Reflecting the Folklore of the Lepcha Marriage concerning the Status of the Women

Abstract

Reflecting the Folklore of the Lepcha Marriage concerning the Status of the women

Abstract

The marriage of the Lepcha has been a liberal attitude towards the women, given the time and space (of Ancient and medieval or even in the early modern era, exceptional case though be found of the said period as when compared to the early Vedic or even towards the coming of the colonial era). This is evident when one studies the folklore that deals with the first marriage of the Lepcha. As it is an institution, which is the fabric of society. This paper seeks to explore the narrative of the folklore of the Lepcha marriage while understanding its liberal view of marriage institutions that gave women a secured position in a community. However, community law compensated for that security, which is expressed in the form of endogamy. In other words, their freedom was limited to the community and if by any means were to be excluded, their right would be invalid. Therefore, this paper will analyze the folklore of the Lepcha marriage in highlighting the life of Lepcha women. Since this area is largely ignored, Lepcha Folklore gives a clue to understanding the status of women in the Lepcha society, this study gives a different and fresh perspective in understanding the women and thereby their role, status, and place in the said society.