The brothers Pradeep and Kapil Negi married Sunita Chauhan
Marriage is rekindling the debate on the preservation of the Hatti community tradition and the freedom and rights of women.
One bride sits between two men in a small Indian village in the Himalayas and the three smile at the chamber.
This is not a common wedding photo. She is sitting between the two grooms with whom she just got married. It is an unusual marriage, in a country where polygamy and polyandria are illegal.
Sunita C marriage images with brothers Kapil N and Padeep N, on July 12, were widely shared on social networks, which led certain users to criticize the family. The images aroused a national debate on the subject.
The trio belongs to communitya tribal group that lives mainly in some regions of the mountainous states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, northern India, in the Giri rivers basin and shades.
This community of about 300,000 inhabitants is spread over 400 villages in the region. Its name derives from the old tradition of marketing vegetables, other agricultural products and wool in local markets, known as Haats.
The group prospered thanks to its farmers and artisans, who weaving wool shawls and producing silver jewelry for centuries.
India recognizes Officially more than 700 tribeswhich represent about 8.6% of the country’s population.
In 2023, the Indian government granted the Hattis the status of “registered tribe”, with the right to several social welfare programsin addition to quotas in jobs and educational institutions.
Generally identified as Hindus, Hattis have marriage rituals with significant differences in relation to traditional Hindu ceremonies.
Locally known as Jodidara or Jajda, these weddings include the exchange of votes face to face between the bride and the groom, Without the seven usual laps around sacred fire, as is practical in Hindu marriages.
Another difference from the normal practice of Hinduism is that the bride is the one who leads the wedding procession to the groom’s house.
The work commitments of the various family members often define marital relations in these unions.
“In the past, when one brother was out with the animals for months, the other was with the bride and they They made shifts [para viver com ela] upon returning“The BBC explains local journalist Sher Jung Chauhan of the Hatti community.
“But in the modern context, these issues are resolved by collective understanding in the family. Decisions such as which child will name which father are still defined in the family by consensus.”
Custom ‘created by the hostile environment’
In the past, the Hatti community encouraged the family’s brothers to assume a wife together, allegedly to avoid the fragmentation of land possession.
The arable land is scarce in the region and dividing ancestral properties between several brothers as an inheritance could Dilute family resources.
The constitution of India allows tribal communities, such as hattis, to preserve their customs unless they are specifically banned by the government.
Himachal Pradesh’s Academic and Prime Minister Yashwant Singh Parma wrote in his book Polyandry in The Himalayas (“Polyan in Himalayas” that “The Tradition arose from the hostile reality of life on the mountainwhere it was essential to preserve the limited resources of the earth. ”
But today, these weddings are increasingly rare. Experts attribute the increase in literacy levels, economic development and Influence of Modernization to the decline trend.
The local resident Kapil Chauhan says that at least four to six families in each village in the region still practice polyandria.
“It’s our identity and a matter of pride,” he said. “If families involved accept, no one else should question.”
Local social activist Ramesh Singta states that “most of these marriages now occurs in confidentiality, without much skill.”
Choice or exploration?
The news of the marriage generated a broader debate on social networks in India.
Many consider that androgenic marriage is a matter of consent and personal choice, but some argue that the practice hurt women’s rights.
Its supporters argue for the Hatti community to preserve the land and family unity, emphasizing consent and cultural heritage. Critics, on the other hand, question their relevance in the modern era, their legality based on Indian laws and gender dynamics, considered outdated. Others point out how hypocrisy to accept polyandria and condemn polygamy in other communities.
The family defended their choice, highlighting their happiness and traditional aspects. Local politician and minister of state industries, Harshwardhan Chauhan, believes in ancient tradition. “Keeping this practice alive, Pradeep and Kapil honored their cultural heritage“, Declarou in BBC.
But many question whether this custom brings some improvement to women’s position in families. They argue that their situation may worsen.
“This practice Encourages the exploitation of women And it violates its fundamental rights, ”says the secretary general of the Democratic Association of Women of India, Mariam Dhawale.
Dhawale told BBC that having two husbands can also increase the pressures so that The woman has more children. But Asha Devi, a local woman in a Jodidara marriage, argues that tradition does not compromise women’s freedom.
“Unlike ordinary misconceptions, women have every right to refuse or abandon these marriages if they wish,” said Devi. “And no one is forced to enter a Jodidara – neither men nor women.”
In this case, the bride and the bride and groom do not live a totally traditional life. Sunni is a technique formed in an industrial training institute. Pradeep is a state civil servant and Kapil works in the abroad hosting sector.
The bride told reporters that she married her own will.
“The decision was mine“He declared.” I adopted an old tradition. ” And their two husbands share the same feeling.
“This relationship reflects Our faith in tradition And the shared responsibility to take care of each other, ”Pradeep told the Indian press.
All three promised love and stability in their rare union.
Polyandria in other cultures
Although it is rare, polyandria is practiced among certain tribal communities, such as the Kinnauris in Himalayas and all in southern India.
There are also cases in tribes from other parts of the world.
They include the “walking weddings” of the Chinese people Mosuo (where men visit women at night and then return to their parents’ house) and Tibet’s fraternal polyandria. There are also similar practices among Irigwes, Nigeria, and Amazonian tribes, such as the bororos.
Polyandria is also found among the maasais of the east African. But many of these traditions disappeared or were considered illegal.
