Kinship is a social relationship based on real consanguinity. Large tracts of land 4 Large herds of cattle. Early marriages are encountered to reduce fornication. 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. Urbanization: Those who move away from home to towns in search of Jobs are drawn from their ancestral homes. Piercing of the ear. iii. There are meteorologists who predict the weather conditions. They are senior members of the community. 7. - Alcoholism. It could also show how the bridegroom is capable of taking care of the bride. Changing attitude towards death rites Some of the death and funeral rites are still being practiced however some are slowly dying out. 5. Women were not allowed to own property. Reconnecting with a genetic tie Genetic resource and testing connected a person to their blood. This may be due to urbanization and economic constraints. 3. vi. - When the baby arrives, the sex of the baby is announced by ululations. 3. 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. drought, famine etc. The Baganda people of Uganda provide the best illustration.7. 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. 5. - Life also progress from one stage to another. This is certainly no longer the case in the contemporary African traditional family. Children are expected to help in minor household tasks. 1. - They could also feel their body senses to predict rain. 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. - Religious organizations assist widows to start income generating projects. Religion: Africans now get identified with new groupings e.g. iv. Agikuyu umbilical cord is kept to symbolize the link between the mother and the child. What was the structure of the polygynous family? Those related by blood have common ancestors. Division of labor in African societies, labor is divided according to sexes. - Purification rites are performed for the mother and the child to make the child pure. 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. They heal various diseases using herbs. Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia, and Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1970. the outcome of a war 5. Traditionally no parent fixes a price for his daughter (a bride). factors. Initiation 3. The man who is the heir to the widow has the additional family responsibility of adopting the widows family. No one is allowed to take the life of another. Majority of women today give birth in hospitals. vi. 47 Mwizenge S. Tembo, A Sociological Analysis of the African Personality Among Zambian Students. vi. 10. Because of this wide spectrum, it is not possible to explore all aspects of the traditional African family. The community disciplined those who showed traits of greed over ownership of property. Elizabeth Colson, Marriage and the Family among the Plateau Tonga of Northern Rhodesia. 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. - Kinship ties assist people to live peacefully and in harmony with others. 29 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.30. Dressing The dress code differed from one community to another in the traditional African setup. Opiyo and Odongo among the Luo. Through apprenticeship iv. Diviners and mediums iii. Dowry seals marriage, before dowry is paid marriage is considered as incomplete. 9 J.A. Matrilineality is the major influence in what children learn and come to accept about their society. Girls take care of the babies and fetch firewood. There is no bride price in our society. Bride wealth has lost its original meaning and has been commercialized. ix. This is because; 1 It is unavoidable. Edited by Arthur Phillips, London: Oxford University Press, 1953. However dowry payment has been hindered by several factors today e.g. - Virginity is highly valued and girls who are not found virgin are ridiculed. Natural Factors: ADVERTISEMENTS: Natural forces and factors play an important role in unifying or disintegrating the society. The youth are believed to be free with them. - Marriage brought unity in the society. - Thankfulness. 2. iv. 5. White, C.M.N., Tradition and Change in Luvale Marriage, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1962, 1969. 2. Life is seen to begin from the time of conception since unborn children are taken as part of the community. 4. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961. Similar systems of kinship terminology can be found, for example, among the Ndebele of Zimbabwe, the Zulu of South Africa, the Ngoni and Tumbuka of Eastern Zambia. In some communities there is feasting and drinking of beer. When one dies, he joins the world of the living dead. Answers - Modern science and technology - Western education - Influence from other religions - Rural-urban migration - Breakdown in traditional values - Western culture - Generation gap/specialists seen as outdated john3 answered the question on October 10, 2017 at 19:10 They are also given special instructions that prepare them for marriage life. The belief in Christianity has also affected traditional beliefs in death to believe that death is a gateway to heaven and there is resurrection of the body. Land was also a source of medicine in the form of herbs and minerals. 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. According to Mair, .the polygynous joint family, consisting of a man, his wives, and their children, is the ideal for most Africans.5 Studies conducted from the 1930s to 1950s indicate that polygyny was common virtually in all regions of Africa.6, In spite of the perversity of polygyny, there was evidence that it was on the decline. - Marriage also unites the living and the dead. Elders iv. Download to read offline. Prophets or priests also have political role e.g. 2. All rights reserved. The common descriptions of the African traditional family in the literature is Eurocentric and biased. - Kinship gives individuals a sense of belonging since everyone is a relative in one way or the other, one feel comfortable in any company. Types of Kinship. 16. iv. 4. 3 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.1. Today the dead can be buried in cemeteries in towns. - Children born out of marriage also provide security to the homes. iii. It is also a taboo to marry close relative. 4. Their roles include the following:- i. Which factors have led to the weakening of kinship ties in Kenya today? It marks change from childhood to adulthood. 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. 7 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures, (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) Ch. The husband could take his wife home if the marriage was thought stable especially after the couple has had two or more children. In the traditional African Community, marriage was considered incomplete without children. Both the mother and the child are given charms to protect them. (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. Asante, Molefi Kete., Afrocentricity; The Theory of Social Change, Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980. To protect the child from evil eyes. The San society in general and the kinship system in particular are very different from contemporary American society. Schapera, Isaac., Married Life in an African Tribe. Dec. 31, 2007. A mans legal entitlements and rights of inheritance are on his mothers side. Courage is usually praised. People who have become educated consider the shaving of the hair unnecessary. 2 Traditional foster care arrangements are referred to as non-kin foster care. They act as judges in certain circumstances. Death always strikes unexpectedly. 4. They are free most of them and can get time for the younger generation. ii. viii. Before this ceremony, the child is not considered a complete member of the clan or society. At times force could be applied to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner. Kinship ties are strong bonds that exist among community members. 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 . 6. Courtship gives the two families time to prepare in advance for the real marriage. And this, together with neolocality, makes it nearly impossible to use kinship in structuring our social order. There are basically eight primary kinswife father son, father daughter mother son, wife; father son, father daughter, mother son, mother daughter; brother sister; and younger brother/sister older brother/sister. 4. vii. 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. 2. The youth are taught to be courageous in order to be able to face challenges in life e.g. Urbanization has undermined the role of of the elders as it becomes difficult for elders to operate as the people come from different backgrounds. The clan assumes control of inheritance; the wishes of the dead person may or may not be honored. Land was also the habitat of people, animals and plants. Second Edition, London: Cambridge University Press, 1984, Ch. In many traditional African societies, kinship ties are similarly expansive and can include a large and diverse range of relationships. Your husband or wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law are all kinsmen related to you through marriage. This means that they are looking for death to kill it. 3. Changes that have affected land ownership - Today its a requirement by the government that one must possess a land title deed. 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. Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd., 1971. viii. Spirit of sharing: In African Traditional Community there is the spirit of sharing of resources among the members of a community e.g. iv. 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. There are three main types of kinship: lineal, collateral, and affinal. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. Price, Thomas., A Short English-Nyanja Vocabulary. Patterns of Personality in Africa, in Responses to Change: Society, Culture and Personality. 9. Consanguineal kinship: this kinship is based on blood the relationship meaning the relationship between parents and children also among immediate siblings. 7. 4. - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. Virginity is not highly valued and many people break their virginity at stage of adolescence. - In African traditional society, each individual is related to the other. 4. 3. The gift replaces her reminding the family that she has left her people yet she is not dead. It varies from culture to culture, from society to society. But quite to the contrary, the clan seems to have a more supreme influence. D. at Michigan State University in Sociology in 1987. © 2023 Tutorke Limited. 6. In addition, the women who have got gainful jobs seek more freedom in many aspects. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953), 24 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969). p119. In fact cases where the father-in-law has to issue orders are perhaps such a minority that it is ironical that they are used to characterize the whole social interaction. Politics: New political systems and forms of government have changed the traditional community. viii. - A white bed sheet is spread this is to collect blood during the breaking of virginity. They also perform light duties for relatives. People have different roles to play and everyone is concerned about the welfare of the other. 3. There are serious cases of misuse of leisure in the form of; - Watching and reading pornographic literature. - Children born out of marriage inherit their parents property. It is a way of compensating the brides family for the loss of a member. 2. This culture was pre-literate, pre-scientific and pre-industrial. - The girls would take back the sheet with a lot of ululation and rejoicing and one girl would remain behind to study the character of the man. ii. to find out if they are related. 4. Dowry payment is no longer a communal affair but an individual affair. Famous Sociologist H.M. Johnson identified six important bases of kinship which are described below: (1) Sex: Kinship relation is differentiated in each society on the basis of sex. PRIESTS/PROPHETS OR SEERS - These are other religious specialists who play a special role as intermediaries between God and human beings. Communal worship prayers are offered to God to thank Him for whatever he has done. - They can foretell the future by receiving visions, dreams or words from God. Stern norms/ values which promote individualism. Due to de-forestation, some herbs are becoming extinct. Young initiates are trained to be responsible husbands and wives in future. - The practices vary from one community to another. For example, when a man dies among the Baganda, his power over the property ends. They could also warn of impending danger. Traditional African society. 2. 36 Lucy P. Mair African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. Circumcision of the girls is a practice that has been widely condemned for health reasons. among the Akamba pregnant women are not supposed to eat fats, beans or animals killed using poison. The contention that questions the existence of African traditional society and culture has been clearly beyond reasonable doubt asserted to agreement however there are presences of constraints towards the flourishing of these societies as, Internal factors which include; Lack of unity among members of the society, differentiation of ideologies . 6. 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 They are people who claim a common ancestry and are related by blood. Dr. Mwizenge S. Tembo It can determine a person's political identity and the way money and property are transferred. A change in attitude towards joint family is evident among the urban educated persons. Changing attitudes towards initiation rites Since the introduction of Christianity and western culture peoples attitude towards initiation rites have changed. - A lot of bleeding can lead to the death of an individual. ii. Most of the time they suffer from old age diseases. Edited by G.A. MARRIAGE This is the third rite that an individual is expected to go through in life. The continuance of Aboriginal society is dependent on keeping Aboriginal families strong and healthy both physically and culturally. Today many people do not believe in rainmakers. - They act as a court of law to errant members of the society. 7. Would provide medical care e.g. Religious (invisible) causes of death They included: i. Importance of Naming 1. 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. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING Today many people talk of the way things were sometimes back many factors have affected the African culture. 8. Religion, in the African indigenous context, permeates all departments of life. Marriage has been commercialized - many people demand higher payment for their daughter. iii. Rites of passage: These are ceremonies that are performed to a group of people to mark important stages of life. Kinship relationships were and still are important among African communities. Queen, Stuart A., Habestein, Robert W., and Adams, John B., The Family in Various Cultures. Wealth was seen in terms of: 1. - It is through marriage that children are born to the community. There were clear guidelines, rules and regulations on the use and ownership of land. - Generosity. People nowadays migrate and buy lands in far places. The traditional healers are still important today especially to those who had let down by medicine prescribed by doctors. Introduction to Kinship. 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. New York: The Free Press, 1963. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. 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