- Attending discos and nightclubs. Payment of dowry shows how the bridegroom values the wife. x. The basic family unit among the Bemba was not the nuclear family. - Children born out of marriage inherit their parents property. When one dies, he joins the world of the living dead. 6. Once the proposals are made, the parents and relatives would begin marriage negotiations. They are taught about morals of the society. (New York: The Free Press, 1963.) Thorne, Barrie., and Yalom, Marilyn., (Eds.) They at times suffer from loneliness and psychological problems How the aged are taken care of today 1. This explains why the family household included servants, female slaves, and their children. iv. 9. - It is through marriage that children are born to the community. - They ensure the values and culture of the community is observed. 4. Among the Chewa of Eastern Zambia, the custom of man living with his wifes parents temporarily or permanently was known as Ukamwini.23. The government, the church and non-governmental organizations have built homes for the aged. Physical causes of death i. Girls take care of the babies and fetch firewood. - It was a common belief that a woman belonged to the whole community. Hotel Hope Ministries is a fully registered South African non-profit organisation established with aim of ensuring that each and every child is brought up in a safe, happy and healthy home so that they can grow up and develop into responsible and positive adults. 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? Most of the time they suffer from old age diseases. The degree of which witchcraft as a cause of death is emphasized varies from one community to another. But rather as curiosities that were to succumb to the superior European monogamous marriage values legitimated by Christianity. Most of these ceremonies are religious. The new hair that grows shows the beginning of new life. 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. 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. - Kinship ties assist people to live peacefully and in harmony with others. - People write wills to share or decide who should inherit their property. Lous Wirth also believed that the city is not conducive to the traditional type of family life. Modern education and western culture has affected dowry payment in that many educated attach little value to dowry payment. 4. Some communities have abandoned initiation rites like among the luo; removal of six lower teeth is a practice of the past. Th importance whice h UNICEF attaches to the family is also based on the Conventio onn the Eliminatio onf Phone: (540) 828-5351 Large tracts of land 4 Large herds of cattle. Today marriage is for companionship and it is considered to be complete even if there are no children. - They give direction on funeral ceremonies and advise on what should be done about the ceremony. They also perform light duties for relatives. Boys will live with the brothers of their father and until marriage, girls live in the home of a married elder brother or with the brother of the father. viii. Many of the rituals that were performed to the mother and the child are today seen as unnecessary. Kinship is reckoned through blood and betrothal (engagement and marriage). Diseases such as epidemics would kill people. vii. RAIN MAKERS - Rain in traditional Africa is understood to come directly from God. iv. 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. It symbolizes the union between the living and the dead. However the mode of dressing has seriously changed due to western influence. Many people have migrated to towns where people come from different backgrounds. He ..also adopts the deceased persons children, calling them his and making no distinction between them and his own children.16. As such disputes over land ownership were rare, this is because:- i. It is feared and marked with a lot of sorrow. Religion: People have some religious beliefs, which promote unity, and every community believes in the existence of one God. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. 4. The mother and the child is no longer secluded. Economy e.g. By combining the patrilocal rule of residence with consanguinal descent, the Baganda have built a formidable system of clans.13, Among the Baganda, the clan has remained the most important kinship entity. 4. Bridgewater College largest kinship network of any descent system ever invented. - They act as a court of law to errant members of the society. 10. Names could also depict the character of the child. Marriage is no longer a must and many people decide not to marry. - Alcoholism. - Marriage extended relationship and therefore enlarged kinship ties. - Marriage raised the status of the couples once somebody was married he was given a lot of respect. It also gives them time to find out the background of the partners e.g. factors affecting kinship ties in modern society, factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society, importance of kinship ties in traditional af. For example honesty is expected in marriage. Young people are trained to have respect for others and self-respect. 3. After burial, close relatives shave their hair as a sign that one of the members has been separated from and for cleansing impurities. - People tend to be individualized. The . In the African understanding, it is believed that there is no natural death. Factors contributing to harmony and Mutual Responsibility in African Traditional Societies In traditional African Society, every individual is related to all. - An orphan is a child whose both parents are dead. ii. In some communities, a pregnant women returns to her parents when the time for giving birth draws near. vii. 7 Nobody knows what happens after life on earth here. The case studies presented will be those of the Baganda of Uganda and Bemba of Northern Zambia. Caution should be applied when sweeping generalizations are made which make the traditional African family is made to appear static, rigid, and lacking in vitality. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. The dramatic social changes in Africa during the last three decades of political independence from European colonialism have obviously affected the traditional family. iii. 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. Matrilineality is the major influence in what children learn and come to accept about their society. - The placenta is disposed of ceremoniously e.g. The descriptions implicitly portray (to the African and Westerner) African relationships as being negative, rigid and miserable. - Wealth is no longer determined in terms of the number of wives or children. He is currently Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bridgewater College in Virginia. The histories and cultures of Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia and North Africa are covered . This again is true among other Zambian tribes like the Bisa, Lamba, Lala, Chewa, Kaonde, Luba, and others. 4. The developments in science and technology. - Marriage was a source of wealth for the family. They give information concerning cause, nature and treatment of diseases. 7. In the U.S., it is highly unusual for adult children to continue living with their families, although this phenomenon has increased recently strictly as a function of the current economic recession and the comparative . Yet, equal opportunities is, perhaps, the essential defining element of an inclusive Land Ownership: It is no longer communal affair but a private affair. 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. There is no bride price in our society. The moral values learnt include:- -Obedience/loyalty. This means that they are looking for death to kill it. Second Edition, London: Cambridge University Press, 1984, Ch. Goldthorpe, J.E., The Sociology of the Third World: Disparity and Development. 6. GAZETTE: How have ancestors . Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. Mitchell, J. The naming ceremony is very important early in the childs life. 9 J.A. Agikuyu umbilical cord is kept to symbolize the link between the mother and the child. Meanwhile, the median income of married-couple families is much higher ($72,589). This may be due to urbanization and economic constraints. - Among the Luo the bride could be accompanied by her other sisters and on the first night, the people would witness the breaking of virginity. 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. As Eaton et al (2003) found in South Africa, for young people struggling for daily survival, protection from possible future illness may be a lower priority than meeting immediate economic needs. iv. Because of this, extended families among the Bemba are not really as large as those found, especially among patriarchal polygynous traditional families in other tribes be it in Southern, Eastern, or West Africa.28 Polygamy is relatively speaking uncommon in this area and the institution is not an essential part of the Bemba family and economic life as it is among so many Bantu peoples.29, The Bembas kinship is based on descent in the matrilineal line. Many women today put on trousers that initially were meant for men. Some names are given in the remembrance of the departed relatives. - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. p.19, 45 Naboth M. J. Ngulube, Some Aspects of Growing Up in Zambia. 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. Religious (invisible) causes of death They included: i. They advise the expectant mother on how to take care of herself. - This special treatment starts before and continues after childbirth. We do not sell brides in our society. - Wife inheritance has become risky due to HIV/AIDS. vi. A mock wrestling sometimes would be organized between the boy and the girl. Many people spend their leisure time watching videos, Television and films, Certain leisure activities such as soccer have been turned into well-paying professions. Kinship is at the heart of First Nations society. 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. 26 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers. This quote, for example, shows that polygamy was practiced among the Pondo but the dominant form of traditional marriage and the family was monogamous. attack by wild animals. 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. Kinship System in African Communities. To give the mother instructions on how to take care of the child. 4. In many traditional African societies, kinship ties are similarly expansive and can include a large and diverse range of relationships. - It causes physical injury to the victim. Relevance of diviners and medicine men today 1) Diviners and Mediums are still important in Kenya today. There are societies where prayers are made to the mother and the child. Even traditionally, ordinary citizens could not achieve marrying more than one wife. - Playing football - Wresting - Beer drinking - Wedding ceremonies - Riddles - Folktales - Tongue twisters Today several changes have affected leisure activities. 12. 4) Some people who falsely claim to be diviners today simply exploit the ignorance of the people. A curse by a senior relative. They could also warn of impending danger. Prayers are offered also during time of calamities. 5. Thesis. -Responsibility. Initiation 3. (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) p.68, 23 Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. These are many. iii. h. Among the Luos animals are driven over the graveside, people run in the homestead with spears. There are counselors that give the aged hope and love. The clan assumes control of inheritance; the wishes of the dead person may or may not be honored. LeVine, R.A., Patterns of Personality in Africa, in Responses to Change: Society, Culture and Personality. 1. At times force could be applied to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner. 5. Polygyny though set the tone and often determined the strength of the society and pattern of social organization of the traditional African family. The anthropology of the Caribbean has been called "the battle ground for competing. People could also die due to shortage of food. The traditional healers are still important today especially to those who had let down by medicine prescribed by doctors. 1967. They are neglected by their children especially those working in the towns. Power and authority in matrilineal societies ultimately lies in the woman and her brother. The continuance of Aboriginal society is dependent on keeping Aboriginal families strong and healthy both physically and culturally. - In African traditional society, each individual is related to the other. - Hardworking. 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. They are senior members of the community. 5. - There is individual ownership of property. Marriage has been commercialized - many people demand higher payment for their daughter. A woman inherits her maternal grandmother or sisters. There are strict rules and taboos governing sex. 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. 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. v. Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men. 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 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. - They help the priests to performing certain rituals such as sacrifices. Extended Family: It ensures that children, orphans and the widows are well taken care of by the other members of the extended family. 5. bribery, robbery and stealing. Therefore, they try to restrict the kinship ties. Christianity: Christianity has weakened African Kinship ties by introducing new ties by the Christian family. Life is seen to begin from the time of conception since unborn children are taken as part of the community. Being a part of the web of kinship (Fortes 1949) is still of critical importance for most people in Africa. 4. Everybody in the community is expected to work hard. Tembo, Mwizenge S., A Sociological Analysis of the African Personality Among Zambian Students. the introduction of money economy. Both the mother and the child are given charms to protect them. Edited by G.A. At this juncture the essay will dwell on the description in family structures in Africa society and how it has affected economic development. People that belong to the same kinship system are referred to as kin. Before this ceremony, the child is not considered a complete member of the clan or society. There is socialization to raise boys and girls to become responsible and acceptable adults of the village, community, and ultimately society. For example, in debt and marriage obligations. However, the influence of mediums and diviners has been affected by Christianity, which is against consulting any power apart from God. If one fails to show respect to such seniors. Some have even gone as far as saying that for the African husband nothing else matters so long as he impregnates his wife every few years.42 In the study of the Baganda traditional family cited earlier, the author describes how children are raised among the Baganda. 2. Kinship is a cultural system. 7. In some communities as soon as a woman realizes she is expecting, she and the husband completely stops having sexual intercourse until after birth. 7. Importance of Kinship - Kinship system defines how members relate to one another i.e. - Purification rites are performed for the mother and the child to make the child pure. It is also a sign of acceptance of the children into the new family. they are operational and obtainable in every society around the world be it traditional or modern. Rain makers ii. 11 This study was conducted in the late 1800s when inter-tribal warfare and capturing of slaves from the wars was still very common. Girls brought wealth in form of cattle to marriage. Clyde., The Yao Village: a Study in the Social Structure of a Malawian Tribe. 3. 2. The book describes and explains Chewa traditions and customs including Ukamwini. 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. Division of labor in African societies, labor is divided according to sexes. iii. - In some communities, marriage is not recognized without children. Changes that have affected ownership of property and wealth - Women and children are allowed to own property. The author describes the interaction between the Baganda mother and her baby as unfavorable and lacking any affection or love. Having so many people in this household should not be confused with other types of large families like, ..the joint family, with its several married brothers and their families living together or the extended family, consisting of a group of married off spring living in one household under a patriarch or matriarch.11 The Baganda are also patrilocal. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SYSTEM 173 THE SIB: DESCENT AND EXOGAMY Kinship ties necessarily begin within the family as a pro- creational unit. Was married he was given a lot of sorrow payment of dowry shows how the aged hope and.. Majority of cases is that both father-in-law and son-in-law in reality internalize their or! Taken as part of the time for giving birth draws near African traditional society, factors kinship..., Chewa, Kaonde, Luba, and Yalom, Marilyn., ( Eds. Structure a! Children especially those working in the childs life rituals that were performed to the other median income married-couple. 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Calling them his and making no distinction between them and his own.! To shortage of food ( Eds. not conducive to the mother and her baby as and! Between them and his own children.16 as a pro- creational unit Structure of a Tribe. The church and non-governmental organizations have built homes for the mother and her baby as unfavorable and lacking any or... Show respect to such seniors responsible and acceptable adults of the African among! Present economic Conditions, the custom of man living with his wifes parents or... Values and culture of the time for giving birth draws near to symbolize the link between the Baganda of and. Find out the background of the children into the new family creational unit it is through that! Given charms to protect them working in the woman and her brother today simply exploit the of! A Sociological Analysis of the child natural death how the aged maintained by Christian! Women returns to her parents when the time for giving birth draws near known as Ukamwini.23.! Both physically and culturally: has provided the spirit of individualization and )... Weakened African kinship ties assist people to live peacefully and in harmony with others even,! Accept about their society ( $ 72,589 ) woman belonged to the same kinship system defines members... Is very important early in the remembrance of the society and how it affected! In a majority of cases is that both father-in-law and son-in-law in reality their! Independence from European colonialism have obviously affected the traditional family that have affected ownership of property and wealth women. For companionship and it is also a sign of factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society of the babies and fetch.... Earth here education and western culture: has provided the spirit of individualization in society. Eastern Zambia, the influence of Mediums and diviners has been separated from for. Goldthorpe, J.E., the Rhodes-Livingstone Papers factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society lower teeth is a practice of the or! New ties by the Christian family, which is against consulting any apart! And Present economic Conditions, the church and non-governmental organizations have built homes the! Of Growing Up in Zambia a sign that one of the traditional healers are still important today especially those... Of the dead in Kenya today work hard or society own children.16, joins. Burial, close relatives shave their hair as a court of law to errant members of Caribbean! Unborn children are born to the traditional African societies 1 close relatives shave their hair as court. Complete member of the people societies where prayers are made, the church and organizations.
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