Marriage may be polygamous as well as monogamous.
Monogamous marriage is the most common in most legal systems today.
Among polygamous societies there's a diversity of situations, like the differentiated
significance between the first wife, the only one invested with the rights held by the institute of marriage, and the following ones, often considered just official concubines.
In Brazil, there are numerous cases of polygamy at the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The most appropriate term to describe the situation seems to be polygyny (male polygamy), which is much more common than polyandry (female polygamy).
More powerful drug dealers carry out relationships with various women who must follow rules of respect and absolute fidelity. On Letícia Helena's words: "The more powerful, the more women drug dealers have. Even because monogamy is only compulsory in the official country: in the areas of poverty pockets the law of concubinage and polygyny are what apply." [i] We can mention some cases: the chief drug dealer at Morro do Alemão, Orlando Jogador, murdered in 1994, had nine wifes; the chief at Morro do Andaraí, mudered by the police in 1991, left eight widows and eight heirs; the chief at Vigário Geral, lived with four women and had four children; the chief at favela Acari, Jorge Luiz dos Santos, found dead in jail, had twenty nine wives and left twenty five children. [ii]
Polygamy can occur in various ways, like one of the spouses practice bigamy.
Bigamy may arise when a person contracts two (valid) marriages. It may arise under the form of two stable unions at the same time. And it also may occur when the person contracts marriage and, while still married, he develops a stable union. Or yet, while in a stable relationship, the person contracts marriage.
A classical example: some truck drivers and traveling salesmen, in Brazil, are married with more than one woman at the same time, in different places, and live harmoniously with both, sharing the spare time between one family and the other.
Another example comes from the Empire of Brazil: In spite of the law considering a crime having more than one wife, the romance between Pedro I and Domitila de Canto e Melo, his wife's chaperone, was never punished. The Emperor had two children and gave to the concubine the title Marquesa de Santos (Marchioness of Santos). In 1826, Leopoldina died and Pedro I tried to prove that the Marchioness had royal blood, so they could marry. But he didn't succeed. Pedro I ended up marrying an Austrian princess and his relationship with the Marchioness continued unhindered.
Thus, there are genres of free, casual, transitory and adulterous genres of connections, which occur at the same time as a genre of family subordinate to Law.
Notes
[i] HELENA, Letícia. "Combate ao crime: Estratégia do marginal: Traficante tinha 25 filhos com 29 mulheres da favela: Política de assistencialismo e falso poder levava à construção de uma imagem irreal e apaixonada". O GLOBO Newspaper, Rio de Janeiro, March 7, 1996, RIO section, page 18.
[ii] "What happens at the favelas in Rio de Janeiro is very similar to the polygamous system existing in China of the early century. A rich man decided to take often young concubines to himself. The older wife has ascendancy over the others. The ones who dare to rebel are severely punished with humiliation or even death. Actually, in Brazilian favelas, coexistence among wives are usually peaceful, because each one has her share of money, prestige and company. It must be emphasized that this attraction towards criminals isn't a distortion of behavior by poor teenagers. For women involved in this system of polygyny, it finds reasoning in the famous phrase: The powerful man is attractive in any society". Alba Zaluar. "Seguranças são como lanternas vermelhas: Do cinema para as favelas do Rio". O GLOBO Newspaper, Rio de janeiro, February 19, 1995, RIO section, page 25.
Originally posted on http://casamento-direitos-deveres.blogspot.com/2009/06/poligamia-no-brasil.html
