It losing brand new bridewealth diverges on the very commercialised money reported in the cities into the Ghana and you may elsewhere (Shope, 2006; Posel & Rudwick, 2013)
The brand new payment off bridewealth occupies an important position regarding the wedding process round the ethnicities in northern Ghana, also Dagaaba, Frafra and Builsa nations. Among Dagaaba, the brand new bridewealth, kyeuri, mostly constitutes such as situations once the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, get a asiatisk bruder online dating hold of Contour 1 ), fowls, tobacco cigarette and cola nuts. In some instances, the amount of cowrie shells should be consistent with what is paid for the fresh bride’s mommy. Various other times, securities away from solidarity between the group otherwise agreements of your bride to be and you can bridegroom end up in a decrease in the latest percentage, whenever the newest bride’s agnatic kin dictate that in past times the new groom’s relatives charged a high brideprice to own a wedding, he or she is browsing plus insist upon an inflated percentage. However, there are even standardized matrimony money over the Dagaaba setup. Today, on average 2000 cowries, otherwise dollars equivalent, are approved given that bridewealth inside Serekpere and its own environments. This amount means a great grave reduction off some 20,000 and you can above cowries which had been accepted in identical area regarding 1990s. Inside framework regarding neoliberal economic formula, and you can diminishing agricultural returns accounts within this fine environmental area, our very own communication which have gatekeepers revealed that new cutback into count from cowries is intended to generate wedding sensible. Importantly, the new commission is not contingent abreast of the fresh issues of your own bride to be, that’s, whether the bride to be is extremely educated, divorced, has recently offered delivery or not just like the stated elsewhere (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1989, 1995; Anderson, 2007). New typical norms governing the practice of bridewealth are set aside if the negotiable regardless of the newest bride’s socio-monetary updates or perhaps the level of rights transferred.
Anderson (2007: 159) profile that in options all over Africa, the marriage commission is actually normatively elevated by the groom’s ‘dad, daddy and you may dad’s brothers, with mom’s brothers making short contributions’
The fresh bridewealth among the Dagaaba, as the all over communities inside the outlying north Ghana, is a complex process of deals amongst the agnatic kin out-of the latest wedding couple and, usually, a third party, named a great dendeo, a marriage liaison. Normally, a married relationship liaison is men regarding the groom’s community just who has many affairs from the bride’s payment. The dendeo leads new groom’s family relations towards the bride’s agnatic kin, very first to formally ask for her submit matrimony also to pay the brideprice. The fresh connections of your dendeo into the bride’s nearest and dearest imply that the latter was considerate with the bridegroom along with his kin. The previous and additionally pleads with respect to the fresh groom’s kinsmen in the event that the bride’s family members seek so you’re able to charge an expensive brideprice. Once the bridewealth could have been relocated to and you can accepted because of the bride’s kin, the wedding connection is created and you can legitimated.
Normatively, the brand new yirdandoo, the head of one’s members of the family, instead of the father of one’s bride to be, is the caretaker of one’s cowries brought since wedding payments. At a team discussion inside Nator, close Serekpere, indicating the fresh new part of your own head of clan, Mwinyella, research new member, informed me, leading so you can his paternal buddy who’s your mind regarding his clan, that: ‘that it people was my father and so when i get married it might be their duty so you’re able to [pay the bridewealth] to have me’. Yet ,, getting family in place of tips appointed given that bridewealth, new groom and his awesome agnatic kin are responsible for raising they. That it changes, to some degree, throughout the Dagaaba account shown right here. But really they resonates which have bridewealth means certainly particular Frafra congeries, where normatively the fresh new groom’s father and you will dad’s brothers are responsible for paying the bridewealth and where he could be unable to boost it new groom turns to help you his dad’s or mother’s brothers to own help.