....."TRADITIONAL B'LAAN MARRIAGE".....

.....Traditional B'laan Marriage.....

     B'laan marriage still occur polygamous marriage, where man is permitted to marry more than four women, are permitted and are even condoned among the B'laan.  A man's status and position within B'laan society often increases with the acquisition of additional wives.  In reference to the traditional marriage practice among the B'laan.
     The search for a marriage partner, the parents of their groom look for a prospective bride.  There is no clear age range for their search.  Sometimes unborn children may be the subject of a marriage proposal. fulfillment depending on the unborn child being female.  The transaction becomes automatically nullified of the newborn child is a male similarly marriage arrangement may be proposed between two as yet unborn partners contingent upon them being of the appropriate sexes.
     When boy or girl is about three years old the presents male arrangements with the parents of the prospective mate for a marriage to be consummated when the children reach the age of twelve to fourteen.  The parents discuss the matter night and day for about a week and when the parents of the girl can no longer find any reason for not consenting to give her in marriage, the headman declares that the boy has won the hand of the girl and that when they arrive at the proper age they will be married.
      The tanda or betrothing, the start of giving of the sunggod or bride price.  While the children are still small, the slolol-aban or the exchange of komot or garment which symbolizes the notification of the two children, would take place.  As soon as the children have grown the second stage of the marriage arrangement, which is referred to as alminti, commences.  At the point, the amount of the desired sunggod would be revealed.  The exchange of goods might also begin.

SADYANDI AND MARRIAGE...
     It is interesting to note that the sunggod can be lessened between families and/or man who are involved in a sadyandi relationship.  The result is a sadyandi between  two families and /or men is to create a relationship of peace and brotherhood.  The sadyandi are described as system of conflict resolutions, since the intended result is to resolve situations of conflict, which might currently exist, or to prevent a conflict situation of one was forever.  The ultimate goal of the sadyandi is to create and/ or maintain fraternal relation.  A sadyandi is very strong or binding agreement between two or more parties in which a rite or ceremony is performed in order to publicly seal the agreement. The blood compact or falow litu is a type of sadyanti which evolves the letting of blood between the parties who have entered into the agreement.
     During the formal marriage ceremony, the bride often wears a tabi or kumot or blanket and a comb or swat.  The groom wraps a head piece or tubaw on his head, hangs a long knife or a fa-is on his waist, wears trousers made of  blanket or tabi or tinalak and hang a komot on his shoulders.
      A B'laan man is permitted to marry a second, third, fourth, etc., time only if he is wealthy enough to pay the bride wealth/ price to the brides family and support his new wife in satisfactory manner.
     Polygamy is a common practice among the B'laan.  A man can have as many wives as he can afford, provided he pays the  dowry or sunggod bride price/ wealth to the father of the girl who/he  wishes to marry.  A man, however, is barred from marrying another woman until the first wife has born him a child.
      The family is the basic unit of the B;laan society that comprises adult of both sexes and one or more children, either natural or adopted.
     The first wife is considered superior to the other.  In B'laan society, the woman is considered inferior to the man and doe not have much say in family and community affairs once married, the husband is almost her slave master.  The B'laan husband has a dislike for household chores.  The typical B'laan wife waits upon the husband.  The woman works the field and is responsible for the entire household including food gathering for needs.  She is expected to work hard for the dowry given by the man to her father.  Both husband and wife, however, equally carry the burden of child rearing.  The welfare of the children is usually paramount above the needs of man and woman.
      The B'laan children were fortunate to have finished a college education through scholarship grants.  However, few comes back to help their villages for reasons of alienation, lack of economic prospects  or shame of their roots.  An intensely felt feeling of cultural inferiority causes young B'laans to leave their village and work elsewhere.  A number have returned home only to take advantage of the less educated B'laans who took up to them as professionals.  Even with education, the B'laans are naive in the use of power to improve their lot.  Educated B'laan tend to exploit lower class B'laans and some extent, have allowed themselves to be prostituted and corrupted by Kristian's.