Polygamy and Monogamy in Kandyan Sri Lanka

Abstract

Marriage in Sinhalese society has long been noted for its extreme flexibility, transitional nature, and nonexc] usivity. Recent studies have pointed to the interrelationship between these facts, the kinship system, and the independent property rights of both men and women. Such flexibility is also permissive of associated marriages, whether polygynous or polyandrous. It would be misleading, however, to reduce polyandry to a purely economic relationship. Rather it may be seen as a perfectly legitimate means of coping with the intertwined concerns of subsistence and sexuality, symbols emblematic of marriage and family in Sinhalese culture.