164 THE LATE REV. P. DEHON ON 



only the members of the family sit together apart from the others. A handia is brought, 

 beer is prepared, and the bride brings a cup of it to the bridegroom's brother, and, instead 

 of giving it in his hand, she deposits it on the ground in front of him. This is to seal a 

 kind of tacit agreement that from that time the brother of the bridegroom will never 

 touch the wife of his brother. As brothers have to live sometimes a very long time with 

 their respective wives in the same house, this ceremony is not useless, and the practice of 

 this ceremony becomes a custom as long as the brothers live together. 



Then comes the last ceremony which is called khiritcngua handia or the handia of the 

 story. This is considered by them as being the true form of marriage which has been 

 handed down to them by their forefathers. The boy and girl sit together before the 

 people : two handias are brought, silence is made, and one of the oldest of the assembly 

 representing the panch solemnly rises and addressing the boy first says : "If your wife 

 goes to fetch sag and falls from a tree and breaks her leg, do not say that she is dis- 

 figured or cripple. You will have to keep and feed her." Then turning to the girl : " When 

 your husband goes hunting, if his arm or leg is broken, do not say that he is a cripple, I 

 won't live with him. Do not say that, for you have to remain with him. If you prepare 

 meat give two shares to him and keep only one for yourself. If you prepare vegetables 

 give him two parts and keep only one part for yourself. If he gets sick and cannot go 

 out, do not say that he is dirty, but clean his mat and wash him." Then again turning to 

 the boy he says : "If your wife gets sick, etc., as above." 



By this time the great meal is ready : they eat, drink and make merry. 



At night the girl is brought to the boy by her mother. She gives her up saying : 

 " Now, my child, she is yours : I don't give her for a few days, but for ever ; take good care 

 of her and love her well." A companion of the boy then seizes the girl in his arms and 

 carries her inside the house of the boy. After depositing his burden he comes out and 

 shuts the door. The day after the marriage they clean the house well and put diluted 

 cow-dung all over the place to purify it from any stain contracted by any invidious 

 stranger. Then they have the palkhansna ( as described above ) to remove from the 

 couple any spell that might have been caused by evil-eyed men during the marriage 

 ceremonies. 



Polygamy is allowed but not in honour among the Uraons. There are very few cases 

 among them, and they take a second wife only when the first one is barren or does not 

 trive birth to male children. 



Divorce is a thing which is most easily settled by the boy or girl running away to 

 the Duars or Assam. If, however, the husband and the wife remain in the country the 

 rule is as follows : — 



As long as the husband does not abandon his wife, the panchayat is powerless to 

 pronounce the divorce and the girl cannot remarry as long as her husband does not re- 

 marry. When the boy agrees to be separated, then a panchayat takes place in which it is 

 decided that the girl's parents have to give back what they received as the price of their 

 daughter at the time of marriage. If they have children they belong to the father. If, 

 however, by common agreement, the mother takes away the children, the father has to 

 give them a cloth every year. In case, after some years, he would like to take them back, 



