Question

Watch the TED Talk below and think about how the marriage practices in this film illustrate the various attributes of culture discussed last week. Specifically, write a brief 100-200 word reflection addressing the following: Are five husbands better than one? Kimber McKay at TEDxUMontana

• How is fraternal polyandry interconnected with other aspects of life, such as property and economics?

• How do the marriage practices in this region of Nepal illustrate that culture is dynamic?

Answer 1

In ted talk marriage and family is the basic core of this film. The Lady which is Giving the presentation is doing the reasearch on the subject of marriage and family . She is a cultural anthropoligist. The view of marriage in american is that a good and proper marriage involved a relation between one man and a one women .

She doing reasearch in Nepal of different prospective of marriage.

She chooses the village karami where 300 resident live in nepal. Where she doing reaseach at least one year . Where she found different culture , different types of marriage society view toward marriage and family etc .

She addressing marriage and family system in karami village and said people start out their marital carrer. Marrying polyandrously which mean women have multiple husband.

She told about different types of marriage is held in that places like. Monogamus , polyganous, Levirate, same sex marriage and sororate.

Polyandry as a marriage system is traditionally adapted as a tool for reducing the further fragmentation of inheriting property specially, livestock, fragile land and grazing land or forest of the family. In mountain society natural resources such as soil or land, water and grazing land are prime factors to sustain human live. It is
one of the tools for economy development in mountain region. In mountain regions people are living in very fragile mountain environment and protect their inhabitant intact through adaptation
of various cultural practices. Today the cultural practices are facing various challenges from modern technologies andeconomic development and result various negative impacts on their local culture.

They also believe and practice marriage following traditional horoscope. In general, potential parents are seeking equal economic status and prestigious families to establish marital relationship for their child.

Economic is another element of polyandry adaptation. Normally people do not want to deteriorate their household economy and life style intentionally. In Nepalese culture, earning cash and traditional properties also save for future use and his future generation as well as maintain their well being status in society for ever. This is very strongly adapted trend.
Therefore, people force to adapt polyandry system to maintain socio economic status in society.

Cultural practices are another binding factor of polyandry system. In villages, traditional village leaders or Mukhiya want to keep the cultural practices intact and rule for long run in particular villages. They want to keep the society within their grip in the name of culture conservation. The traditional forces such as Mukhiya, Lama
and other traditional leaders are main key person to conserve the culture.

In the response of cultural practice people force to adapt polyandry system. A sect of school also said that arrangement of bride or wife is very hard to find and expensive for medium class
people of the society. In wedding process, on behave of man, has to invest huge amount of money to bring wife in home therefore to
reduce the financial burden many families of the society who has many brothers they has to adapt polyandry practices to sustain their
family economy intact.

Researchers state that economic is main factors of polyandry adaptation. People adapted polyandry to ensure on agricultural
land. Some have argued that polyandry system prevent further division of land intact within household.

Sociologist said that social security is cause of polyandry adaptation. The prolonged absence of men from their homes,necessitated by the demands of their profession may also lead to
polyandry in some societies to ensure protection and support for their wives by their kinsmen (Singh,1988).

Remoteness or geographical inaccessibility is one of the causes to adapt polyandry as a survival strategy. In global context polyandry
practices are more recorded in Tibetan Plato where harsh climate and geographical or topographic difficulty exist. In many cases of
Tibetan region the harsh climate and difficult geographical location has force to adapt polyandry system.

It is practiced and adapted for maintenance of
limited parental properties right in the same clan and conservation of scare natural resources of the region. In these system women has
greater role for maintenance of harmonies in the family members especially among the husbands. Various events are reported in the
societies who broke the traditional norms and value due to modernization. Polyandry is a culture that is dynamic process too.
But the process of erosion is accelerated from the societies some through the internal and external factors. Diversification of
economic opportunities has been brought the change in life style. Ultimately change in cultural practices. Culture should support the
life of people but not for sake of culture. Like other Hindu culture should support the life of people but not for sake of culture. Like
other Hindu culture of Nepalese societies the polyandry system also affected by modernization.