The Wedding Ceremony

A couple's ritual career would begin with their wedding ceremony. A respectable groom had to furnish at least one buffalo and several pigs. In an arranged marriage, butcherings could begin with the betrothal of infants, but this practice was uncommon even among the elite. Most engagements proceeded slowly, through the office of a go-between (usually a male elder), and each step of the deliberations required its own rituals.

Marriage conferred ritual independence, although some couples continued to reside for a time in a parental home (usually the wife's). Children were expected to follow soon, but not before the newlyweds had given a second offering to the ancestors. This ceremony (sabang ) formed the first step in a graded series of prestige feasts called pedit (referred to earlier), but it was the only one incumbent on all couples. As in other prestige feasts, its ostensive purpose was to invite the ancestors to dance and eat with their living descendants. Specific to this rite, however, was the asking of favor for the young couple's progeny.