The Family and Marriage among the Daur

Abstract

The article examines the history of studying family and marriage relationships among the Daur. Drawing on a range of sources, the author discusses the issues such as extended patriarchal family, kinship terminology, marriage forms, wedding rites and ceremonies. Among the sources used there are also the data of the 2004–2005 ethnographic expeditions to the Khulun-Buir district of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region of China. The timeframe of the study is delimited by the available sources and extends from the 19 th through the mid-20 th century. The article focuses on the development of family and marriage among the Khailar, Butha, Qiqihar groups of the Daur.