Significant independence characterises brideprice as well as other methods control certain Dagaaba congeries
It hot Mati women reduced the newest bridewealth diverges on the very commercialised money said inside the cities inside the Ghana and you can in other places (Shope, 2006; Posel & Rudwick, 2013)
The newest fee out of bridewealth takes up an important position from the wedding process across the ethnicities inside northern Ghana, including Dagaaba, Frafra and you can Builsa regions. One of many Dagaaba, the bridewealth, kyeuri, mostly constitutes instance factors given that libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, discover Shape 1 ), fowls, cigarette smoking and soda crazy. Oftentimes, the degree of cowrie shells must be consistent with whatever are taken care of the latest bride’s mom. Various other times, bonds of solidarity involving the parents otherwise agreements of one’s bride to be and you may bridegroom trigger a decrease in the percentage, and if the latest bride’s agnatic kin dictate that before this new groom’s relatives billed a high brideprice for a married relationship, he is planning including insist upon an excessive payment. Nevertheless, there are also standardized relationship costs across the Dagaaba settings. At this time, an average of 2000 cowries, or cash comparable, are generally recognized as the bridewealth during the Serekpere and its particular environments. It count represents an effective grave avoidance off an amount of 20,000 and you can over cowries that was approved in the same area regarding 1990s. When you look at the framework out of neoliberal economic procedures, and you can dwindling farming efficiency accounts within sensitive environmental zone, our very own interaction with gatekeepers revealed that the cutback for the count from cowries is meant to make relationships reasonable. Notably, brand new payment isn’t contingent upon the latest items of one’s bride to be, which is, whether the bride to be is highly experienced, divorced, has provided beginning or perhaps not once the said someplace else (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1989, 1995; Anderson, 2007). The latest typical norms governing the practice of bridewealth are set out in the event that flexible irrespective of new bride’s socio-economic standing or even the amount of rights moved.
Anderson (2007: 159) reports that during the settings around the Africa, the marriage fee try normatively increased by the groom’s ‘dad, grandfather and dad’s brothers, sufficient reason for mom’s brothers and also make short contributions’
The fresh new bridewealth among Dagaaba, because the round the communities in rural northern Ghana, is an elaborate procedure for transactions involving the agnatic kin regarding the fresh bride and groom and you can, generally, a 3rd party, titled good dendeo, a married relationship liaison. Typically, a married relationship liaison are men regarding the groom’s community exactly who has some relations throughout the bride’s payment. The newest dendeo guides the new groom’s family towards the bride’s agnatic kin, first in order to formally require their unique hand in marriage and also to pay the brideprice. The newest interactions of the dendeo into the bride’s relatives imply that aforementioned is actually careful with the bridegroom along with his kin. The former along with pleads for the groom’s kinsmen if the this new bride’s friends want so you can costs an exorbitant brideprice. Because the bridewealth has been relocated to and you may accepted by bride’s kin, the wedding relationship is formed and you can legitimated.
Normatively, the brand new yirdandoo, your face of one’s nearest and dearest, as opposed to the father of your bride-to-be, is the caretaker of one’s cowries put once the wedding payments. In the a group conversation for the Nator, near Serekpere, appearing the newest role of the lead of the clan, Mwinyella, research new member, explained, directing to their paternal uncle that is your head from his clan, that: ‘that it man is my father and therefore when i wed they will be their duty to help you [spend the money for bridewealth] having me’. But really, to own family members without resources appointed once the bridewealth, the latest groom and his agnatic kin have the effect of increasing they. It changes, to an extent, on the Dagaaba membership showed here. Yet , they resonates with bridewealth techniques certainly certain Frafra congeries, where normatively this new groom’s dad and you may dad’s brothers have the effect of paying the bridewealth and you may in which he is not able to boost it the brand new groom transforms so you’re able to his father’s otherwise mom’s brothers to own support.
