Wife-Hunting

Wife-Hunting (Taniiluxan ayagaqnaq) was the practice of capturing women during military conflict in medieval Taniiluxan society. Though historical records refer to the practice as early as the 6th century, it is most commonly associated with the dangu period that lasted from the 8th to the early 11th centuries. Wife-hunting was a common cause for war and conflict in medieval Taniilux, and it was also featured heavily in many Taniiluxan cultural traditions.

Marriage in Taniiluxan Society
Early Taniiluxan society was polygamus. The number of wives a man had was an indicator of a status; presumably, a man with many wives was capable of supporting them all. Conversely, women were permitted to have as many husbands as they could care for. Men were also allowed to take their wives' younger sisters as additional wives, and a man's younger brothers and cousins were permitted to cohabit with his wives.

There were numerous ways in which one could marry, all of which were recognized in Taniiluxan society. Though it was traditionally expected that a man would ask a woman's parents for her hand in marriage, other methods became increasingly common. The practice of purchasing a spouse became more widespread over time, and one could purchase as many spouses as they could support. Capturing a spouse was also common, and was a common trigger for war. Taniiluxan warriors would raid nearby villages and capture their enemy's wives, and mock abductions (in which a man pretended to capture his wife) were carried out both as entertainment and as practice for real raids.

Role in Taniiluxan Warfare
Besides gaining territory or wealth, early Taniiluxan wars were often waged in the name of defending one's honor and pleasing spirits. Losing one's spouse to a wife-hunter was considered a serious dishonor, and was usually responded to with vengeance. Many recorded conflicts between Taniiluxan tribes were reciprocal wars in which the same woman was captured back and forth, with some of these blood feuds lasting for generations. The practice of declaring war over a woman was so widespread that it inspired several epic poems from the era, including the semi-historical Kaciq War in which dozens of individual tribes were engaged in a war over the capture of a single woman.

As the dangu raided further from their homelands, brides were taken from other cultures in increasing numbers. In particular, dangu raiders in Fusen would often capture brides and take them back home to Taniilux. The practice of taking wives and trading them resulted in the intermingling of different languages and cultures all over Bangju and Sinju, and had an impact on the development of different people groups in those areas.