Relevance – while writing answers related to liminality such an examples play an important role.
Several key symbolic elements within the pre-liminal, liminal, and post-liminal phases define traditional Tagin marriage practices.
Pre-liminal Phase: Symbolic Separation
This phase is characterized by symbols that represent the initial detachment of the bride and groom from their previous social identities.
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- Offerings during Mimpa-Lemi (Darle-Kotar): The groom’s family bringing offerings such as pigs, smoked pork, and other meats to the bride’s home symbolizes the groom’s readiness to enter the marriage and formally initiates the negotiation process between the two families. This act is a symbolic gesture of intent and the beginning of the transactional aspect of the marriage.
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- Gathering of the bride’s wealth: The collective effort of the bride’s family and community (asha dohane) in gathering her wealth symbolizes the community’s involvement and preparation for the upcoming union and the bride’s departure.
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- Felling of the hibi tree in Sepia Tenam: The ritual felling of the hibi tree to construct ritual altars is a potent symbol of detachment from the past and the groom’s family’s readiness to embrace new social obligations. The tree becoming the medium for sacrificial offerings further symbolizes a connection to the spiritual realm and seeking blessings for the new union.
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- Exchange of gifts: The groom’s family’s visit with gifts of opo (traditional fermented millet beer), meat, and Mithuns (Bos Frontalis), exchanged for traditional ornaments from the bride’s family, symbolizes the tangible preparation for the marriage and the bride’s gradual separation from her natal family as she prepares for her new roles and responsibilities.
Liminal Phase: Symbolic Transition
This central phase features symbols that represent the ambiguous “betwixt and between” state of the couple.
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- Reciprocal exchange of gifts during Roi-Depar: The exchange of gifts between the bride and groom’s families symbolizes the deepening of ties between the two families as they move closer to the final stages of the marriage transaction. However, the fact that the process is not yet complete reflects the transitional nature of this phase.
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- Negotiations by the nyetam (mediator): The ongoing negotiations led by the nyetam symbolize the uncertainty and fluidity of this transitional period, where the finality of the marriage is yet to be fully realized.
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- Nyeme kabnam (songs of blessings, mourning, and departure) during Harcho Enam: These songs sung by the bride’s female relatives symbolize the emotional and social ambiguity of the moment. They express both mourning for the bride’s departure from her natal family and blessings for her future role, encapsulating the essence of social transformation during this liminal phase.
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- Gifts brought during Harcho Enam: The groom’s party bringing meat, smoked fish, and opo (traditional fermented millet beer) and Mithuns symbolizes a growing sense of community and shared responsibility as the marriage approaches its conclusion.
Post-liminal Phase: Symbolic Reintegration
Symbols in this final phase signify the couple’s formal reintegration into society with their new status.
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- Bride’s attire in Neme Nyamlin Alu: The bride donning the traditional Jelli-Jebu (red woollen gown) and various ornaments such as the dengse (belt with metal discs), tashing segmin (tiny beads), and rungbin (earrings) is deeply symbolic of her new status and her reintegration into society under her new identity as a married woman.
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- Procession to the groom’s village: The procession of the bride accompanied by her family and friends towards the groom’s village illustrates the public recognition of her transformation and her entry into her new life.
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- Subu panam (Mithuns sacrifice): This ceremonial sacrifice of Mithuns underscores the collective and spiritual significance of the union, signifying the community’s blessing and acceptance of the marriage.
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- Exchange and distribution of marital wealth: The exchange of marital wealth between the families and its distribution among those who contributed to the wedding reinforces the social bonds and obligations formed through the marriage and the couple’s new responsibilities within the larger community.
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- Construction and ascent of the special ladder in Namja Chanam/ Namja Koba: The construction of a special ladder at the groom’s house serves as a physical and symbolic conduit through which the couple and the wedding party are welcomed into the groom’s home, signifying the final step in their transformative journey. The ascent of the ladder with marital gifts (meat, opo, and other traditional materials) represents the continuation of familial ties and the formal recognition of the couple’s new rights and responsibilities within the community, solidifying their reintegration.
These symbolic elements within each phase of the Tagin marriage rituals, guided by Van Gennep’s liminality framework, highlight the profound social and cultural transformations involved in the union of two individuals and their families.
Victor Turner: Liminality & Communitas -Symbolic Anthropology
Victor Turner: Liminality & Communitas |Symbolic Anthropology | Anthropology Optional Shiva Teja Sir
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