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Endogamy and exogamy

August 7, 2022

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This article is written by Gautam Chaudhary a law student at ChanderPrabhu Jain College of Higher Studies and School of Law, GGSIPU. The present article talks about endogamy and exogamy, their types, and theories.

It has been published by Rachit Garg.

Introduction

The present article deals with inclusive and exclusive forms of marriage, i.e., endogamy and exogamy. Endogamy is a form of marriage where the union between two adults is solemnised within a social group. Endogamy across the world is considered to be a product of customary practices where a particular social group or tribe solemnises a marriage out of responsibility and with the feeling of not violating their customs and traditions. Endogamous marriage is said to carry a restrictive force along with it since it only limits the marriage within the walls of a particular social group. However, the said marriage is solemnised among various tribes and groups to respect their traditions and to secure their social image among other groups. On the other hand, an exogamous marriage is one where the marriage is solemnised outside the social group. Unlike endogamy, exogamous marriage is of free and flexible nature. There is no social or societal pressure in the case of exogamous marriages. It also benefits the offspring of such marriage since the genes of an offspring are dynamic in nature and the ambit of gene structure in terms of fitness level also increases.

The present article deals with the numerous characteristics, and further sub-forms of endogamy and exogamy marriages and their related aspects.

What is endogamy

The term endogamy relates back to the Greek origin, wherein the two words, i.e., ‘endo’ means within and ‘gamy’ means marriage. Thus, if comprehended together, its meaning comes out to be a marriage that takes place within a community, tribe, social group, and class. It is a customary product since the main reason why it is followed around the world is that the forefathers or ancestors used to practice it to maintain their uniqueness and social status. Thus, satisfying the essentials of a custom to be of existence for a long time, it is now practiced among different tribes and social groups. Endogamous marriages, further, unlike exogamous marriages, can be termed to be the decision of the leader or the eldest man of the tribe or a family, since from earlier times till now, society has been patriarchal in nature, given certain exceptions that have emerged in modern times.

The paramount motive behind the concept of endogamy was and is to secure and maintain the inclusivity of a particular group. Since it is the belief among various tribes that upon marriage outside the group, a mixed culture community is formed which is far away from the ambit of either of the parties to the marriage, leading to the destruction of the honour of the social group. The next reason can be considered to be the belief and adherence to the traditions of the group whereby marrying within the group respects and follows the long aged traditions. The saudi-arabian marriages are endogamous in nature because of the above reasons. Similarly, Rajputs and Syrian Christians in Indian society also follow the concept of endogamous marriages.

Endogamy in India

The practice of endogamy takes its origin from the rigid caste structure of earlier Indian society. The endogamous marriage practice is the product of caste system in India. Until 1950, there used to be a division of the community and groups based on position in the caste system, where even the occupation and various social activities were divided among the different caste groups. In ancient India, when the Aryans came around in 1500 BC, they began their conquest and control practices in north India because, after their arrival, they showed deniability to the local traditions and cultures. After they had conquered everything they could, they pushed the local people to southern India. And then they established their own cultures and traditions wherein they placed priests in the first place, warriors in the second, and merchants and traders in the third. The first and the second placer used to have many political disputes in respect of their status in the new social tradition. After some time, the priest won this battle and acquired the foremost place in the social caste system in ancient India. The Indian Government in 1950 passed a law abolishing discrimination on the grounds of caste and creed. Therefore, it can be said endogamy is not a form of marriage rather it is a rule of marriage that is the product of the rigid caste in India which was created by the Aryans.

Types of endogamy

Caste endogamy

As the name suggests, caste endogamy refers to the solemnization of marriage within the caste. For example, marriage is to take place within the Kshatriya caste only, not with an individual who belongs to the Shudra caste.

Tribal endogamy

A tribe can be termed a social group in which people live together, have the same aspirations, speak the same language, and share the same history. People in such a tribe can be related or not. Tribal endogamy means marriage within the tribe. For example, a male member and female member belonging to Tartharol clan of Todas tibe of Nilgiri Hills shall only marry among themselves and not any individual of other tribes.

Class endogamy

The class system is very elastic and fundamental in nature. There is no rigidity in a class system since it is totally dependent on the personal and socio-economic achievements of an individual. An individual can move from one class to another on the basis of his achievements. Class endogamy refers to a marriage that can only be solemnised within a certain class in society.

Race endogamy

Racial endogamy means marriage within the race. For example, people of the indo-aryan race would solemnise marriages within their race only.

Inbreeding

Inbreeding is the technique where genetically related organisms are mated together. Genetically related means when two or more species share a common ancestor. Inbreeding among closely related organisms leads to homozygosity, which means there are chances that the offspring of such mating would have traits that are deleterious or recessive. Such offspring’s fitness and health levels are temporarily decreased as compared to outbreds, i.e., offspring of outbreeding.

Inbreeding may also lead to inbreeding depression. It is a scientific term given to the harmful effects it has on the offspring of inbreeding. This depression can cause low fitness levels, birth defects, and birth deaths. An individual of outbreeding is comparatively fitter than the inbreds.

Inbreeding is also considered a sole reason for pushing a species to the verge of extinction. The paramount example is Charles II of the House of Hapsburgs, the last ruler of the Spanish Hapsburg empire. Charles II faced numerous health problems, among which the most horrifying was that he was infertile and thus could not reproduce the next generation of his empire. Due to the above mentioned health defects, inbreeding is considered to be of dangerous nature and is prevented in many places around the world.

What is exogamy

Exogamy is exactly the opposite of endogamous marriage. The exogamy form of marriage can be defined as the solemnization of marriage outside of the particular community, tribe, social group, etc. The origin and emergence of this practice of marriage can be traced back to earlier times. For example, the House of Habsburg, wherein, at last, the royal line of the family went into extinction because of the various health effects of inbreeding, which refrained the last king from producing further generations. The object of exogamy marriages is to prevent the marriages of all close relatives, i.e., those who are related to each other by blood or genetically.

Theories on exogamy

The concept of exogamy has some theories, or rather arguments, for its existence put forth by various sociologists and ethnologists. John Ferguson McLennan, a profound theologist, argues that the concept of exogamy was introduced due to the scarcity and unavailability of women within the tribe. That is why men began marrying women outside their tribe.

On the other hand, Emile Durkheim gave a religious angle to the birth of this concept. According to him, exogamous marriages are based upon the taboo religion, which states that marriages within the tribe or clan are prohibited because the members of such a clan share a sacred and religious relationship like brothers and sisters, and they carry out such a practice to respect their gods. There was another theory given by him. According to him, exogamy emerged as a marriage practice because the male members of the tribe started pushing other male members out of the tribe, so this led to marriage outside the tribe.

Further, Edvard Westermark gave a scientific reason for the emergence of such marriages, where he states that the probability of faulty genes in exogamous marriages is less as compared to in marriages because in an endogamous marriage the genes are identical to each other where exogamous marriages provide a wide variety of nonidentical genes, thereby limiting the chances of faulty genes in the offspring.

Forms of exogamy

The following stated forms of exogamous marriages are in context with Indian society where they showcase how and what are the exogamous forms of marriages.

Gotra Exogamy

Gotra is the class. They are classified as a sub-division of the Hindu religion. It can be termed a lineage, wherein it refers to the people who are successors in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. For example, Atri, Chhikara, and Sharma, etc. People with the same gotra are considered to be brothers and sisters because they are stated to have shared the same lineage from a common male ancestor. Gotra exogamy can be termed as marrying an individual outside of his/her gotra.

Pravar Exogamy

Pravar is said to be a spiritual bond, a bond that is formed when two adults say the name of the same saint at some spiritual or social function. The term ‘saint’ here refers to a person or a mythological person who is considered to be holy.

Village Exogamy

‘Village’ here refers to the relationship of the tribe. Tribes are considered to be a close form of society, which makes every person inclusive of it. Marrying outside the tribe or village is called ‘village exogamy.’ For example, the Munda tribe of Madhya Pradesh.

Pinda Exogamy

Pinda means the same parentage in India. Hindu religion prohibits such marriage as it is considered to be against the Hindu traditions, customs, and natural laws. According to Brahaspati, sapinda relations extend to five maternal generations and seven paternal generations. In accordance with Hindu law, Sapindas, up to five maternal generations and seven paternal generations cannot marry among themselves.

Difference between endogamy and exogamy forms of marriages

BASIS	ENDOGAMY	EXOGAMY
Meaning	Marriage is solemnised within the social caste, social groups and tribes etc.	Marriage is solemnised outside the caste, social groups and tribes etc.
Types	Caste endogamy, tribal endogamy, class endogamy, race endogamy.	Gotra exogamy, pravar exogamy, village exogamy, pinda exogamy.
Motive	Endogamy follows the long practised rituals and customs. It is also practised by a family to feel inclusive, to preserve the family name and reputation.	No specific motive can be attributed to exogamy, although the liking of an individual can be said to be a reason for its practice. It also prevents the genetic diseases that might result from continuous inbreeding.
Emergence	Endogamous marriages are the product of ancient times.	Exogamous marriages are the product of recent times.
Effect	Endogamous marriages can result in defective genes.	In exogamous marriages, the probability with regard to defective genes is low.
Example	Marriage within the ‘Sharma’ community can be said to be an endogamous marriage.	Marriage outside the ‘Sharma’ community in the ‘Thakur’ community can be said to be an exogamous marriage.

Conclusion

Endogamy can be termed as a concept of earlier times by looking at the rigidity in regards to marrying a person where the leader of the parents of the tribe has the only authority to choose the groom or bride. Further, it has to be solemnised within the tribe only since marrying outside the tribe is believed to be going against their forefathers’ rituals and traditions. Whereas in the case of exogamy, the position seems to be of the opposite nature. Looking at recent developments, it can be said that the marriage environment is relaxed and free. Also, it can be seen from the nature of such marriages that their operation is mainly based on the social and economic achievement of the individual, unlike endogamy, where the marriage is solemnised by keeping in mind the caste and community of the individual.

Endogamous and exogamous marriages exist in India in different forms as well. Their history can be traced alongside the emergence of the caste system in India. The motive of these forms of marriage was purely to set out the rules and regulations in ancient times. However, these marriages went through some transformations over time and found themselves formulated in accordance with the law. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 various provisions are made keeping in mind the dynamic structure of these kinds of holy unions. The best example can be the prohibition on the sapinda marriage under Section 5(v) of the Hindu Marriage Act. Thus, it can be right to conclude that marriage provisions are influenced by ancient marriage concepts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the relationship between endogamous marriages and caste system?

Various theories state that endogamous marriages are sole product of caste system since the caste system in India was the only authoritative system which prohibited marriages other than endogamy through its rigid division of society into four castes, i.e., the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras. Where a member of a caste was prohibited from marrying a member of other caste. The punishment for violation of these notions was of a harsh nature which was death or severe physical harm.

What are the recent trends of endogamy in India?

Over the period of time, endogamous marriage has gone through various dynamic changes in Indian society. Today, in contemporary India, the concept of endogamy is practiced but not with the same rigidity and limitations it had in earlier times. In Indian society, endogamous marriages are preferred over exogamous marriages but are not completely ridiculed by the family members of an individual. Although there are still some old notions and practices of endogamy in rural areas, relaxation can be found in the urban side of India.

What are the genetic advantages of exogamous marriages?

An exogamous marriage provides the offspring a wide ambit of genes. Through exogamy, the genes of an individual may come into contact with non-identical genes of another, which would allow the child of such marriages to possess better fitness levels as compared to an endogamous marriage, where the chances of having defaulted genes are higher.

References

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