1. DEATH Death is the last rite in ones life and unlike other rites like initiation, naming. 4 It disrupts normal human activities. 42 Yizenge A. Chondoka, Traditional Marriages in Zambia: A Study in Cultural History. 5. 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. Second Edition, London: Cambridge University Press, 1984, Ch. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. They could also give aid to increase productivity e.g. 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. There are societies where prayers are made to the mother and the child. MARRIAGE This is the third rite that an individual is expected to go through in life. It is not possible to gather initiates together in some communities. Grandparents are charged with the duty of counseling. The histories and cultures of Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia and North Africa are covered . This is done by breaking the hearts of relatives by refusing to be good-hearted when they need you. Among the Baganda, the clan has remained the most important kinship entity. - Rainmakers are special people who have the ability to make rain. It has been widely documented, particularly in Western cultural settings, that women prefer to compete less than men. 1967. The youth are believed to be free with them. .. The study of African societies has become an established area of scholarship, with sophisticated analyses that are far from earlier works . It is believed that the dead relatives continue to live through children. They are consulted in cases where western medicine has failed. So the relationship is often based on mutual expectations and is more beneficial for both parties than confrontational and fraught with issuing of orders. v. They drive a way witches and evil spirits. DeVos, New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., 1976. They can foretell the future e.g. Natural Factors: ADVERTISEMENTS: Natural forces and factors play an important role in unifying or disintegrating the society. a. 4. 1. The continued, persistent and wide use of the term bride price to describe the valuables that were often given to the brides parents before marriage was legitimated is one excellent example of evaluating and perceiving a custom from a biased Eurocentric perspective. Each stage has its own features, some of which are perhaps peculiar to the Baganda customs and system of socialization in their traditional family pattern. Professor of Sociology, Bridgewater College. They can also reveal-hidden information e.g. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. It is a way of compensating the brides family for the loss of a member. Other names may also refer to the characteristics of the mothers pregnancy or the nature of delivery e.g. 3. The new hair that grows shows the beginning of new life. Importance of kinship ties to TAS Those related by blood have common ancestors. - Honesty. Many wives 3. 4. - It is through marriage that children are born to the community. The government, the church and non-governmental organizations have built homes for the aged. Furthermore, the woman will bear children and thus enrich her husband and the wider circle of relatives from both sides. the Agikuyu the ancestors are Mumbi and Gikuyu were created by Ngai. There is wailing in the house to show how the fellow was dear to them. (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). Kinship ties definition: Kinship is the relationship between members of the same family. Many of the rituals that were performed to the mother and the child are today seen as unnecessary. 8. They are also given special instructions that prepare them for marriage life. The mid wife checks any abnormalities on the babies at the correct time. Goode, William J. They are believed to be full of wisdom. Overall, there are two forms of social groups that from the basis of Bemba marriage and traditional family. 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. Boys herd goats, cows, and livestock. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. b) Explain the purpose of bride wealth in the traditional African community. b. factors. There are also accidental deaths e.g. iii. They act as intermediaries between God and human beings. The Family; Its Structures and Functions. Actual birth - During birth there are certain rituals that are performed to introduce the chills to the immediate and extended members of the family. 6. - Some widows and children are not accepted or welcomed in their new homes. Email: mtembo@bridgewater.edu, 2023 Mwizenge S. Tembo - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder: Book Review, Kinship and Clan of the Baganda of Uganda, Kinship and Clan of the Bemba of Northern Zambia, Eurocentricity and the Traditional African Family. - Also include the dead and those yet to be born and the departed relatives. h. Among the Luos animals are driven over the graveside, people run in the homestead with spears. Twins are also given special names e.g. iv. 41 Molefi Kete Asante, Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change. This chapter only focussed on the matrilineal and polygynous patrilineal African traditional family patterns because they seem representative of the broad patterns that exists on the continent. 2. v. Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men. 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. How the of rites passage inculcate moral values In the traditional African communities, people learn the moral values through every days activities and through education provided. The size of the clan could differ from one to the other. vi. Often only Kings, chiefs and men who had wealth could afford it. 4. -Close and supportive extended-family relationships -Strong kinship ties with non blood relatives from church or organizational and social groups -Family unity, loyalty, and cooperation are important -Usually matriarchal African American Folk and Traditional Healthcare: This explains why the family household included servants, female slaves, and their children. Lobola is widely used among the Bantu peoples of Central and Southern Africa.39, Avoidance, segregated relationships, lack of love and tenderness in traditional African marriages and the family has been a common theme among European scholars. iv. iv. Polygyny though set the tone and often determined the strength of the society and pattern of social organization of the traditional African family. Such include: - - Birth - Initiation - Marriage - Death 5. Evans-Pritchard, J.J., Some Aspects of Marriage and the Family Among the Nuer, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1945, 1969. Importance of Kinship - Kinship system defines how members relate to one another i.e. Urbanization: Those who move away from home to towns in search of Jobs are drawn from their ancestral homes. People who have gone to school see the aged as old fashioned (generation gap) 6. vi. (Lusaka: Nalinga Consultancy/Sol-Consult A/ S Limited, 1989) p.97, 46 R.A. LeVine. Some of the major issues raised will include polygamy, tribe, clan, the extended family, bride price and the raising of children. Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. Urbanization: Those who move away from home to towns in search of Jobs are drawn from their ancestral homes. Importance of Kinship System and Ties. The church also gives them food, and clothing and their daily needs. politicians. D. at Michigan State University in Sociology in 1987. Some of the traditional forms of leisure include. viii. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. Marriage is no longer a must and many people decide not to marry. Once somebody is married he got fully integrated to the society. In male-speaking terms, fathers sisters daughters (cross-cousins) are called cousins. v. Taking oaths falsely. - Kinship ties assist people to live peacefully and in harmony with others. There is no bride price in our society. It is a source of food for the people and the animals. 4. Through the kinship system, people learn the importance of sharing what they have with others. Stephens, William N., The Family in Cross-Cultural Perspective, New York: University Press of America, 1982. 2. Children are attached to and cared for by many adults, including grandparents, aunties, uncles and older siblings [29064] [28917]. If one fails to show respect to such seniors. to find out if they are related. 7. Urbanization has undermined the role of of the elders as it becomes difficult for elders to operate as the people come from different backgrounds. 3. [1] Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. factors affecting kinship ties in modern society, factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society, importance of kinship ties in traditional af. 2. Lecture: Nexus kinship and blood has a taste if age-old ideologies. Communal worship prayers are offered to God to thank Him for whatever he has done. Wedding ceremony - After the negotiation the wedding ceremonies are arranged. 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). (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1958, 1967, 1975). 3. Patterns of Personality in Africa, in Responses to Change: Society, Culture and Personality. For example, in debt and marriage obligations. They also do the work of advisors e.g. This background is essential to any application of Christian spirituality in Africa. ELDERS They are people who are elderly in society. In some communities if a woman is barren, she would bring another woman to bring children on her behalf. Religion, in the African indigenous context, permeates all departments of life. The cultural and physical diversity added with the dramatic social changes of the last three decades on the continent makes the family pattern situation so variegated as to defy any sweeping generalizations. - Courage. After initiation, one has the right to marry. 16. A person's position in the kinship system establishes their relationship to others and to the universe, prescribing their responsibilities towards other people, the land and natural resources. 7. 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. WIDOWS AND ORPHANS - A widow is a woman whose husband is dead. The midwives perform the following:- 1. In addition, the women who have got gainful jobs seek more freedom in many aspects. Kinship refers to the relationships between people. When one dies, he joins the world of the living dead. 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). However the mode of dressing has seriously changed due to western influence. 7. Why the practice female circumcision is dying out. Magic, sorcery and witchcraft. The tie reduces cases of incest. vi. 7. The celebration that marked the end of initiation is slowly dying out due to economic constraints. 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. The birth of a child is no longer a communal affair but a family affair. She organizes the disposal of the placenta (after birth). - They can foretell the future by receiving visions, dreams or words from God. And in harmony with others gone to school see the aged as old fashioned ( generation gap ) 6... Way of compensating the brides family for the people and the child are today seen as unnecessary wife... Seriously changed due to economic constraints Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men to the mother and the are... In Cross-Cultural Perspective, new York: D. Van Nostrand Co., 1976 through children if woman. 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