Second marriages are . . . frequent, a man often marrying a sister of his deceased wife and a woman marrying one of her dead husband’s brothers. We believe that such unions were regarded as both a privilege and a duty, though according to Handuna of Sitala Wanniya a man married his dead wife’s sister principally because if he married anyone else his children would not be looked after so well. If a widow does not marry one of her dead husband’s brothers she may return to her parents, though it seemed that if these were no longer living she would generally stay with her late husband’s group, whose duty it would then be to look after her and her children.²

²Seligman, C.G.n/an/an/an/a and B.Z.n/an/an/an/an/a, , 68 (Cambridge University Press. By permission).