A Study of Polygyny Marriage and the Status of Women amongst Tribes in Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

newline This research examines the persistence of polygynous marriage systems and their socio-economic and emotional consequences among the women of indigenous tribal societies of Arunachal Pradesh. This ramification pervades in broader discourses of gender, tradition, and modernity. Rooted in a patriarchal framework, Arunachal Pradesh s tribal societies comprising 26 major tribes and 110 sub-tribes have historically upheld polygyny as a customary institution to expand familial labour networks and consolidate economic stability, particularly under the sanction of paternal line inheritance systems. The research focuses in Papum Pare district especially the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), because it host diverse ethnic groups spreading across 12 Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) wards. Subsequently, the exploration centered on 5 (five) Urban IMC wards following a stratified method. This area is a highly dense area in term of demography and cultural heterogeneity. Methodologically, the research employs a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews, ethnographic observations, and quantitative surveys with 200 women from the Nyishi, Galo, Apatani, Adi, and Tagin tribes to analyze how polygyny, a historically rooted practice, adapts to contemporary urban settings and perpetuates gendered inequalities. However, many contemporary critiques increasingly challenge these traditional rationales, highlighting systemic disparities in women s social, economic, and psychological well-being. Drawing on 2019 state policy data, which identifies domestic violence as the most prevalent crime against women in regions like Itanagar and West Siang, the scholarship interrogates the dissonance between polygyny s historical legitimacy and its modern-day ramifications. While the practice was once a marker of prestige and resource security, its perpetuation in contemporary contexts is increasingly viewed as a misuse of cultural tradition, exacerbating gender-based vulnerabilities and sparking debates over its moral and le