Amongst the Toda and Kurumbar of the Neil gherry mountains, the brothers of a family have usually only one wife between them. She is, moreover, allowed to consort with strangers, with out the slightest objection or jealousy on the part of her proper lords.
Polyandry prevails in Travancore, and in the two provinces of the Madras Presidency, called Malabar and Canara, about 300 miles long and 50 broad. Mr. Strange describes it (Hindu Law, p. 67) when he says, the inheritance runs in the female, and not in the male line. A man's sons are not in the list of his heirs. His property goes to his sisters, sisters' sons, sisters' daughters, sisters' daughters' sons and daughters, mother, mother's sisters and their children, and to his maternal grandmother, her sisters and their children. Fail ing these and their stock in the same way of descent, it goes, as in other parts of the Madras Presidency, to the man's disciple and fellow student, and then escheats. This rule of descent is termed Marumakatayam, or Nepotism in the female line. The origin of this, he adds, is stated to have been in the time of Parasuramen, the first king of Malabar, who introduced Brahmans into the district, and gave them possessions therein, and to prevent these properties from being split up, decreed that they should vest in the elder rethers, whom alone he permitted to contract arriage. The sons of these were to be accounted sons for the whole family. The junior brothers being without wives, are allowed to consort with females of lower classes. The offspring of these unions not being legitimate, could not rank as Brahmans, or inherit from their fathers. Their inheritance was hence made to follow from their mothers. The lower castes fell into the same system of promiscuous intercourse amongst them selves. \\ ith them, the females before attaining maturity go through a form of marriage, the bridegroom not necessarily taking the position of husband. After maturity, they may consort with whom they please, and with as many as they please, provided that the connection be with members of their own or some higher caste. The offspring succeed to the estate in the mother's family, it being obvious that parentage cannot be traced out in the line of the male. The castes
that follow this rule of Martunakatayam are all, excepting Brahmans and Aka Podwals, a class of pagoda servants, the artisans, viz. carpenters, brass-smiths, blacksmiths, and goldsmiths, and some of the lowest denominations, such as the Cheromars, or slave tribe ; with the .Malayers and the Paniars, the rule of descent is to sons. The Teeyer or toddy - drawers, and the Mook•a or fishermen of North Malabar, follow Marumaka tayam, while those to the south observe Ma-ka tayam, or descent to sons. In North Malabar, most of the Mopla (Mopilla, mother's son), although Muhammadans, follow also the rule of Marumakatayam, in this respect having conformed to Hindu usage in the times of the ascendency of the Hindus. The adherents to Marumakatayam form united family communities, termed Tarwada. The remotest member is acknowledged as one of the family, if living under subordination to the head of the family and taking part in their reli gious observances. The senior male of whatso ever branch is the head of the family, and is termed Karnaven. The other members are termed Anandraver. There is nothing analogous to the state of widowhood as existing elsewhere ; females, whether in alliance with males or not, reside in their own families. In theory, the property is held to vest in the females only, the males having right of management and claim to support. Prac tically, the males are co-sharers with the females. In default of males, females succeed to the management of the family property. In some families the management devolves on them pre ferably to the males, and in such ease the senior female takes it. All members of the family, even the remotest, are entitled to maintenance. On failure of sister's progeny, male and female. the head of the family may make adoption. The descent being in the female line, the adoption must be a female. In view of the probable minority of her offspring at the period when the management may fall in, a male, her brother, may he taken, in adoption, at the same time with her self, in order to afford provision for the admini stration of the affairs of the family, and for con net of the religious rites to be observed therein.