- Marriage in traditional African community is a complex affair and involves the economic, social, and religious aspects of the people. 5. Also, in recent years dating has evolved and taken on the metamorphic properties necessary to sustain itself in todays world. Marriage in Traditional African Society and It's Televance, Sample of Essays. Retrieved from, World Book, Inc.,. The amount of bridewealth that a family is able to pay serves as an icon of her family's social status and indicates how much the family will be able to support the groom's. In this context, cohabitation contributes to the phenomenon of people getting married for the first time at a later age than was typical in earlier generations (Glezer 1991). Traditionally, both families invited their entire villages to join in the festivities. My parents were together for 15 years before they divorced but before the split I was able to witness the idea of a family. Once the wedding day comes, it is usually held at the brides compound. During an accident, death, or any injury to woman by her husband, the guardian of the woman can claim indemnity (insurance). had been reached between the go-between woman and the mother of the bride. Marriage and procreation in traditional African society and the The two families involved in marriage negotiations ( of the boy and girl) established relationship/ familiarization. (1978). I thought marriage was the same everywhere until I traveled to different regions of the world. It is also evident between son in law and wifes mother, there are often quarrels and by custom avoidance of certain things, avoidance of eating food together, avoidance of eye contact etc. The West African people of Ghana participate in marital customs that differ greatly from many other African countries. ." This is generally supported by other theorists who specialize in the study of body language, but ignores the ways females are socialized to gain status by learning to appear attractive to and demonstrate desire for males. Initiated boys and girls grew up and knew each other well as they congregated during public village There are also many different religions represented in Africa. Among southerners, as with northerners, young adults increasingly expected love to develop during courtship. This is a common attribute of the melanesian tribes. World Eras. There is also a relation between great grandparent and sons son where the entry of great-grandson by birth, is a sign of approaching death of great grandfather. Among the Igbo marriage serves many different purposes other than unity between individuals and social status. In addition, shehears practical and spiritual counsel from more experienced women on getting along with a man, having and raising children, managing a home, and other advice about marriage. Nationally, women now outnumber men in college enrollment by 4 to 3, leading some researchers to argue that the gender imbalance fosters a culture of hooking up because men, as the minority and limiting factor, hold more power in the sexual marketplace and use it to pursue their preference of casual sex over long-term relationships. Pew Research Center. Also Read: Anthropology: Scope and Importance. Catholic African communities most commonly dress in western wedding attire (white dress for women and a suit for men) for the religious ceremony and will utilize their communities traditional attire for other phases of the marriage process. Because young women generally sought out men for their physical attraction, men in some West African cultures spent much time decorating their bodies once they reached a certain age.Many wore earrings, bangles, false eyelashes, and other decorative ornaments that might be considered feminine in other cultures. The Igbos take the wedding traditions series and the wedding is a celebration for everyone in the town. Courtship and Marriage | SpringerLink There are restrictions on the marriage of the Masai , that is, one should not marry a woman in his agnatic clan and secondly one should not marry with a near cousin, for example, mothers sisters daughter, etc. Courting can also take place without personal contact, especially with modern technology. While some criticize feminist interpretations of courtship by pointing to womens support of courtship and attraction to magazines about marital and romantic experience,such criticisms generally ignore the emphasis on marital and romantic relationships (in many cases as the sole element of womens value in male-dominated societies) embedded within feminine socialization norms,and the widespread empirical demonstration that courtship patterns almost universally privilege masculine interests and privilege. slow dating). However, the date of retrieval is often important. Reflection on an African Traditional Marriage System. Kinship eventuated from the primitive and most traditional societies. Population: 400,000 Orientation The Venda traditionally occupy an area in and around the Soutpansbe, Mossi Within many African communities, such as Nigerian ethnic groups, the engagement is where the traditional practices are performed.[5]. The wedding attire worn during these ceremonies depends heavily on the ethnic group being examined. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Bridewealth and Dowries. This can be seen in the rise in internet dating, speed dating or gradual exclusivity dating (a.k.a. courtship under slavery. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Gabriel Conover Photography. While the majority of societies accept polygamy, the majority of people do not practice it. They are often encouraged against marrying for love or sexual attraction. In order to understand marriage customs and rules of African societies, one should also understand that by marriage certain pre-existing relations are changed, new ones are also formed, it not only changes the relationship between two individuals but also it changes and forms new bonds and relations with the family and kinship ties. Historically, marriage has served a variety of functionsfinancial, political, biological (i.e., sex), and social. Children are taught through folktales that families built on love and attraction risk damaging the foundation of their community. A hook-up cultureis one that accepts and encourages casual sexual encounters, including one-night stands and other related activity, which focus on physical pleasure without necessarily including emotional bonding or long-term commitment. We also see declining rates of marriage and individuals marrying much later in life, with 30 years old as themedianage for men and 28 years old for women in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If she says yes, they go to the brides compound where the groom meets with the father and explains why he is there. African historical records were certainly scanty and could only accumulate information of the immediate past. Some theorize that courtship as it was known to prior generations has seen its last days and the next closest thing is gradual exclusivity, where the partners respect and value each others individual lives but still maintain the ultimate goal of being together even if time or space will not permit it now. 420 BCE), Asola or Asula, Giammateo or Giovanni Matteo, Aspen University: Distance Learning Programs, Aspen University: Distance Learning Programs: Distance Learning Programs, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/aspects-courtship. [10], Within Ghana, it is common for the maternal uncle to pay dowry. It is an alternative to arranged marriages in which the couple or group doesn't meet before the wedding. While the date is fairly casual in most European-influenced cultures, in some traditional societies, courtship is a highly structured activity, with very specific formal rules. Polygamy, or being married to more than one person at a time, is accepted to varying degrees around the world, with most polygamous societies existing in northern Africa and east Asia (OECD 2019). After the grooms family hands over the money and other prerequisites to the brides family, the wedding day is planned. After they assemble this packet, the parents go search for a man for their daughter and see if he makes the requirements for their daughter., Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. This is something that most Americans are familiar with, or at least they are if theyve been involved in a wedding. The patriarch in Sister Wives, Kody Brown, is legally married to one wife, has three additional spiritual wives, and has eighteen children total among the four wives. Another is matrilineal kin, which is traced back to female links of the common female ancestor. (NICATD, Crystalrlombardo) There can be many pros and cons to arranged marriages. Communities and social bonds are necessary attributes for kinship systems. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. The study also revealed that 73% of young people surveyed believe that polygamy is an outdated process. Some theorize that courtship as it was known to prior generations has seen its last days and the next closest thing is gradual exclusivity, where the partners respect and value each others individual lives but still maintain the ultimate goal of being together even if time or space will not permit it now. Polygyny is that of which is practiced in the Maasai culture, as an ideal that is achieved only by that of the elder men of the tribe. Compound families are also formed, where polygynous marriages are permitted, such as a man has several wives ( more than two). In most of the African tribes such as Kaonde and Ngonde , grandmothers and granddaughters are regarded as wife, whereby it is also legal and allowable to marry granddaughters, and brothers daughter, but not to marry his sisters daughter. Introduction to Sociology Lumen/OpenStax by Lumen Learning & OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. I also knew that all cultures had similar rules of engagement when it came to marriage practices. Love, Courtship, and Marriage in Africa Authors: Nwando Achebe Abstract Explorations of love in Africa have tended to look at African love through the lens of provider love, that is, love. Jumping the Broom. Blackfoot Courtship | Access Genealogy The significance of marriage forming the foundation of a community is made obsolete if the couple were no longer a part of this community. The slaves discouraged casual sexual relationships and placed a lot emphasis on marriage and stability. Other Africans are unable to participate in tribal or community centric ceremonies as they are required to move far from their community for employment. The Queh-Queh is a week-long celebration during which family and friends come together to dance, sing, and feast. They may perform their own simplified ceremonies as a response to their economic conditions. Encyclopedia.com. 1058-1066. As a result of social changes spurred by the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, the taboo of sex during dating began to wane. This has become a great problem that many igbo men choose to cohabitate with a woman than marry her because of the resultant shame., In a traditional Igbo wedding, the man asks the woman to marry him. Each has their own unique ritual of how they go about a wedding ceremony. Despite this, there are also many similarities between African weddings and the customs that surround them. Generally, the woman would not live with her husband and would remain living with her parents. The diversity of traditional beliefs throughout the country leads to enormous diversity among African communities. There are certain rules regarding marriages in Africa, whereby one on hand there is social proximity, where one should not marry closely related kin, on the other, it is allowed to marry cross-cousins. African and Chinese cultures both have very intriguing ways of how they proceed with their ceremony. Sometimes it is also associated with shyness or shame observed in son in law in regard to wifes family. The others are the I, ETHNONYMS: Batswana, Bechuana (colonial appellation) LOCATION: Burkina Faso, Cte d'Ivoire [3] This is evident in marriage ceremonies where both Islamic and Christian marriages will also follow traditional practices adopted from tribal communities or smaller religions. In Japan, some parents hire a matchmaker to provide pictures and rsums of potential mates, and if the couple or group agrees, there will be a formal meeting with all family parties and the matchmaker in attendance; this is called Omiai. Arranged Marriages. Negev Bedouin men in Israel, for example, typically have two wives, although it is acceptable to have up to four (Griver 2008). Furthermore, marriage will continue to be delayed as more people place education and career ahead of settling down.. It also affords anyone who might object to the union an opportunity to speak up before the ceremonytakesplace. For example, a father might offer his daughter to a chief or king in return for a favor and status. Marriage - Marriage rituals | Britannica . It is generally associated with Western late adolescent behavior and, in particular, American college culture.The term hook-up has an ambiguous definition because it can indicate kissing or any form of physical sexual activity between partners. Polygamy is more common that one would think, with 83% of human societies permitting the practice, but it is most common in Africa as a reflection of tribal and religious customs and economic and social structures.
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