ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the Chumikwa marriage system in more detail and explores the concepts, values and practices which govern marriage and create a context for nonmarrlage. Ggenerally speaking, in chumik there are three methods by which a legal marriage can be contracted: arranged marriage, elopement and capture about 44 percent of all marriages are arranged parents, and a substantial number of these are between cross-cousins. By staying the dilution of wealth and status, and allowing a privileged minority to keep hold of their position at the top, endogamy in its various forms preserves hierarchy. In conclusion, while marriage by capture in some instances lends itself to coercion of women by men, in others it permits women to assert their personal preferences, to make unconventional decisions without sacrificing social prestige and cutting themselves off from their natal families. Like the majority of Tibetans, the Chumlkwa prohibit marriage between agnatic relatives.
