| 1.12.3. Family |
| Urali families are generally nucleus families consisting of a man, his wife and children. Sometimes, the married sons and daughters are also included, forming an extended family. Sometimes, old parents also may join the family. |
| Usually the man who is the head of the family will be acting on behalf of the family in doing certain acts and engages himself as a mediator for certain intrafamily relationships in the interest of all family members. Otherwise the responsibilities and duties of each and every member of the family is clearly demarcated. |
| In general, one nuclear family constituting a single economic unit is a self-contained one in the sense that the unit is having a separate hut, livestock, domestic implements and a small piece of agricultural land. Tough agricultural jobs such as levelling, ploughing, cleaning the ground, sowing etc., are undertaken jointing by the adult males. |
| 1.12.3.1. Family Relationship |
| Though Urali family is patriarchal in character, considerable importance is given to women and in most of the cases women have an upper hand in the functions of the family. During the family decision making, she will be a dominant partner. |
| Parent children relationship is excellent and the latter get extreme care. Older children take care of the younger ones. Even after the children get married, they always extend their helping hands to their parents. |
| 1.12.4. Position of Women in the Society |
| Though male dominance is noticed, women are not totally neglected. As stated earlier patriarchal society of Urali gives considerable importance to the females. But, overall, male children are preferred to female children and the birth of a male child is considered as a pride to the family. After the birth of a child, ceremonies are performed. They are performed on the sixth day if the child is male or on the seventh day if it is a female. The reason given for this kind of day preferential customs is that the Uralis strongly believe that the sonner the ceremony is performed, the better the child will get good survival capability. The male child gets a preferential treatment in this regard. |
| There is no restriction imposed on women against going for any job in the co-operative society or in the government departments if offered. But, it is observed that no woman is willing to do any job and to participate in any social organisation. To state one incident, the Talavadi Panchayat Union once sent some non-tribal ladies who are trained in social work mainly to educate the women folk of the Urali tribe and offered some of them the job of social workers on a monthly salary basis. But this proposal was bluntly rejected by Urali ladies in spite of the encouragement given by the village head man. |
| 1.12.4.1. Position of the Aged |
| Aged are respected and taken good care of by others. The responsibility of looking after an aged person lies on his eldest son. In the absence of a son, the responsibility is shifted to the eldest daughter if she is in the same village. In the absence of both the son and the daughter or the aged person is living without any issue, the responsibility of looking after him will be shared by his relatives or by the society. Any misconduct against an aged person is punished severely by the society. |
