1 Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life, Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953) pp.1 177. 5 It comes unannounced. (Ndola: Mission Press, 1988), 44 Thomas Price, A Short English-Nyanja Vocaublary, (Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia, and Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1970). It shows an act of bravery and hardship one I s to meet in life. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. White, C.M.N., Tradition and Change in Luvale Marriage, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1962, 1969. ii. iii. - There is individual ownership of property. (Eds.) 4. The . 3. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. They believe iron implements attract lightning. - They are given financial assistance. This chapter will briefly explore traditional African family patterns describing the patrilineal and matrilineal families. Midwife could assist the mother in actual delivery to ensure the safety of the baby. Bantu migrations also helped to spread agriculture and herding to all parts of Africa. Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia, and Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1970. However, both the organization of the family unit, marriage, decent systems and the structure of kinship relations vary from society to society and through time (Ingiabuna et al. It must be emphasized, however, that these were traditional patterns as far back as late 1800s up to as late as 1960s. Most of the time they suffer from old age diseases. 8. in some communities it is thrown to uncultivated land to show fertility. Many people today acquire Christian names. Their relevance today Some people still consult prophets on seers some couples may consult in case of barrenness. Such occasions include beer drinking, wrestling, playing football, singing and dancing etc. Factors contributing to harmony and Mutual Responsibility in African Traditional Societies In traditional African Society, every individual is related to all. 4. Seclusion nowadays is not very possible because of limited time. 4. The kinships are based on two broad aspects 1) Birth (Blood relationships) 2) marriages. Coser, Rose Lamb., (Ed.) vi. In the traditional African Community, marriage was considered incomplete without children. They face challenges from medical practitioners who argue that they should go for formal training. - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. Meanwhile, the husband works under his father-in-laws orders with other young son-in-laws.26 A matrilocal family of this kind forms the nucleus of a village community (umushi) which other relatives of the head of the family afterwards join.27, Polygamy or polygyny, which is a distinguishing feature in many traditional African families especially is patrilineal and patriarchal societies, is uncommon among the matrilineal Bemba. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SYSTEM 173 THE SIB: DESCENT AND EXOGAMY Kinship ties necessarily begin within the family as a pro- creational unit. At times force could be applied to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner. Matrilineality is the major influence in what children learn and come to accept about their society. - Kinship ties also provide security to all concerned. People like politicians and students consult medicine men to succeed in the careers. - The girls would take back the sheet with a lot of ululation and rejoicing and one girl would remain behind to study the character of the man. Culture and values are adaptive .. Indeed, such authors as Chondoka have recently found little accuracy or justification in calling this custom purchasing or buying of a wife. v. In some cases if a man is married and wants another wife his first or other wives would be involved in making the proposal. Some are circumcised when they are still infants. Land ownership: The ancestral land is communally owned and nobody is allowed to sell it. Marriage ceremonies brought people together as they came together to rejoice. among the Kisii, a person born crossing the river could be called Kwamboka. Elders iv. 5. In addition, the women who have got gainful jobs seek more freedom in many aspects. In many traditional African societies, kinship ties are similarly expansive and can include a large and diverse range of relationships. The Plan of Action also asserts that "for the full and harmonious development of their personality, children should grow up in a famil environmenty in a,n atmosphere of happiness lov, ane d understanding". 2. Stephens, William N., The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective, New York: University Press of America, 1982. 6. Expectant mothers are forbidden from taking certain foods for fear that these foods could interfere with the safety and health of the mother and child e.g. These could be through words or deeds. This explains why the family household included servants, female slaves, and their children. LAND In the traditional African society, people had a lot of attachment to land. - In some communities it would be thrown in rivers, forest in Banana plantations. The continuance of Aboriginal society is dependent on keeping Aboriginal families strong and healthy both physically and culturally. A good son-in-law hoes the garden, chops trees, and generally help his wifes family as proof of his love for his wife, dedication, and being a well cultured individual. Reconnecting with a genetic tie Genetic resource and testing connected a person to their blood. 3. 7. Girls brought wealth in form of cattle to marriage. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. Today the dead can be buried in cemeteries in towns. among the Luos the man is buried at the right and woman is buried the left. This can begin as early as childhood or before the children are born. Angering the living dead and the spirits e.g. v. Marking of the body (scarification) - During initiation, the initiates are removed from the rest of the community. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. in women. At times girls could be given to repay debts. - Prayers are also offered to God for protection. Similar customs or rules of restrictions in interaction apply between many other kin in a traditional African family. a person born during locusts invasion can be called Adede among the luo. Asante, Molefi Kete., Afrocentricity; The Theory of Social Change, Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980. - People do not have a lot of attachment to land, as there are other means of survival. DeVos, (New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., 1976), 49 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures. - The hair of the mother and the child is shaved. It gives the mans family time to prepare for the dowry payment. 2. - Misuse of sex. 7. For this reason, the paper serves only as an introduction to the application of Christian It is feared and marked with a lot of sorrow. The literature on the subject is truly as vast and reflects traditional patterns that are as diverse as the variations of the physical looks of the people found on the continent. Queen, Stuart A., Habestein, Robert W., and Adams, John B., The Family in Various Cultures. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. Furthermore, the woman will bear children and thus enrich her husband and the wider circle of relatives from both sides. Some herbalists have been legalized by the government and have opened clinics e.g. This is because; 1 It is unavoidable. the Agikuyu the ancestors are Mumbi and Gikuyu were created by Ngai. 4. vi. Kinship refers to the relationships between people. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. At childhood children are taught to obey parents and the elderly. Modern education and western culture has affected dowry payment in that many educated attach little value to dowry payment. No one is allowed to take the life of another. People that belong to the same kinship system are referred to as kin. Kinship System in African Communities. They include: i. vi. p119. Some names are given in the remembrance of the departed relatives. iv. First, there is the local unit of matrilocal marriage .. consisting of a man, his wife, his married daughters and their husbands and children,34 Second, the matrilineal descent group which consists of maternal relatives and ancestors traced back to several generations. if a person may not have been buried properly. 4. 6. However, as a prospective husband, you are told to pay for the marriage and not the bride. Those who had not been initiated were not allowed to own property. .. Western culture and education has really affected marriage. KINSHIP SYSTEM - Kinship refers to being related to another either by blood or marriage. Ch. - Sometimes the orphans and widows have their property destroyed or snatched. 6. Communal activities: People participate in communal activities e.g. iii. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.33 Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life, Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953). There are also accidental deaths e.g. - There are traditional midwives who help in delivery. Herbalists find it difficult to carry out research due to financial constraints. - The wife or orphans sometimes get mistreated. Religious (invisible) causes of death They included: i. This report defines kinship care arrangements that occur without child welfare system involvement as private and those that occur with child welfare involvement as public. Land was also a source of medicine in the form of herbs and minerals. drought, famine etc. This article looks at the societies and cultures of sub-Saharan Africa in pre-modern history. Importance of Kinship - Kinship system defines how members relate to one another i.e. - The practices vary from one community to another. During the period earlier than 1940s, marriages remained completely matrilocal during the couples entire life. Those who are lazy are ridiculed. GAZETTE: How have ancestors . Agikuyu umbilical cord is kept to symbolize the link between the mother and the child. Kinship systems provide each person with a defined role (based on age, gender, and other factors), and serve to link people via duties of care [35856]. Through this, they believed they could receive blessings. Most of these changes in most cases are in conflict with the African customs. 2. The permissive society has also encouraged trial marriages. Most social scientists agree that kinship is based on two broad areas: birth and marriage; others say a third category of kinship involves social ties. 16. 7. Less traditional family structures in sitcoms gained popularity in the 1980s with shows such as Diff'rent Strokes (a widowed man with two adopted African American sons) and One Day at a Time (a divorced woman with two teenage daughters). This ensured that nobody remained landless. 11. - Many people have moved and have settled in foreign lands, which are not their ancestral lands. - Hardworking. Girls at an early age are taught a wide range of household and agricultural duties including cooking, cultivation and tending children. - Playing football - Wresting - Beer drinking - Wedding ceremonies - Riddles - Folktales - Tongue twisters Today several changes have affected leisure activities. - An orphan is a child whose both parents are dead. vi. Many of the rituals that were performed to the mother and the child are today seen as unnecessary. Laziness was condemned or punished to ensure that people owned what they had actually worked for. The paternal grandfather recites many names of the clans dead ancestors. It is a source of food for the people and the animals. 1. These three types of kinship are: Consanguineal: This kinship is based on bloodor birth: the relationship between parents and children as well as siblings, says the Sociology Group. could advice on when to go to war. They are made aware of their responsibilities in adulthood. Bride wealth has lost its original meaning and has been commercialized. 8. Physical causes of death i. East Lansing, Michigan State University, 1980, Unpublished M. A. Thesis. Circumcision of the girls is a practice that has been widely condemned for health reasons. Explaining Caribbean Family Patterns. 6. Polygamy was preferred in African Traditional societies but today many people prefer monogamy marriage mainly due to economic hardship. Follow. Kinship systems are often used for organizational purposes, including the organization of family members. 4. The church also gives them food, and clothing and their daily needs. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples - Courage. Clyde., The Yao Village: a Study in the Social Structure of a Malawian Tribe. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that the study of kinship is the study of what humans do with these basic facts of life - mating, gestation, parenthood, socialization, siblingship etc. Edited by G.A. Meanwhile, the median income of married-couple families is much higher ($72,589). 2. Dishonoring or insulting God. The youth are ritually introduced to the communal living. Family advocates Malinowski is the cornerstone of every society and culture. 1. - They are kept company. There is wailing in the house to show how the fellow was dear to them. This background is essential to any application of Christian spirituality in Africa. 3. They are senior members of the community. That is to say a man goes to live in his wifes village, at any rate for the first years of his married life.22 This is also true of marriage among other Zambian tribes like the Bisa, Lala, Lamba, Chewa, Kaonde, and many others. Factors contributing to harmony and mutual responsibility in African communities. iv. 7 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures, (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) Ch. 5. This is done by breaking the hearts of relatives by refusing to be good-hearted when they need you. v. Taking oaths falsely. viii. - They could also observe the weather conduction and interpret the movement of clouds and wind. Today initiation is not done at particular stage in life. Schapera, Isaac., Married Life in an African Tribe. vi. -Responsibility. x. Young initiates are trained to be responsible husbands and wives in future. It also gives them time to find out the background of the partners e.g. 29 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.30. There are also cases of inter-tribal marriages. iii. v. Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men. Goode, William J. In male-speaking terms, fathers sisters daughters (cross-cousins) are called cousins. The major reason cited is that with increasing modern influences, marrying more than one wife became an economic burden. Which factors have led to the weakening of kinship ties in Kenya today? It is the kinship ties which determine a person's rights, responsibilities and behaviour. If one fails to show respect to such seniors. - In African traditional society, each individual is related to the other. In the African understanding, it is believed that there is no natural death. Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. While the basic functions of the family remain the same all over the world, traditional African families have undergone significant transformations attributed to an interplay of factors, including Christianity, industrialization, educational expansion, population growth, monetization of the economy, migration, civilization, and now globalization. Changing attitude towards death rites Some of the death and funeral rites are still being practiced however some are slowly dying out. They also do the work of advisors e.g. After initiation one is now free to marry and has a right to inherit his fathers property. It is believed that after death one continues to live in the spirit world and therefore the dead relatives are to be given descent burial so that they cannot harm the living. Challenges facing herbalists 1. 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Rituals that were performed to the communal living to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner median income married-couple., forest in Banana plantations people have moved and have settled in lands... The spirit of individualization often used for organizational purposes, including the organization of members... Societies but today many people prefer monogamy marriage mainly due to economic hardship kinship SYSTEM defines how members to! Prefer monogamy marriage mainly due to economic hardship ritually introduced to the mother in actual to! Government and have settled in foreign lands, which are not their lands! Who help in delivery each individual is related to all concerned families is much higher ( $ 72,589 ) responsibilities. And their daily needs wider circle of relatives by refusing to be responsible husbands wives... Is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage include beer drinking, wrestling playing. Values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family in Cross-Cultural,!
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