Mandak - Marriage and Family

Marriage. Before extensive mission influence, both Polygyny and polyandry were accepted forms of marriage among the Mandak, although it is said that only a few men had more than one wife and that polyandry also was not common. Moiety and clan exogamy are stressed. Villages are not exogamous and there is some preference for marrying within the Village. A bride-price is given by the husband's lineage to the wife's lineage. No single option is stated as a preferred form of postmarital residence. Usually, a couple moves several times during their married life. For the oldest male of a sibling group, preferred residence is in his lineage hamlet. Divorce is allowed, with young children usually staying with their mother.

Domestic Unit. Basic domestic units include separate households for single adult women (divorced, widowed, unmarried) , for nuclear families, and sometimes for single men, who usually, however, live in a men's house.

Inheritance. Inheritance is ideally matrilineal for land and certain forms of magic, although an individual, male or female, may inherit some land and receive magic spells from his or her father.

Socialization. Both parents discipline their children, generally verbally, with an occasional switching. Older siblings also exert some control over their younger siblings. Adoption of children is common, usually between closely related kin. Male youths, from about age 12 into their early 20s, have considerable freedom of movement, with little social responsibility. Most children go to local schools up to about age 12, with some going on to secondary (usually boarding) schools and then college or technical school.