This article examined the cultural marriage systems of the Awi Agaws emphasizing the early marriage and mate selection criteria with the framework of changes and continuities. The study was conducted based on the qualitative research approach. The qualitative approach tries to interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people try to attach to them. It involves scrutinizing sources and eventually creating an analysis and drawing conclusions based on the analyzed sources (Creswell, 2003). The main sources of this study come from published and unpublished documents and oral sources. The Awi Agaws have a distinctive tradition towards early marriage and mate selection criteria. The early marriage and mate selection standards have shown significant changes with passage of time among the Awi Agaw people. Thus, the cultural marriage systems of the Agaws have been transformed due to administrative and legal measures of the government and economic and political changes in the country.

Keywords: Agaw, Awi, Criteria, Cultural, Marriage, Mate, Selection