Family Matters: Reflecting on Goldstein’s Study of Fraternal Polyandry.

Family Matters: Reflecting on Goldstein’s Study of Fraternal Polyandry

Jim Rogers

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In Western society, we often portray marriage as a legally recognized bond between unrelated individuals. The incest taboo that exists within most societies has a firm footing in The United States, with the romantic involvement of siblings being viewed as a cause for birth defects ranging from physical deformity to mental degradation. Many Americans would be surprised to discover that very little scientific evidence supports these negative views. And, it is fair to assume that despite being informed of this fallacy, many would still uphold the incest taboo. The enculturation of sexuality is a lifelong process informed by an endless variety of mental stimuli. In the United States, the existence of plentiful resources and vast expanses of land have promoted the travel of young adults out of the home to seek their fortunes abroad. But what happens when resources and land are limited?  Due to the lack of significant arable land, harsh climate extremes, and limited grazing areas for livestock, Tibetan families have had to consolidate in order to manage the difficulties of such issues. In his study of fraternal polyandry among Tibetan peoples, Melvyn Goldstein shows that the concepts of marriage and incest taboo have been restructured to ensure the continued proliferation of families living in the harsh regions of Tibet.

The lack of arable land is a point of constant stress on the Tibetan peoples, as they live in remote elevations that do not readily foster crop growth. The areas that can have crops are not an issue, though, as these fertile zones are maximized for barley and wheat growth, leaving little room for grazing animals. As sheep and llama make up a large part of the Tibetan diet, shepherds are tasked with finding grazeable grasslands among the high elevations (Goldstein). These areas often do not coincide, meaning that families often spread out in their attempts to produce enough foodstuffs. This is where having a large, consolidated family unit is quite effective. By having multiple husbands, a wife can hope to care for herself and her children effectively. However, if the family unit is not large enough, the breakdown in production will decrease food and income within the household. As these families are often solely reliant upon one another, these types of production inconsistencies can spell disaster for societies. “The widespread practice of fraternal polyandry, therefore, is not the outcome of a law requiring brothers to marry jointly,” but rather, the realization of the ability to produce a livable surplus through agriculture and animal husbandry (Goldstein). This demonstrates the environmental impact on cultural institutions.

The consolidation of families is rarely smooth, even within the United States. In-Laws are a common source of stress for newlyweds, as well as the integration of other new family members. However, in the harsh regions of Tibet, where fraternal polyandry is practiced, integration is often seen as unavoidable. This does not mean that all family members are appeased by this arrangement of familial integration. As multiple brothers will marry one sister, the eldest brother is the “man of the house,” while the other brothers and the

wife are subject to his wishes. This highlights the existence of hierarchy within the marriage and is a common source of dispute among the brothers as the sexual activities, and daily duties are built to prosper the wife and the eldest brother, while the younger brothers are driven out of the family by a lack of personal autonomy or exclusivity with their romantic partner. Though it is a choice to enter the marriage, a “brother thinking of separating from polyandrous marriage and taking his own wife would face various disadvantages” (Goldstein). One major disadvantage of a younger brother leaving the family is that they will “only receive a small plot of land,” that must often be “completely dug out  to a depth of two to two and a half feet so that large rocks and boulders can be removed,” (Goldstein). This job would be nearly impossible for a single person, further demonstrating the need for familial cooperation to thrive in the Tibetan environment.

In modern times, culture often capitulates a version of society that is contemporary with current worldviews. The effect that this capitulation has on the forms of acceptable marriage is overt and measurable, with a spectrum of preference existing that ranges between polyandry and polygyny, with monogamy falling somewhere in the middle. The further establishment of incest taboo by religious groups, social hegemony, and primordial fear (as some suggest), capitulates that, as humans, we are only capable of proliferating as a species if we exist in groups that participate in exogamous coupling.  In Tibet, As Melvyn Goldstein recorded in his ethnography of fraternal polyandry among Tibetan peoples, the structures of marriage and incest have been reinterpreted to combat the effect of particular living conditions. Due to the omnipresence of harsh weather conditions, lack of arable land, difficulty of labor and limited grazing areas for livestock, some Tibetan families have learned to consolidate multiple siblings into single marriages. They do this not in an attempt to challenge other cultures, but in the hopes of ensuring the future success of their own.

Bibliography

Guest, Kenneth J.  Cultural Anthropology: A Reader for a Global Age. 2nd ed., New York, W. W. Norton & Company, 2018

Goldstein, M. (1987, March). When Brother's Share a Wife. Natural History Magazine, 96, 39-48.