Girl Marries Dog: Indian Tribal Ritual to Ward Off Tigers

[Math Is Hard]

did he promise to love, honor and obey?

http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/Offbeat/0,,2-1343-1347_1686523,00.html

New Delhi - A girl in eastern India has been married to a dog in a bid to ward off tigers, a report said on Thursday.

The tribal wedding took place to the beating of drums in a slum on the outskirts of Orissa state capital Bhubaneswar, the Press Trust of India news agency said, quoting witnesses.

Local people said the girl had developed abnormalities in her teeth which made her prone to "being devoured by a tiger".

The tribal ritual is believed to rid her of the danger, they said.

 

[Moonbear]

The tribal ritual is believed to rid her of the danger, they said.

That's what he gets for wearing the dog suit.

Did they mention anything about whether marrying a dog makes one more prone to being blown up or catching on fire?

 

[Evo]

The tribal ritual is believed to rid her of the danger, they said.

That's what he gets for wearing the dog suit.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

<snort>

:rofl:

Sorry.

 

[hypatia]

ahhhhh hahahaha! That man sure gets around.

 

[Danger]

A girl in eastern India has been married to a dog

I guess that rules out about 95% of the Kama Sutra.

That's what he gets for wearing the dog suit.

And once again I arrive just in the nick of too-late. I know I could have diverted you from that one. You and your abysmal sense of timing.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

<snort>

:rofl:

Sorry.

I'm sure. There you go <snorting> not in your sleep again. Not getting enough rest?

 

[Danger]

ahhhhh hahahaha! That man sure gets around.

Don't feel too comfortable. Remember I know your 'hood.

 

[Moonbear]

And once again I arrive just in the nick of too-late.

:rofl: I like that one. The nick of too late! :rofl:

I know I could have diverted you from that one. You and your abysmal sense of timing.

There you go, blaming me for your lack of timing again. (Darn, now we're starting to sound like an old married couple.)

 

[Evo]

There you go <snorting> not in your sleep again. Not getting enough rest?

I'm a light sleeper and I wake myself up.

 

[SOS2008]

How many times must people be warned about mixed marriages...

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5897/cloning103jk.th.jpg

 

[Danger]

we're starting to sound like an old married couple.)

:

I'm a light sleeper and I wake myself up.

That wouldn't require you to be a light sleeper. Dogs have sensitive ears, remember. I think I'll nickname you 'Chaingun'.

 

[Danger]

How many times must people be warned about mixed marriages...

http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5897/cloning103jk.th.jpg

Hey, where'd you get a picture of Aunt Mary?

 

[stoned]

How many times must people be warned about mixed marriages...



we have one big example right here at home :

 

[Math Is Hard]

I'm a light sleeper and I wake myself up.

Evo, a designer of clouds should sleep deep. Make yourself a fluffy cloud and dive into it. Turn down the noisy protocols and the chattery packets. Nestle snugly into the sanctuary of gentle, soft, and welcoming ephemeral fibers bearing deep-dream transmissions. :zzz:

 

[Danger]

Evo, a designer of clouds should sleep deep. Make yourself a fluffy cloud and dive into it. Turn down the noisy protocols and the chattery packets. Nestle snugly into the sanctuary of gentle, soft, and welcoming ephemeral fibers bearing deep-dream transmissions. :zzz:

I would never have believed I'd say this to a woman like you, but I think you're putting me to sleep. Is your specialty perchance going to be hypnotherapy?

 

[Math Is Hard]

I would never have believed I'd say this to a woman like you, but I think you're putting me to sleep. Is your specialty perchance going to be hypnotherapy?

Danger, I am going to count to seven. With each count your desire to please me will become stronger..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..
Danger, please mow the lawn now.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

did he promise to love, honor and obey?

http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/Offbeat/0,,2-1343-1347_1686523,00.html

Wow, now that's a strange one alright. I hope this is just symbolic...

I wonder what the "abnormalities in her teeth" were.

So the lesson is that we should all feel grateful when we go to the dentist. The alternative is much worse.

 

[Danger]

Danger, please mow the lawn now.

I must be older than I thought. That almost worked.

Wow, now that's a strange one alright. I hope this is just symbolic...

At the risk of sounding cliched, I wonder how much they'll charge for the pups.

So the lesson is that we should all feel grateful when we go to the dentist. The alternative is much worse.

The vet?

 

[Math Is Hard]

I'm still trying to figure out the logic behind this. OK, I think maybe I have part of it- if you're the dog's wife, cats aren't going to mess with you. Kind of a stretch, but I can imagine it working on a symbolic level.

The other part about hungry tiger attracting teeth abnormalities... that's just bizarre. Maybe it's some form of divination of the future that is done by examining a person's teeth.

 

[Danger]

OK, I think maybe I have part of it- if you're the dog's wife, cats aren't going to mess with you.

If you can come up with one that a pack of tigers are scared of, you can make a bloody fortune in the guard-dog business.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I did a little checking. Perhaps the custom relates to this:

The dog in dream is symbols of Tiger as vehicle of the Gasaapenu, i.e. deity of forest. In case of bad times or sickness, people approach to a godman or woman believed to be a blessed one by Gods. [continued]

p29/30 of 59.
http://orissagov.nic.in/e-magazine/Orissareview/nov2004/englishPdf/pdfeng.pdf

Maybe the tiger thinks the dog is Gasaapenu?

a related site:

Bhubaneswar, The modern capital of Orissa, and the "Temple Metropolis of India" can still boast of 500 temples. Of these about a dozen are architecturally very interesting. There was a time when Bhubaneswar had over 7,000 such shrines.

These temples epitomize a comprehensive history of the Orissan style of temple architecture from its very inception to perfection spreading almost to two thousand years from 3rd century B. C. to 16th Century A. D. These magnificent monuments dominating the city skyline, are within a reasonable walking distance from one another. The 46 metre high Lingaraj Temple marks the culmination of temple tradition of Bhubaneswar.

http://www.odissi.com/bbsr/aboutbbsr.htm

 

[Danger]

Maybe the tiger thinks the dog is Gasaapenu?

I'm pretty sure the tiger thinks the dog is lunch. What the people believe the tiger thinks is irrelevant to the future of the dog.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I'm pretty sure the tiger thinks the dog is lunch. What the people believe the tiger thinks is irrelevant to the future of the dog.

You don't seem to be getting in the spirit of the legends here...

 

[Danger]

You don't seem to be getting in the spirit of the legends here...

Easy for you to say; you're not the one with the bleepin' dog suit. :grumpy:

 

[Math Is Hard]

Maybe the tiger thinks the dog is Gasaapenu?

I bet the reasoning has something to do with that. It would be nice if one of the Indian members of this board would drop by and lend some insight. I wonder if it's considered a legal marriage (requiring that she can't marry anyone else) or if it's just some odd symbolic ritual like rubbing a penny on a wart and burying it.

I think some journalist probably caught wind of the story and blew it out of proportion, especially since it followed this other bizarre and recent Indian wedding story.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/Chuckles/0,,2-1343-1349_1680476,00.html

Woman marries clay pot

London - An Indian bride was married off to a pot by her relatives after her groom failed to turn up for the ceremony.

Savita took her vows with a clay pot when her fiance Chaman Singh, a police officer, got stranded on the border because of heavy snowfall, reports newspaper Deccan Herald.

Savita from Jaunsar Babar agreed to go through with the wedding to the clay pot.

A photograph of the groom was reportedly placed behind the pot. - Ananova.com

 

[franznietzsche]

I bet the reasoning has something to do with that. It would be nice if one of the Indian members of this board would drop by and lend some insight. I wonder if it's considered a legal marriage (requiring that she can't marry anyone else) or if it's just some odd symbolic ritual like rubbing a penny on a wart and burying it.

I think some journalist probably caught wind of the story and blew it out of proportion, especially since it followed this other bizarre and recent Indian wedding story.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Backpage/Chuckles/0,,2-1343-1349_1680476,00.html

There is an aboriginal culture on an island north of australia, the Tiwi, where the role of the man in conception is entirely denied. The traditional belief is that a woman is impregnated by spirits, and this can happen at any time during her life. Consequently all women in the tribe were always married. Men didn't get married until 30 or so, and usually married an old widow as their first wife (who would then manage younger wives for him). But from the day of birth, women were always married, at all times, so that if she did become pregnant there would be a husband to care for the child.

 

[Math Is Hard]

There is an aboriginal culture on an island north of australia, the Tiwi, where the role of the man in conception is entirely denied. The traditional belief is that a woman is impregnated by spirits, and this can happen at any time during her life. Consequently all women in the tribe were always married. Men didn't get married until 30 or so, and usually married an old widow as their first wife (who would then manage younger wives for him). But from the day of birth, women were always married, at all times, so that if she did become pregnant there would be a husband to care for the child.

Interesting. I have never read about the Tiwi culture, but I know that the Trobriand Islanders have very similar beliefs about conception being caused by ancestral spirits. They believe that the role of the father is to "nourish" the already present fetus though sexual intercourse, and that this is what causes the child to resemble the father. For someone to say that a baby does not resemble the father is a big insult!

 

[Danger]

For someone to say that a baby does not resemble the father is a big insult!

It doesn't always go over really well here either.

 

[Moonbear]

Interesting. I have never read about the Tiwi culture, but I know that the Trobriand Islanders have very similar beliefs about conception being caused by ancestral spirits. They believe that the role of the father is to "nourish" the already present fetus though sexual intercourse, and that this is what causes the child to resemble the father. For someone to say that a baby does not resemble the father is a big insult!

Honey, I think the fetus is hungry!

 

[Math Is Hard]

You're a sick woman, Moonbear. I think you take after Mom's side of the family. :tongue:

 

[Ba]

I found a slightly more informative site, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050408/asp/nation/story_4589377.asp , I decided to do this as one of my current events for English.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Thanks, Ba. Your current event topic should be quite a hoot in English class! I've always loved those News of the Weird type of stories.

 

[Gokul43201]

You folks are making too big a deal of this ! How much more progressive can you ask a culture to get, eh ? Isn't this, after all, your average Christian conservative's worst nightmare ? (no ill intended to any average Christian conservatives here)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

From Ba's link

The marriage ceremony was facilitated by Utkal Bikash Mancha, an NGO which works among tribals in the state. Justifying the marriage, an office-bearer of the NGO said they were trying to preserve the primitive culture of the tribals through the ceremony.

 

[klusener]

man, these kinds of articles sicken me, this happened so long ago, but it is so blown up that now almost anyone who reads it will think that all little girls in India are married to dogs.. Some fools in a little remote village act according to their ancestral beliefs and it is blasted out in the media.. These kinds of things happen in almost every country, by that I mean weird things like this, just today a woman got arrested in the US for selling her daughter for a car and forcing her 11 year old daughter to have sex, now why doesn't anyone post that here? Go to CNN if you don't believe me...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/04/13/daughters.sold.ap/index.html

I would rather have someone act foolishly and just "marry" their daughter to a dog, of course she will marry a man later, than someone selling their daughter to a man for a car and forcing their little child to prostitute..