It occurred to me that there can be multiple answers to Selma's question regarding dowry negotiations in the 1950s.
For instance I know of at least one instance which occurred in the mid 40's wherin a marriage was arranged between a bride from Bodiem and a groom from Sangolda working in Kenya. The marriage was arranged without the bride and groom seeing each other. Dowry there must have been, as it was the custom in those days and I can't think of a possibility of such dowries being sidesteppec. But the entire negotiations must have been conducted by a matchmaker who knew the preferences of the parents of both parties. The prospective couple had no role to play. Unfortunately I cannot describe in any detail the modus operandi of such matchmakers. But a matchmaker who could command the respect and confidence was an absolute necessity. After the deal was finalised by the match maker, the woman involved in the arranged marriage set out to meet the groom in East Africa. >From Goa she set out for Bombay, and with the help of friends sailed to Mombasa where she was met and put up by some friends of both her parents and people that lived in the same village as the groom. From then on she travelled to Nairobi, where she was introduced to the groom. There they got married. I can personally vouch for the authenticity of this story because one of the end results of this archaic union, was - ahem - Augusto Joseph Pinto. If you haven't guessed yet, the couple I am speaking about are my parents, Jasmina Adelina Mascarenhas of Bodiem, and Marcello Franscisco Pinto of Sangolda who were married in Nairobi circa 1945. if this could happen in the 1940's it could happen in the 50's too, isn't it. -- Augusto Pinto 40, Novo Portugal, Moira, Bardez, Goa, India E [email protected] or [email protected] P 0832-2470336 M 9881126350
