Cousin Marriages or consanguineous marriages is a common practice in South India. But why not in the North?
In many Malayalam films, the main character falls in love with his cousin’s sister. Remember the South movie Businessman 2! This happens not just in film but in real life, too. It may be weird for some, but cousin marriages are common in south India. But why are cousin marriages (consanguineous marriages) so prevalent in South India?
What are consanguineous marriages?
It is defined as a “legal union of two people with a common ancestor or between a man and woman related by blood.” Dravidian Hindus have contracted consanguineous marriages in south India for over 2000 years. 2013 research found that “among the Hindu population of South India, about 30% of marriages are consanguineous with more than 20% between uncle-niece unions.
A research paper shows the district-wise percentage share of such marriages in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district showed the highest share at 42.5%. However, South India is not the only region participating in consanguineous marriages worldwide. Such weddings are also typical in Muslim-majority nations such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Middle-east and North Africa.
Why is there a higher number of cousins in Muslim society?
There are two reasons- Dr Muzammil Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America.
“Muslims have practised marriages between first cousins in all countries since the time of the Prophet. It is believed that among the six wives of the Prophet, two were biological relatives. He also married his daughter Fatima to his paternal first cousin Ali”.
Columbia University research pointed out the importance of the concept of Harmula. It’s a group who have a common ancestor. However, this group works as an extended family that provides financial support and protection to each other. It encourages members to marry within the family to forge strong ties.
Be it Muslims of Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Hindus in South India; there are general reasons why people opt for cousin marriages.
- Wealth consolidation
- Better spousal relationship
J Devika, an academic, explains the consanguineous marriages in Kerala due to societal practices. Most of the societies in Kerala are matrilineal; that is, the role of the women is more, and the properties get inherited not from father to son but from mother to daughter.
Devika also observed that a practice was followed in Kerala called Marumakathayam. “In this, the family’s wealth is inherited by a nephew and not the son.”
Oops! So, your cousin is the legal heir.
Apart from wealth consolidation, this practice means families don’t have to pay large dowry payments. The second reason is that families think their daughters would be much safer in consanguineous marriages.
However, police data has shown that almost 50% of rapists are woman’s relatives. But at least there is a perception among families that cousin marriages overpower this.
Dravidian Culture in South India
People who speak Dravidian languages like the ones in South India. Research by Cecilia Busby from the University of Edinburgh analyzed this and described a village named Marinad, where people began to be made aware of the meaning and importance of the difference in relatives.
Cecilia says it is believed in that village that ‘father and son are more related than father and daughter. And the same for mother and daughter. That’s why sisters are like each other and are not so close to their brothers. Children of two brothers and two sisters are more related.
The first type of cousin is called parallel cousin. The second type of cousin is called cross cousins.
So, it is believed that parallel cousins cannot marry, but cross cousins can. It is also state-specific, due to which some regions witness cousin marriages, and some don’t.
Historian MG Sasibhooshan explains that it’s a possibility that in the old days, people would not look for marriage alliances beyond a specific river that functioned as a sort of physical boundary.
So, forming marital relations beyond the defined river boundary was considered rebellious.
There are differences between cousin marriage in South India and that practised in the Muslim community. While in Dravidian culture, cross-cousin marriages are famous, and parallel-cousin marriages are the more common form in the Muslim community.
However, Muslim men are barred from marrying their nieces.
Why are cousin marriages not practiced in North India?
In north India, there is a Gotra system. If you are a Hindu-you’ll have a caste and a Gotra beyond that. According to the Gotra system among northern Hindus, marriages within the same gotra are prohibited due to the belief that people having the same gotra have a common ancestor. And they are considered siblings.
Apart from this, villages in northern states practice village exogamy. This means you can’t marry someone from your town.
The negative impact of Cousin Marriages
Cousin marriages have a very negative impact. 2013 research says, “children from consanguineous marriages are at a greater risk of inheriting diseases and abnormality.”
As per research, brothers and sisters commonly share 50% of their genetic makeup. Uncle and niece share 25%, and first cousins 12.5% of their inherited genetic material. When you marry within the community, a defective gene runs in the family.
The child inherits two copies of this faulty gene and thus is at a greater risk. But when you marry outside the community, you marry a person that does not have a shared gene pool. This lowers the possibility of transferring a defective gene to a child.
Consanguineous marriages are the reason for the fall of the empire of German royals in the 15th century.
They were called Habsburg, and 9 out of 11 Habsburg marriages were amongst closely related family members. Due to this, they had several congenital disabilities. Marrying within their kin kept their power consolidated. But it also transferred defective genes, making it difficult for the family to survive.
So, cousin marriages are a severe issue. Fortunately, they are declining in South India. Research says working women with a higher education level, living in urban areas, and economically well-off are less likely to practice cousin marriages.
May they decline gradually, but awareness can speed up the process.
