Marriage in the Polynesian Culture
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Polynesian marriages typically consist of dowries, which is property or money given to the man’s family from the bride’s. There are small variations between the islands themselves, but feasting after the ceremony is common between the islands. For example, the Navigator Islands traditions consist of the future husband getting tattooed before he can marry. The woman usually has no choice about her future husband and must accept the decision of her parents. During the ceremony, the bride’s maidens will bring forth the mats that have been collected as dowry and create a path for the bride to walk on towards her groom. The maidens are considered secondary wives after the ceremony. There are rare occasions when couples will elope, and if their relationship is deemed long lasting, they may be able to reconcile with the parents.
Cook Island has a unique custom called ara tangata, which is a custom in which the eldest girl of a family will walk on the backs of members of her husband’s tribe. Her husband will do the same with members of her tribe a few days before the ceremony. In Tahiti, wives are not purchased by dowry like other islands of Polynesia. Instead, she is guarded from contact outside her home while she grows up, and everything she needs is brought to her so that she may stay secluded (Old and Sold, 1897). Tongan weddings have a certain pattern of courtship as well, similar to Western cultures in some ways. The different stages consist of friendship, dating, man asking for permission to get married, celebrating before the wedding, and the wedding day. When the man asks for her hand in marriage, he must ask the father and bring gifts of food and mats. Tongan weddings typically take 3 days; they do this in order to show that they are happy for the marriage of the couple, and they celebrate with much food and dancing. Their clothing is made of tapa rugs that hold special meaning to the families and take time to make. The picture included on this page is an example of their attire (Akoi, 2014). Ashley Bjornerud |