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194
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JULY, 1911.
sister's son (m. 8.) (4) Kishensingh is Ramsingh's
go wife's brother's son. We find these two relationships denoted by the same term :
In Chaudas Bhanj.
In Bians Bhany. (5) And finally
brother's son. (f. s.) Kisbensingh is Ramsundari's husband's sister's son. We find these two relationships denoted by the same term :
In Chaudas Nunu.
In Bians Pij. Thus we find valuable linguistic evidence in support of this custom which we know exists all over this district, but which is repugnant to the higher Hindus of the plains of India,
Cousin Marriages. I take up next the case of cousins. Cousins are of four kinds :
1. Father's brother's child, e.g., Kishensingh and C. 2. Father's sister's child, e.g., Kishensingh and Kisbensundari or C. and D. 8. Mother's brother's child eg., Kishensingh and Kishensundari or C. and D.
4. Mother's sister's child, e.g., Kishensundari and D. In the United Provinces, generally speaking, the Hindus make no distinction between these four classes of cousins. They are treated as brothers and sisters. But in the Almora District not only the Bhotias but the Rajputs and the Brâhmaņs make a distinction, dividing these four into two groups. (1) Father's brother's child, e.g., Kisbensingh and o.
Mother's sister's child, e.g., Kishengundari and D. (2) Father's sister's child, e.g., O. and D.
Mother's brother's child, e.g., C. and D. (a) I shall first deal with the Rajputs and Brahmans. They do not have different terms for these groups, it is true. But we find the difference if we look at it from the parents' point of . view-we find Harsingh looking upon his brother A's children as his owa, Ramgundari looking upon her sister B's children as her own, denoting both by cheld or cheli (the words for son and daughter.) But we do not find Harsingh using these words for his sister's children, or Ramsundari using these words for her brother's children although the degree of relationship is the same. The Rajpûts and Brahmans of Almora are unable to give any reason for this difference in the language. Why are a man's brother's children and a woman's sister's children more like their own children than the children of a man's sister or a woman's brother? The explanation, I have no doubt, is to be sought in the (what must have been once prevalent) custom of cousin marriages. The coasins of the first group (father's brother's children, and mother's sister's children) being forbidden, but not the other two cousins--group (2) above. And this would be the reason why two brothers look upon each other's children as their own, and so do two sisters--for these children are forbidden to marry each other. But a brother and a sister do not regard each other's children as their own-for these children can marry each other.
Thus cousins of group (1) Kishensingh and O., or Kishensundari and D. cannot marry each other.
And cousins of group (2) Kishensingh and Kishensundart or C and D can marry each other,
(6) We find confirmation of this in the Chandas and Bians dialects. There, too, a man's brother's children, and a woman's sister's children are denoted by the same term as son (ori) or daughter (chamaine) but a woman's brother's son, aud a man's sister's son are not called sri, but are denoted by the same term bhanj. 1 M. S. = malo speaking.
?F.S. female speaking
