Book

Tribal law and justice: a report on the Santal

ConceptNew Delhi • Published In 1984 • Pages:

By: Archer, W. G. (William George).

Abstract
Archer, a Deputy Commissioner of Santal Parganas during the period of December 1942-June 1945, presents in this document an analysis of Santal tribal law which he observed in operation during the period of his administration. The work is divided into three major parts. Part I discusses civil law in Santal society, based in large part on the application of customary law to various offenses through the judicial system (i.e., the village courts and the Court of Five MANJHIS). Part II describes various ramifications of the application of BITLAHA sanctions to criminal justice. BITLAHA is the Santal term used to describe a mass punishment for major tribal offenses. Part III of this report deals with the structure of the judicial system in tribal regions (with special reference to the Santal Parganas), showing in effect the erosion of customary law and their supercession by statutory law (p. xvii). This section contains a number of suggestions by the author on how the Santal judicial system could be improved. In addition to the above, this study also contains much information on the right of men and women in the society, marriage and divorce, birth, naming customs, sickness, and death, relevant to the period studies (1942-1945).
Subjects
Real property
Inheritance
Marriage
Family relationships
Informal in-group justice
Legal norms
Sanctions
Sex and marital offenses
Judicial authority
Sorcery
Organized ceremonial
culture
Santal
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
Asia
Sub Region
South Asia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Government Official
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1996
Field Date
December 1942-June 1945
Coverage Date
1942-1945
Coverage Place
Santal Parganas District, Bihar, India
Notes
W. G. Archer ; with an introduction by K. S. Singh
v. 1. Civil law in Santal society -- v. 2. Bitlaha -- v. 3. Civil justice in tribal India, with special reference to the Santal Parganas
'Published under the Authority of the Bitlaha Government'
Includes bibliographical references (p. 734-741)
LCCN
84901345
LCSH
Santal (South Asian people)