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When a young man after courtship would want to marry a girl, he would approach
the parents of the girl.
If they were agreeable, first the marriage price
- consideration amount to be paid by the youth to the relation of the girl,
would be determined. There after, on consent of the girl, the young man
and the girl would be treated as engaged. They could continue as betrothed
for a few years when they could freely mix with each other. The engagement
could also be broken off during this period without any liability on
either part. When the wedding day was fixed, both sides would prepare for
marriage feast with Zu.
Bride Price
Marriage amongst the Lushai was a civil contract with a bride
price which was paid by the groom to the bride's relatives. Settlement of
the bride price was the first and essential step to marriage. But one could
rarely pay one's bride price straightaway. Some amount would be paid on the eve
of the wedding but the bulk would remain to be paid in installments over a long
period - fifteen or twenty years or even more. The debt would be carried on
for payment by sons after the death of the father and it was not uncommon
that an adult son would be paying for her mother's bride price before he could
think of his own marriage.
The principal marriage price, manpui, was payable to
the bride's father or brothers and in their absence to the nearest male
relative of the bride. The general rate of manpui was four mithuns or eighty
rupees in cash. There were also various subsidiary bride prices. Sumhmahruai
was an amount of twenty rupees payable to the bride's father or brother. To them
was payable another subsidiary price called sumphang, consisting of an amount of
eight rupees. Pusum was payable to the nearest male relative on the bride's
mother's side - generally, the bride's pu, the protector, who would be her
mother's brother. This amount varied between four rupees to ten rupees and in
case of a chief's daughter it would be a mithun. Equivalent to pusum was niman,
paid to the paternal aunt of the bride. The elder sisters of the bride would get
naupuakpuan for having carried the bride in her childhood in their puans or
clothes. If the bride happened to be the eldest sister or the only
daughter, this price would be takes by other female relatives. Price was also
payable to a palal who would be a trustee or adoptive father of the bride to
over see her interests all through her married life. Voluntary amounts of
ten rupees downwards would be considered for payment as thianman to the friends
of the bride. Similar optional payment was lawichae, paid to the leader of the
escorts, when a girl was married to another village. The girl going over to the
village of the groom would spend the night before the marriage in a friend's or
relative's house who would get a share of manpui. Otherwise, the person putting
her up would get five rupees as charges for her stay, called thlemin man.
Wedding
On the wedding day the bridegroom would send his
two representatives, known as palai, to pay the bride price in full or part, as
already agreed upon. Lot of Zu would be offered by both the parties.
The bride would then be escorted by her friends to the groom's house. A
fowl would be sacrificed by the puithiam in a ceremony called arzangtuak and a
prayer would be chanted to khuarang, spirit of the air for a long and happy
married life of the couple. Over this ceremony the marriage would be
solemnized. The bride would then return to her parent's place. Relatives, friends and guests would have a grand feast of meat and Zu in the
groom's house. In the bride's house all those who would get shares of the
bride price, would contribute pig's and fowls for a feast and half of the meat
so collected would be sent to the groom's house for the feast there. Next
day the mother of the groom along with some elderly women and young girls would
go to the bride's house and bring her back to her husband. For sometimes
after marriage, the bride would spend the night in the groom's house and the day
in her parents' place, till she gradually settled down in her new house
hold. The Lushais were mostly monogamous; but if any one could afford,
there was no bar to more than one wife. This chiefs were generally
polygamous. The Lushais married within the clan but outside the
family. As the chiefs had matrimonial relationship only amongst their own
clans, their choice was limited and marriage among first cousins was rather
common.
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