented a long tobacco - pipe made by banana leaf if she loves the suitor, but if she did not love a short tobacco pipe was offered. Courtship or Koiba may lead either to their engagement or to their elopement in case the marriage negotiation was unsuccessful. This customary form has now been replaced by various modern made of courtship.

The forms of marriage prevailed in Meitei society are the following:
i) Marriage by engagement
ii) Marriage by elopement
iii) Marriage by capture
ivi) Keinya Katpa
v) Loukhatpa
vi) Court marriage ( few in number if necessary).

Marriage by engagement:- This marriage by engagement is the purest and highest form of marriage and is the basis of regular Meitei marriage. This form is invariably performed with usual preliminaries and other accompanying rites.

Marriage by elopement: - This is the love type of union between a desiring woman and a desiring man which may be consummated without prior nuptial rites. In former times elopement were done at night. If the girl consents to elope with her lover, the latter goes to her house at night. When her guardians were asleep she stealthily came out of her house to elope with her lover. In this case if the girls parents accepted the negotiation wedding ceremony can be performed at their house otherwise ceremony will be solemnised at grooms residence Keinya Katpa a simple form of marriage may shorten the marriage ceremony in few cases after eloping.

Marriage by capture:- In early days when internecine warfare among the various tribes in and outside Manipur was the order of those days, marriage of women captured in war usually by the captors was one of the normal modes of obtaining a wife, details of which were abundantly found in the chronicles and other literary accounts of Manipur. These women were married forcibly against their will. It is indeed marriage by rape where the woman out of fear or helplessness may ultimately agree to be the wife of her captor or abductor.

Keinya Katpa : It is a simple form of marriage ceremony in which the father or the parent of the girl wishes to give their daughter after elopement. What were done in this ceremony were the exchange of garlands by the bride and the bridegroom and the recitation of some hymns by the priest. It is a very less expensive form of marriage. The articles which were brought by the groom's family were offered to the deities ( Sanamahi, Leimarel, Lam Lai ancestral gods).

To be continued....