THE FUNCTIONING AND ECOCULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MARRIAGE TYPES AMONG THE JAUNSARIES IN CENTRAL HIMALAYA

Marriage, as a social institution, particularly among traditional comm unities is something more than just a regulated sex relation. It is a marker of sustainability in the form of a catalyst that help in evolvi ng family types that are eco-cultural adaptations to communities' ecol ogical and cultural needs. The sustainability characteristics of marri age are clearly reflected among the Jaunsaries, a scheduled tribe inha biting in the Jaunsari-Bawar region of district Dehradun in the Centra l Himalaya. A unique people, once mostly adhering to polyandry, the Ja unsaries have undergone remarkable changes in their marriage pattern. Polyandry is fast disappearing, while at present, monogamy dominates. This article is an attempt in understanding the functioning, from eco- cultural perspectives, of marriage types those are disappearing and al so presently prevalent among the Jaunsaries through a study carried ou t in a village inhabited by them.