THE REGULATION OF OF MARRIAGE CUSTOMS IN SAMEGRELO

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the banning or preventing circumstances and exogamy (between the members of a socium and clan) based on the new ethnographic material gained on the fieldwork in Samegrelo and archive documents. Nowadays, this is still proved not a remain but as a rule of a life.

          A clan is an important element of studying an ethnos that provides valuable information for researching anthropologic and contemporary genetic (DNM) issues as a clan is found not only in a point of historic-ethnographic view but also an analogy of biologic and genetic marks. In this respect, a clan supplies the reliable information regarding genetic. The marriage circle determines the genetic and morphologic polymorphism of population, its inbreeding and panmixia.

           Studying and fixing the rules of exogamy is very important in everyday life to avoid the cases of incest as the marriage between relatives lead to adverse consequences in a point of genetic and social view.

          There are hundreds of clans in Samegrelo between them marriage has been banned. The main reasons for this prohibition are considered social, religious economic and other factors. One of the vitalfeatures is the clans’ historic memory of the same origin. Particularly, the clans living in different locations do not get married in accordance to the folk story about their origin of the same clan. In Samegrelo, exogamy is protected not only by blood ties but alsorelations by marriage.

          The research revealed the following circumstances that ban and prevent the marriage: 1. The memory about the same origin. 2. “Ginochama’’ as a curse by the icon 3. to connect the particular clan with its branch ‘’ Gamnarki’’ (one genealogical group) in a prayer ‘’Okhvameri’’. 4. Sharing the same shrine 5. The social equality 6. Living within the same monogamic village or neighbourhood. 7. Christening relations witnessing 8. Various relations within a clan   9. Endogamy 10. Diseases.

Keywords: Samegrelo, exogamy, endogamy, surname, marriage circle, ethnology, anthropology