11. Divorce and widow-marriage.
Divorce and widow-marriage are permitted. In Raigarh the widow is bound to marry her deceased husband’s younger brother, but not elsewhere. Among these Mundas, if divorce is effected by mutual consent, the husband must give his wife a pair of loin-cloths and provisions for six months. Polygamy is seldom practised, as women can earn their own living, and if a wife is superseded she will often run away home or set up in a house by herself. In Mandla a divorce can be obtained by either party, the person in fault having to pay a fee of Rs. 1–4 to the panchāyat; the woman then breaks her bangles and the divorce is complete.