Sati
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Suttee is an ancient Indian practice, in which a widow is sacrificed on her husband's funeral pyre. It was outlawed by the colonial British in 1889, though it is still practiced. Westerners have long doubted whether the practice was ever actually voluntary (compare Honor killing). More recent instances of the practice have found, where investigated, to have been carried out under complusion.
- Even worse than foot binding are traditions like suttee, which at one time was practiced in India, a custom where a woman was expected to throw herself on her husband's funeral pyre after he died. Suttee no longer exists; it was abolished by the British in 1829, although according to the New Columbia Encyclopedia (1975), "isolated cases of voluntary suttee have occurred into the 20th cent." [1]
External links
- The Representation of Sati Bengal Past and Present, 117 (1998):57-80.
Sati (also called suttee) is custom of Hinduism by which a widow kills herself by throwing herself onto her husband’s funeral pyre. This form of suicide is primarily performed in India.The practice probably originated sometime around A.D. 400.