ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the system of jati and marriage that provides the framework for cooperation and exchange between villages. Marriage establishes the family household and serves to regulate relationships between communities and between lineages within the same jati. Marriage among close relatives is therefore thought to strengthen and probably does strengthen the extended joint family household, thus permitting more efficient use of economic and political resources. Exchange marriages do not have any direct demographic effects, but because each side holds the other’s daughter hostage, they tend to ensure proper treatment of the bride. The system of jati and marriage provides a series of pathways between communities along which other important relationships. The specialization of jati function is only the beginning of the story of relationships among villages, for in addition to its economic functions, the jati has some very important demographic consequences.
