A girl cannot be properly married unless the ceremony is performed
before she arrives at puberty. After this she can only be married by
an abridged rite, which consists of rubbing her with oil and turmeric,
investing her with glass bangles and a new cloth, and giving a feast
to the caste. In such a case the bridegroom first goes through a
sham marriage with the branch of a mahua tree. The boy's father
looks out for a girl, and the most suitable match is considered to
be his sister's daughter. Before giving away his daughter he must
ask his wife's brother and his own sister whether they want her for
one of their sons. When setting out to make a proposal they take the
omens from a bird called Usi. The best omen is to hear this bird's
call on both sides of them as they go into the jungle. When asking
for the girl the envoys say to her father, 'You have got rice and
pulse; give them to us for our friend's son.' The wedding should be
held on a Monday or Thursday, and the bridegroom should arrive at
the bride's village on a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday. The
sacred post in the centre of the marriage-shed must be of the mahua
[191] tree, which is no doubt held sacred by these people, as by the
Gonds, because spirituous liquor is made from its fruit. A widow
must mourn her husband for a month, and can then marry again. But
she may not marry her late husband's brother, nor his first cousin,
nor any member of her father's sept. Divorce is allowed, but no man
will divorce his wife unless she leaves him of her own accord or is
known to be intriguing with a man of lower caste.