Bridal service

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Bridal service , service marriage or half-marriage refers to a form of marriage in which the (future) husband lives with his wife's family for a fixed period and has to work for them. In most cases, this is intended to provide evidence that he can support his own family. Often the bridal service lasts until the birth of the first child. However, it can also be negotiated in the form of a permanent commitment and include the husband's brothers. A temporary bridal service can also be arranged if the husband can only raise part of the requested bride price . Bridal services were and still are among some indigenous peoples and ethnic groups who establish their marital residence with the husband's family ( patrilocality ). Living with the bride's or wife's family is an intermediate phase (temporary matrilocality ) before the couple moves permanently to the husband.

Examples

The bridal service is found mainly in hunter-gatherer groups and in horticultural (horticultural) companies , for example in the Amazon region . In North America, one to two-year bridal services have been described among the Hoopa , Mi'kmaq , and Yurok Indians . Here the groom was usually in his twenties before his first marriage and was expected to do the bridal service in the wigwam (tent) of his future father-in-law . For a year or more he had to work and hunt under the supervision of the older man to test his breadwinner skills. During this time, sexual relations with his bride were strictly forbidden. When the future husband's probationary period ended, he spent a few days hunting in order to hunt enough game for the wedding celebration . On the designated day, the shaman , parents and elderly relatives gave long speeches to the young couple and everyone attended the festival, which ended with dancing.

In the biblical first book of Moses (Genesis) the story of the parent parents tells of the two-time bridal service of the progenitor Jacob . In Haran he serves his mother's brother for seven years each for his two daughters Lea and Rachel . When Jakob worked for his uncle for a total of 20 years , he secretly set off back to Canaan with his family and possessions . After living at the place of his wife's father for a long time ( uxori -local residence ), he finally takes both wives back to his parentage group ( patri -local residence ).

See also

literature

Web links

  • Lukas, Schindler, Stockinger: Service marriage (bridal service). In: Online Interactive Glossary: ​​Marriage, Marriage, and Family. Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna, 1997 (detailed notes with references).
  • Gabriele Rasuly-Paleczek: Bride service, bride service and service marriage. (PDF: 853 kB, 52 pages) In: Introduction to the forms of social organization (part 3/5). Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna, 2011, pp. 114/115 , archived from the original on October 17, 2013 (documents from her lecture in the summer semester 2011).;

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Gabriele Rasuly-Paleczek: Brideservice, Bride service and service marriage. (PDF: 853 kB, 52 pages) In: Introduction to the forms of social organization (part 3/5). Institute for Cultural and Social Anthropology, University of Vienna, 2011, pp. 114/115 , archived from the original on October 17, 2013 ; accessed on May 18, 2019 (documents for your lecture in the summer semester 2011).
  2. ↑ Lexicon entry: half marriage. In: Michel Panoff, Michel Perrin (eds.). Pocket dictionary of ethnology. List, Munich 1975, ISBN 3-471-61615-2 , p. 56.
  3. ↑ Bruce G. Trigger (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians . Volume 15: Northeast. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington 1978, ISBN 0-16-004575-4 , pp. ?? (English).