Changes in Canela Marriage over 70 Years
Adding to his significant body of work on the Canela, Crocker focuses on recent and important changes that have taken place in regards to Canela marriage. His conclusions are based on his profound knowledge of the Canela together with new quantitative data collected specifically for this study. By the 1980s, the authority of the council of elders as expressed through the authority of the “uncles” over the marriages of their nephews and nieces had weakened considerably in contrast to the power they had been able to exert during the 1930s and 1940s. There have been few arranged marriages, an increase in “stolen” marriages, an increase in divorce in which children were involved, and a decline in the power of the set of close female relatives of the bride to vet the groom’s suitability. Moreover, the chapter describes the forces of globalization and acculturation that have contributed to the elders’ waning powers.