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. Girls brought wealth in form of cattle to marriage. 7. What role did religion play in medieval Africa communities? 3. Those who had not been initiated were not allowed to own property. 5. Some people believe casting of an evil eye would cause bodily harm to somebody. - It is through marriage that children are born to the community. 35 3Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions. The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers. They also have the ability to stop rain. - Some pieces of land are being regarded as public land. 18. a) State five changes that have taken place in property ownership today. vi. The effective boundaries of the network vary for different people, over time and for different contents. Seclusion nowadays is not very possible because of limited time. v. They drive a way witches and evil spirits. All rights reserved. Some scholars have suggested that this arrangement might be fraught with potential social problems and conflict.33 More so than a patrilineal household where all the people charged with authority over the children potentially live in one household. Among the Baganda, the clan has remained the most important kinship entity. 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If he did, it would be like selling her. They heal various diseases using herbs. 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. They act as intermediaries between God and human beings. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. Those who abuse sex are heavily punished. Evans-Pritchard, J.J., Some Aspects of Marriage and the Family Among the Nuer, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1945, 1969. - They are kept company. vii. The continuance of Aboriginal society is dependent on keeping Aboriginal families strong and healthy both physically and culturally. vi. People learn to be thankful to God, parents, relatives and one another AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY AND KINSHIP African community is used to refer to a group of people occupying a particular geographical area, share common interest and practices a sense of togetherness. Chondoka, Yizenge A., Traditional Marriages in Zambia: A Study in Cultural History, Ndola, Mission Press, 1988. 6. These include birth, initiation, marriage and death. Piercing of the ear. In fact a woman was part of the property of the man. Professor of Sociology, Bridgewater College. Grandmothers teach girls their roles and grandfathers maintain law and order .Young unmarried men provide security in form of warriors while boys look after the animals. 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. society. Life is seen to begin from the time of conception since unborn children are taken as part of the community. Which factors have led to the weakening of kinship ties in Kenya today? Richards, Audrey I., Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969. They feel a strong bond towards each other because they are tied by kinship relationships to one another. Modern education and western culture has affected dowry payment in that many educated attach little value to dowry payment. The degree of relatedness of carer to the child, socio-economic status of fostering households, gender and age were identified as factors contributing to the well-being of children in kinship care. - A lot of bleeding can lead to the death of an individual. DEATH RITES When a person dies, members of the family gather at the home of the deceased and leave their everyday commitments for a while. 8. Second, an identifying drum beat used at ceremonies. Boys herd goats, cows, and livestock. politicians. They have the ability to foretell what would happen in the future. ix. Edited by G.A. People could also die due to shortage of food. They are taught about morals of the society. 2. - The bathing symbolizes the beginning of a new state in life. The degree of relatedness to the caregiver and socio-economic status of the fostering household were the strongest determinants of the well-being of children in kinship care. Some people also consult them before making important decisions e.g. Adams, Bert N., The Family: A Sociological Interpretation, 4th Edition, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1986. 42 Yizenge A. Chondoka, Traditional Marriages in Zambia: A Study in Cultural History. 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. GAZETTE: How have ancestors . 4. 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. Department of Sociology 36 Lucy P. Mair African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. Some of them are (i) Rites of passage (2) Good morals (3) Participation in communal activities such as ceremonies, work, leisure activities and worship (4) Sharing of property and ideas (5) Division of labour. RITES OF PASSAGE These are important stages in life that one has to undergo. However dowry payment has been hindered by several factors today e.g. Courage is usually praised. false T/F: Female slaves generally worked outdoors while male slaves did domestic work. 7. They are senior members of the community. 8 It brings poverty to the family involved as sometimes it takes the bread winner 9 At times it brings misunderstanding in the community when the cause of death is blamed on someone or some people. In some communities, it may be done in the forest while others the expectant mother would go back to their parents while others could also be done in the house of the in-law. The father knows that his children are not his ultimate responsibility but his sisters children. 8. 7. Matrilineality is the major influence in what children learn and come to accept about their society. Colson, Elizabeth., Marriage and the Family among the Plateau Tonga of Northern Rhodesia., Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1958. Kinship is at the heart of First Nations society. A Bemba belongs to his mothers clan (umukoa), a group of relatives more or less distantly connected, who reckon descent from real or fictitious common ancestries, use a common totem name, and a series of praise titles, recite a common legend of origin and accept certain joint obligations.30. It shows an act of bravery and hardship one I s to meet in life. The histories and cultures of Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia and North Africa are covered . Importance of Initiation i. 7. - When the baby arrives, the sex of the baby is announced by ululations. iii. People like politicians and students consult medicine men to succeed in the careers. It is a sign of belonging to the society or identification. a child born after a long period of childless marriage is called Ogwedhi among the Luo. - This special treatment starts before and continues after childbirth. Most of these changes in most cases are in conflict with the African customs. 4. Importance of Kinship System and Ties. they are operational and obtainable in every society around the world be it traditional or modern. They are given time to heal. 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 Most of the time they suffer from old age diseases. - Kinship gives individuals a sense of belonging since everyone is a relative in one way or the other, one feel comfortable in any company. 2. Edited by G.A. This shows that children seals marriage. 6. In a more obvious way, this Eurocentrism36 did not treat polygamy, the African marriages and the extended family and any others of its eccentricities (regarded as such because they were different from European customs) as social phenomena that was legitimate and workable in its own African social circumstances and environment. They include: i. vi. - It was a common belief that a woman belonged to the whole community. 3. Furthermore, the woman will bear children and thus enrich her husband and the wider circle of relatives from both sides. (East Lansing, Michigan State University, 1980) p.11 Unpublished M.A. The issue to emphasize, is not so much that there are no weaknesses or shortcomings in the traditional African family, but that the Eurocentric Anglo-Saxon descriptions (that are believed to be objective and describe social phenomena as accurately as possible) eliminate, and over shadow the strengths and positive aspects that might have existed and may still exist in the African traditional family patterns. v. They are taught secrets of the society. Among the Akamba and the Agikuyu. Kinship is the relationship, including social relationship, that exists between two or more individuals, and kinship has a major influence on political, and economic systems in many different regions from around the world. Second Edition, London: Cambridge University Press, 1984, Ch. 4. Edited by G.A. 1. Pregnant women are not allowed to handle certain types of tools. Kinship ties are strong bonds that exist among community members. First, the strengths, durability, and resilience of the African traditional family were never dwelt on explicitly and at length. Marriage has been commercialized - many people demand higher payment for their daughter. These can be by blood, marriage or adoption. - They would stay overnight and the following day they would go to bathe in the river with cold water. Good, Changing Family Patterns: Sub-Saharan Africa, in World Revolution and Family Patterns. - People could gather and beer would be taken thus is a symbol of friendship. RELIGIOUS SPECIALISTS IN THE TRADITIONAL AFRICAN COMMUNITY -They are those who are believed to be endowed with special powers. iii. Actual birth - During birth there are certain rituals that are performed to introduce the chills to the immediate and extended members of the family. It is believed that the dead relatives continue to live through children. For example, all weapons and iron implements are removed from the house of an expectant mother. They play the role of counselors and advisors to the community. The moral values learnt include:- -Obedience/loyalty. - After the cutting of the skin, the initiates are put in special huts for a period of time. Overall, there are two forms of social groups that from the basis of Bemba marriage and traditional family. - Thankfulness. - Land can now be sold or auctioned. 6. The introduction of formal education Formal education has weakened the role of parents and grandparents. 6. Division of labor in African societies, labor is divided according to sexes. vi. ii. Children could be named after their dead relatives. I. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. They are those who do not believe in traditional medicine. 3. 28 Son-in-laws working under the orders of the father-in-law is perhaps a reflection of how informants or an outsider might describe a social phenomenon rather than what happens in reality. This again is true among other Zambian tribes like the Bisa, Lamba, Lala, Chewa, Kaonde, Luba, and others. 4. Family plays a central role in African society. Why the practice female circumcision is dying out. All the members come together in times of need. In rural areas, the family typically . The midwife advises on post-natal care of the mother and the baby. It is not possible to gather initiates together in some communities. A way witches and evil spirits property of the network vary for people... The house of an individual conception since unborn children are taken as part of the property of the African.. 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