Cousin marriage

[Swaminathan Madhuresan]

Lewis Henry Morgan, the inventor of kinship and who christened
the name Dravidian Kinship worldwide influenced W.H.R. Rivers.
The Todas is a famous book by Rivers. Both men looked at
antecedent marriage regulations or customs for explanation of
kinship patterning. Dravidian kinship pattern helped them
in classification of Human marriage systems.

There is an anonymous verse in the Rivers collection at Cambridge
University. Obviously a friend of the kinship theorist wrote this.


     Anthropological Thoughts
     ------------------------

  The Doctor took his book in hand
  His pen was in his finger
  His foot was on a foreign strand-
  But there I need not linger.

  "Now how," said he, "if I may ask
  About your cousin's mother
  Would she attempt the simple task
  Of speaking of your brother?

   Ah yes, just so, but if she were
   Your mother's uncle's sister
   How would your cousin's sister's aunt
   Address her when she kissed her?

   Yes that's a point I meant to add
   Your nephew's cousin's father
   If he an uncle's sister had
   (And neither of the two were mad)
   Would he respect her rather?

   But if your father's cousin's niece
   (His brother's cousin's mother)
   Were married to your father's son
   Would he be called your brother?

   Indeed, now this if it be so
   Is very interesting
   And really should not be I think
   The subject of your jesting.

   For if your father's mother's son
   Were nephew to your mother
   I really cannot understand
   Why she should call him brother."

   Alas, Alas, for just before
   The doctor's mind could grip her
   A shout of laughter issued from
   The Cabin of the Skipper.

(From Slobodin, W.H.R. Rivers).




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