india times report from blogger harjant gill at anthropological mixtape: two orissa, india women marry (514)
posted by harjant gill at anthropological mixtape:
Two Orissa girls defy norms, get married
by Satyanarayan Pattnaik
5 Nov, 2006 0209hrs
IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK
KORAPUT: Two Kondh women from Orissa’s Koraput district have defied all norms of their tribal society to live as ‘man and wife’ after tying the knot recently. Bateka Palang, 30, wed her bride, 25-year-old Maleka Nilsa of Ghumuru village in Bandhugaon block in a traditional ceremony at Dandabadi, a remote village in Narayanpatna block, in the presence of family.
The village has given its grudging approval, but the elders have asked residents not to talk about it to outsiders for fear of shame to the relationship that was formalised after all the usual wedding rituals, including dowry changing hands. . . .
Initially the girls’ parents did not take their relationship seriously, but gradually their family members became suspicious about them. Repeated threats by the families failed to separate them. As community pressure mounted, the girls ran away. “We resisted their marriage because it was against our tradition. But they were in no mood to listen and eloped. They were later caught at a village fair. Finally, we were compelled to get them married according to our tradition. I have accepted Maleka as my daughter-in-law,” said Panti, Bateka’s mother.
The phenomenon of same-sex marriages is new in tribal society, said Bhubaneswar-based Tribal Research and Training Centre director A B Hota. “Tribal tradition is totally opposed to same-sex marriages,” he added, hinting at the pressure that must have been brought to bear on the girls. According to Kondh tradition, the groom’s family has to give a dowry to the bride’s parents. “We gave a tin of wine and a cow to the girl’s parents before the marriage,” Panti added.
“We are happy after getting each other as life partners and are committed to living together. If our community members or families try to separate us, we will run away again,” the couple said.
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