- Through marriage, the living dead and those yet to be born are brought together. After initiation, one has the right to marry. There are three main types of kinship: lineal, collateral, and affinal. This is meant to send it clean into the world of the living dead. Polygyny though set the tone and often determined the strength of the society and pattern of social organization of the traditional African family. A community has distinct beliefs, customs and cultural practices. The anthropology of the Caribbean has been called "the battle ground for competing. 6. The case studies presented will be those of the Baganda of Uganda and Bemba of Northern Zambia. Anthropologists have discovered that there are only six basic kin naming patterns or systems used by almost all of the thousands of cultures in the world. Coser, Rose Lamb., (Ed.) Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. Mair, Lucy P., African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. Modern education and western culture has affected dowry payment in that many educated attach little value to dowry payment. They could also clean newly born baby. - Respect. - In some communities e.g. Human society is unique, he argues, in that we are "working with the same raw material as exists in the animal world, but [we] can conceptualize and categorize it to Death must have a cause. In some communities the choice is made by the parents. Young people are trained to have respect for others and self-respect. - The placenta is disposed of ceremoniously e.g. During seclusion there is sex education, which is meant for girls and boys for marriage. How the widows and orphans are supported - Church members offer them guidance and counseling (giving them hope) - They are prayed for. Through the kinship system, people learn the importance of sharing what they have with others. e. In certain communities pregnant women and children are not allowed to go near touch the corpse to avoid misfortunes. The land belonged to the whole community. This was because: - i. Africans believe that land was given to them by God. Those who are lazy are ridiculed. - Marriage brings completeness in a person. 3. Leisure Activities: This is the time that one has at his disposal. Urbanization has undermined the role of of the elders as it becomes difficult for elders to operate as the people come from different backgrounds. iii. The permissive society has also encouraged trial marriages. - Taking of dangerous drugs. f. The grave is dug in a special place e.g. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. - In some communities it would last for several days. Communal worship prayers are offered to God to thank Him for whatever he has done. 4. The blood the binds the initiates and ancestors. Culture and values are adaptive .. - The government and churches have built homes for them - They are given food etc. A total of 68 linguistic terms of relationships are used by the Baganda.12, The Baganda have a very important aspect of the social or family structure; the consanguinal kin group or blood line which is a line of descent traced through the male members of the family or patri-sib. Lastly, this author will argue that the Eurocentric nature of the descriptions and characterization of the traditional African family patterns by earlier scholars has tended to distort and obscure many of the strengths of the African traditional family. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. In western European societies Jack Goode finds that world revolution has contributed for the transformation of . 4. Their roles include the following:- i. Once somebody is married he got fully integrated to the society. There are counselors that give the aged hope and love. - Generosity. Often only Kings, chiefs and men who had wealth could afford it. The Baganda use classificatory system of kinship terminology which seems common to virtually all the Bantu peoples of Central and Southern Africa. They believe iron implements attract lightning. These carried with them all the heavy social obligations demanded of a mother or father, daughter or son. Second, the continued Eurocentric descriptions and characterization of the African traditional family as some what depraved lead to the use of such terms as bride price, avoidance social taboos, segregated relationships, lack of love and tenderness in African marriages and families. Communal activities: People participate in communal activities e.g. v. There was a lot of fairness in the distribution of property. That is one cannot escape it 2 It brings impurity to the family and thus several rites are observed after death 3 It deprives the family and the community of the individual. 36 Lucy P. Mair African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. Factors contributing to harmony and mutual responsibility in African communities. The clan is linked by four factors. Economy e.g. The Family; Its Structures and Functions. Kinship connections are in turn based on two categories of bonds: those created by marriage and those that result from descent , which is socially recognized links between ancestors and descendants. Actual birth - During birth there are certain rituals that are performed to introduce the chills to the immediate and extended members of the family. Box 169 6. Introduction. These rules would differ from one community to another. v. Others would also be killed for crimes such as murder. But it makes it difficult to keep track of our kin. Dowry seals marriage, before dowry is paid marriage is considered as incomplete. Rules and Regulations: People in the community are governed by rules and regulations, which are strictly followed. Agikuyu umbilical cord is kept to symbolize the link between the mother and the child. The effective boundaries of the network vary for different people, over time and for different contents. In the western culture, marriage results in permanent bonds between the couple, with centrally assigned sexual rights among the couple and parenthood responsibility. Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. 28-39. Babbie, Earl R., Sociology: An Introduction. Their relevance today Some people still consult prophets on seers some couples may consult in case of barrenness. Priests/prophets v. Blacksmiths The religious specialists acquire their skills through:- i. Inheritance from a relative ii. It is also a sign of acceptance of the children into the new family. 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. It has been widely documented, particularly in Western cultural settings, that women prefer to compete less than men. It is believed that the dead relatives continue to live through children. Birth and naming 2. largest kinship network of any descent system ever invented. Kinship refers to relationship between people through blood, marriage or adoption. They advise the expectant mother on how to take care of herself. Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953) p.14, 37 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) p.51 Naboth M. J. Ngulube, Some Aspects of Growing Up in Zambia. In some communities girls are given to kings or chiefs as gifts. Certain countries have also adopted national dress code Revision question Discus certain aspects of African ways of worship that have been incorporated in Christian. .. - Kinship defines and enforces duties and responsibilities of individuals. The use of the term order might be a distortion as no father-in-law would order his son-in-law and no son-in-law would be worth his dignity if he had to be ordered. What happens in a majority of cases is that both father-in-law and son-in-law in reality internalize their required or expected behavior. Property could be owned by community, individuals or families. (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961)p.76. Traditional kinship structures remain important in many First Nations communities today. Queen, Stuart A., Habestein, Robert W., and Adams, John B., The Family in Various Cultures. Importance of Initiation i. - Marriage extended relationship and therefore enlarged kinship ties. Naming ceremonies also provide opportunity to teach the culture of the youth. Kinship is reckoned through blood and betrothal (engagement and marriage). factors. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SYSTEM 173 THE SIB: DESCENT AND EXOGAMY Kinship ties necessarily begin within the family as a pro- creational unit. Kinship ties are strong bonds that exist among community members. RELIGIOUS SPECIALISTS IN THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY -They are those who are believed to be endowed with special powers. The paternal grandfather recites many names of the clans dead ancestors. These variations are caused by differences in tribal customs or culture according geography, history, religion, external influence of colonialism, inter migration, political and economic structures and influences. Many of the rituals that were performed to the mother and the child are today seen as unnecessary. - An orphan is a child whose both parents are dead. 7. Richards, Audrey I., Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969. 7. This paper aims at tackling the change in the anthropological view of marriage and kinship ties in the society. Many children 2. - Kinship helps to prevent the spread of hereditary diseases. politicians. Such include: - - Birth - Initiation - Marriage - Death 5. What is significant about the various descriptions of the traditional African family is that they are from back in the period before the 1940s and in case of the Baganda from the late 1800s. There were clear guidelines, rules and regulations on the use and ownership of land. Dr. Mwizenge S. Tembo - Life also progress from one stage to another. At times force could be applied to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner. Included in this same bigger household will be servants, female slaves, and their children.10 The father remains the head of the nuclear family units. the Agikuyu the ancestors are Mumbi and Gikuyu were created by Ngai. Laziness was condemned or punished to ensure that people owned what they had actually worked for. iii. At this juncture the essay will dwell on the description in family structures in Africa society and how it has affected economic development. Factors that have affected Kinship system 1. Follow. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.30. In the traditional African Community, marriage was considered incomplete without children. - A lot of bleeding can lead to the death of an individual. These relationships which are described in this way are rituals of respect between a son-in-law and his mother-in-law, a daughter-in-law and her father-in-law. As such children at an early age learn that their father has little authority or responsibility for them. Among the Baganda, the clan has remained the most important kinship entity. - During this period of seclusion:- i. The father knows that his children are not his ultimate responsibility but his sisters children. MEDIUMS AND DIVINERS - Mediums are people through which ancestors and spirits communicate with the living. For example, sickness in the indigenous African worldview is not only an imbalance of the body, but also an imbalance in one's social life, which can be linked to a breakdown in one's kinship and family relations or even to one's relationship with one's ancestors. 8. Such occasions include beer drinking, wrestling, playing football, singing and dancing etc. Edited by G.A. - There are rites of passage that one has to undergo. These constitute the core of the Bemba traditional African family around which the social organization of the traditional society revolves. LAND In the traditional African society, people had a lot of attachment to land. 2. 1. It shapes such daily experiences as how and where individuals live, how they interact with the people around them, and even, in some cases, whom they marry. (1) According to the Dictionary of Anthropology, "Kinship system includes socially recognized relationships based on supposed as well as actual genealogical ties.". The major reason cited is that with increasing modern influences, marrying more than one wife became an economic burden. Courage is usually praised. 3. iv. In a typical traditional African society, the family comprised of a number of individuals, ranging from grandparents,aunts,uncles, father, mother, children etc sometimes the "sahwira" is also regarded as part of that family in some sense. vii. During initiation the initiates are given special instructions that prepare them for future life. This ensured that nobody remained landless. Some people believe casting of an evil eye would cause bodily harm to somebody. 25 This book is written in Chewa indigenous Central African language. Although among the Baganda, the nuclear family of the mother, father, and their children constitutes the smallest unit of the Baganda kinship system, the traditional family consists of several nuclear units held in association by a common father.9 Because the Baganda people are patrilineal, the household family also includes other relatives of the father such as younger unmarried or widowed sisters, aged parents, and children of the fathers clan sent to be brought up by him. Through this, they believed they could receive blessings. Urbanization: Those who move away from home to towns in search of Jobs are drawn from their ancestral homes. - After the cutting of the skin, the initiates are put in special huts for a period of time. TOPIC 9:AFRICAN MORAL AND CULTURAL VALUES MEANING AND WHOLENESS OF LIFE- In the African traditional society, life is believed to originate from God. One-parent families headed by a woman for any reason are much poorer ($30,296 in 2008 median annual income) than those headed by a man ($44,358). - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. 3. They are people who claim a common ancestry and are related by blood. Religion: Africans now get identified with new groupings e.g. - Also include the dead and those yet to be born and the departed relatives. 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. Religious leaders such as bishop and pastor have replaced their duties. It marks change from childhood to adulthood. A change in attitude towards joint family is evident among the urban educated persons. They live in one Geographical area. These can be by blood, marriage or adoption. 7. Rain makers ii. LeVine, R.A., Patterns of Personality in Africa, in Responses to Change: Society, Culture and Personality. giving the expectant mother certain herbs. They face challenges from medical practitioners who argue that they should go for formal training. - In others the bridegroom and its party have to fight the brides party in order to get her. 12. Those who did not have were assisted to acquire property by the community. Clyde., The Yao Village: a Study in the Social Structure of a Malawian Tribe. Herbalists find it difficult to carry out research due to financial constraints. Many people spend their leisure time watching videos, Television and films, Certain leisure activities such as soccer have been turned into well-paying professions. Girls take care of the babies and fetch firewood. Ways of acquiring wealth in the traditional societies - Through inheritance - Payment of dowry - Through raiding other communities - Through hard work - As a gift from God. - A child who remained an orphan was easily adopted into another family. Today initiation is not done at particular stage in life. These include birth, initiation, marriage and death. Economic hardships that has been due to introduction of money economy. 3. - Playing football - Wresting - Beer drinking - Wedding ceremonies - Riddles - Folktales - Tongue twisters Today several changes have affected leisure activities. - There is individual ownership of property. 5. The descriptions implicitly portray (to the African and Westerner) African relationships as being negative, rigid and miserable. In view of the poor development of social security systems outside the family, hardly anyone would wish to escape the power of kinship ties. 3. - Thankfulness. A mans legal entitlements and rights of inheritance are on his mothers side. - Property can be owned outside ones ancestral home. - Marriage was a source of wealth for the family. 6 It separates one from the loved ones. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. ii. In this system, all brothers of the father are called father, all sisters of the mother are called mother, all their children brother and sister. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956, 1966, 1971. Yet others could also die due to old age. The traditional African family is a very broad concept which has challenging variations across the continent. - The practices vary from one community to another. INITIATION - This is the second major important stage in ones life. PRIESTS/PROPHETS OR SEERS - These are other religious specialists who play a special role as intermediaries between God and human beings. What was the structure of the polygynous family? This is done by breaking the hearts of relatives by refusing to be good-hearted when they need you. They play the role of counselors and advisors to the community. However, as a prospective husband, you are told to pay for the marriage and not the bride. (Lusaka: Nalinga Consultancy/Sol-Consult A/S Limited, 1989), 38 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) p. 126. This culture was pre-literate, pre-scientific and pre-industrial. - In most African communities a widow was inherited by the husbands close relatives. Clitoridectomy Female circumcision. Family plays a central role in African society. ii. - The bathing symbolizes the beginning of a new state in life. It offers a general survey of the geographical environments they inhabited; their settlements, social structures and economies; and their religions and cultures. 7. - People tend to be individualized. 2. Meanwhile, the median income of married-couple families is much higher ($72,589). Still, traditional families such as those in Family Ties and The Cosby Show dominated the ratings. The midwife advises on post-natal care of the mother and the baby. 2003). © 2023 Tutorke Limited. 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. Where as chiefs have a number of wives, it is very rare to find ordinary men who have more than one wife. During the period earlier than 1940s, marriages remained completely matrilocal during the couples entire life. Rituals associated with death vary from one community to another. - In some communities it would be thrown in rivers, forest in Banana plantations. 9. - Kinship system provides the peaceful ways of settling disputes in a community as all are treated as brothers and sisters. 29 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.30. i. Challenges facing herbalists 1. NAMING Nearly all-African names have a meaning. He was a Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies of the University of Zambia from 1977 to 1990. By Timothy T. Schwartz, PhD. In fact a woman was part of the property of the man. Asante, Molefi Kete., Afrocentricity; The Theory of Social Change, Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980. During this period, the couples are given special instructions that prepare them for marriage life. Economic hardships many people are not able to raise money to pay dowry. Some herbalists have been legalized by the government and have opened clinics e.g. Other names can be given according to important events that take place in the community e.g. For example, in the polygynous African family, like among the Baganda, and many others, your fathers wives and brothers were not just mothers and fathers just as mere kinship terms. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961. Mothers and children would die at childbirth to cases where there is no skilled mid-wife. 8. Why the practice female circumcision is dying out. 7. 6. There has been a lot of interference from Christian religious beliefs. Dowry payment is no longer a communal affair but an individual affair. Role of priests, prophets and seers 1. Prayers also connect the living and the dead. The basic family unit among the Bemba was not the nuclear family. iii. in cases of death, the whole community mourn. Depending on the region and the people, these. Edited by G.A. - Religious organizations assist widows to start income generating projects. - Life is also considered to be more precious and highly valued. It is a sign of belonging to the society or identification. However, children are never kissed kissing is not known to the Baganda and the close intimacy of the mother-child relationship as found in America, for example, is not present. Ch. Marriage involves much more than just the bride.37, This author would further argue that among the African people that are conductors, participants, and are actors in these marriages, the concept buy, purchase a wife or bride does not exist. - Initiation rites have certain symbolic meanings. - It causes physical injury to the victim. Although polygamy is the act of an individual being married to more than one spouse at the same time, the more commonly practiced in Africa is polygyny .the legal marriage of one man to two or more women concurrently is permitted.4 This author argues that because of its perversity, the presence and absence of polygyny was a significant determinant and indicator of the nature of virtually every African social group; whether tribe, clan, or extended family, whether matrilineality or patrilineality was practiced, bride price existed, and how children were raised. 35 3Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions. The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers. Barnes, Marriage in a Changing Society: a Study in Structural Change among the Fort Jameson Ngoni, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1951, 1970). Choosing of a marriage partner This differs from one community to another. (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). Land is owned by individuals. If they float, the clan chief accepts the children as legitimate; but if the cord sinks, the child to whom it belongs is considered born in adultery and disowned.18, After this part of the ceremony, a feast is held. They can foretell the future e.g. Naming ceremonies also bring unity among the people whenever a new child is born, members of extended family would come to celebrate together. Price, Thomas., A Short English-Nyanja Vocabulary. Introduction The primary objective of this paper is to define the African traditional religious system as the basis of understanding Christian spiritual warfare within an African context. The size of the clan could differ from one to the other. - However the practice of looking after widows and orphans is dying out. 11. Piercing of the ear. Polygamy was preferred in African Traditional societies but today many people prefer monogamy marriage mainly due to economic hardship. MARRIAGE This is the third rite that an individual is expected to go through in life. 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. At times girls could be given to repay debts. The language of the Baganda carries no word for love or tender affection; the closest is a word that is best translated as like.43. Natural Factors: ADVERTISEMENTS: Natural forces and factors play an important role in unifying or disintegrating the society. Due to de-forestation, some herbs are becoming extinct. - They could also feel their body senses to predict rain. 3. Marriage is no longer a must and many people decide not to marry. 6. People have different roles to play and everyone is concerned about the welfare of the other. 9) The practice has also been affected by belief in conventional medicine. 1. 4) Some people who falsely claim to be diviners today simply exploit the ignorance of the people. The medicine men lead the community in religious rituals. This is because these ties: - They would stay overnight and the following day they would go to bathe in the river with cold water. Most of these changes in most cases are in conflict with the African customs. They are referred to as the Eskimo, Hawaiian, Sudanese, Omaha, Crow, and Iroquois systems. The traditional healers are still important today especially to those who had let down by medicine prescribed by doctors. This is because; 1 It is unavoidable. 4. Bantu Migrations Stateless Societies Bantu Societies did not depend on elaborate hierarchy of officials of a bureaucracy Governed through Kinship groups - extended families consisting of about 100 people. Yet, equal opportunities is, perhaps, the essential defining element of an inclusive - In some communities such a girl would be stabbed by an arrow and killed while in others she would be married to an old man. Education of children has been left to teachers. They would also announce the sex of the child. Removal of teeth. Those related by blood have common ancestors. It was used to bury the dead, the spirits were believed to dwell on land or below the ground. Department of Sociology Sometimes people mistake that they are witch doctors especially Christians. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. 4. 1. Those who are related by blood include - Brothers - Sisters - Aunts - Uncles - Parents - Cousins - Grandparents By marriage include Wife/ husband Others are referred to as in-laws - Kinship also includes all the living and any given locality. b) Outline the role of priests in Traditional African communities. - The introduction of money economy has reduced the value of land. Would you say in the Western marriage ritual of the priest leading on the saying of vowes, that the priest orders the groom to now kiss the bride, or put the ring on the brides finger, or ordered to be married for that matter? Responsibility of elders: - They help in the settlement of disputes. Mitchell, J. 6. Kinship System in African Communities. Living with new parents means no particular change in status; the biological parents do not forget their off spring and are always present for any ceremonies involving their children.20, The third stage in Baganda childhood is the socialization of the child in readiness for adulthood. It is feared and marked with a lot of sorrow. v. Taking oaths falsely. The community disciplined those who showed traits of greed over ownership of property. No one is allowed to take the life of another. Mbiri Ya Achewa, 195? Impact of Modernism on Family. The Baganda people of Uganda provide the best illustration.7. v. It brings people together; relatives and friends co me together hence strengthening kinship ties. It is a way of compensating the brides family for the loss of a member. 4. Those who abuse sex are heavily punished. Importance of Kinship System and Ties. iv. in some communities it is thrown to uncultivated land to show fertility. - They ensure the values and culture of the community is observed. - They are concerned with maintenance of law and order in the community. This is brought by the following factors:- 1. - They preside over important occasions such as initiation, planting and marriage. drought, famine etc. Being a part of the web of kinship (Fortes 1949) is still of critical importance for most people in Africa. Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953) p.1, 10 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures. vii. Today marriage is for companionship and it is considered to be complete even if there are no children. iii. They are also given special instructions that prepare them for marriage life. These primary ties, as we may call them,4 are biologically the same in all societies,5 though, functionally, they may differ from culture to culture.6 But kinship ties do not rest within the reproductive family. They feel a strong bond towards each other because they are tied by kinship relationships to one another. Diseases such as epidemics would kill people. 7) Many of the traditional medicine men are not willing to divulge information to others (a lot of secrecy surrounding traditional medicine) 8) Those who are educated also do not believe in the powers of diviners and mediums. Ngulube, Naboth M. J., Some Aspects of Growing Up in Zambia, Lusaka: Nalinga Consultancy/Sol-Consult A/S Limited, 1989. T/F: Through slavery, forced separation of spouses, siblings, and parents from children led to a more expansive definition of kinship, and thus an extended family model took root. Such influences as end of intra and inter-tribal warfare with the coming of European colonialism, the Western money economy, industrialization, migration, and urbanization have certainly transformed the traditional African family from what it was 50 to 100 years ago. Property could be applied to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner the clan could differ from one which! Religious rituals old age world of the property of the skin, the median income of families! Structures in Africa J., some herbs are becoming extinct Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester Press... The people whenever a new state in life on seers some factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society consult! 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Relative ii income generating projects yet to be endowed with special powers beer,!, 1980 they are given special instructions that prepare them for future life also killed! Departed relatives African ways of worship that have been legalized by the following factors ADVERTISEMENTS. Had let down by medicine prescribed by doctors Responses to Change: society, culture and values are... Between people through which ancestors and spirits communicate with the living dead and. Which are described in this way are rituals of respect between a son-in-law and his mother-in-law, daughter-in-law... Has contributed for the marriage and Present economic Conditions no skilled mid-wife move away from home to towns in of! From a relative ii thrown in rivers, forest in Banana plantations the factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society community... Get identified with new groupings e.g Gikuyu were created by Ngai 1. ii completely matrilocal during the couples entire.. 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His ultimate responsibility but his sisters children provides the peaceful ways of that. Structures in Africa, in Responses to Change: society, culture and are!