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. - They oversee the division of property in the community after death. - It is through marriage that children are born to the community. This shows concern that they have for the child. Death must have a cause. Challenges facing herbalists 1. This chapter will briefly explore traditional African family patterns describing the patrilineal and matrilineal families. Communal worship prayers are offered to God to thank Him for whatever he has done. Virginity is not highly valued and many people break their virginity at stage of adolescence. Elders are respected [32777] [42770]. Introduction to Kinship. They feel a strong bond towards each other because they are tied by kinship relationships to one another. Social change in Africa as everywhere else is ubiquitous. (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961)p.76. the outcome of a war 5. Courtship gives the two families time to prepare in advance for the real marriage. The name gives the child identity. 5. In a typical traditional African society, the family comprised of a number of individuals, ranging from grandparents,aunts,uncles, father, mother, children etc sometimes the "sahwira" is also regarded as part of that family in some sense. Many wives 3. Changing attitudes towards initiation rites Since the introduction of Christianity and western culture peoples attitude towards initiation rites have changed. in women. - In some communities, marriage is not recognized without children. These include birth, initiation, marriage and death. Factors that have affected Kinship system 1. - They suffer from psychological and emotional problems - Sometimes widows face lack of essentials such as food. 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. Importance of Kinship - Kinship system defines how members relate to one another i.e. This has been due to western culture, industrialization, urbanization Christianity, limited time and economic constraints. Opiyo and Odongo among the Luo. .. v. The land was believed to belong to the ancestors and nobody was allowed to sell or lease it out without the consent of the other members of the family. 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. - They ensure the values and culture of the community is observed. Death always strikes unexpectedly. 41 Molefi Kete Asante, Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change. T/F: Through slavery, forced separation of spouses, siblings, and parents from children led to a more expansive definition of kinship, and thus an extended family model took root. This is brought by the following factors:- 1. iv. 3. They lead people to communal prayer in time of crisis. TOPIC 9:AFRICAN MORAL AND CULTURAL VALUES MEANING AND WHOLENESS OF LIFE- In the African traditional society, life is believed to originate from God. - It also shows that the woman is fully integrated to the husbands family - There are certain rules and regulations she is expected to observe. 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. Kinship ties are strong bonds that exist among community members. iv. Polygyny was widely practiced in Africa and it often formed the backbone of the traditional African family patterns. 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. - They give instructions to the younger generation on their roles and duties. Included in this same bigger household will be servants, female slaves, and their children.10 The father remains the head of the nuclear family units. iii. the Agikuyu the ancestors are Mumbi and Gikuyu were created by Ngai. vi. v. In some cases if a man is married and wants another wife his first or other wives would be involved in making the proposal. 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. This quote, for example, shows that polygamy was practiced among the Pondo but the dominant form of traditional marriage and the family was monogamous. After initiation, one has the right to marry. DEATH RITES When a person dies, members of the family gather at the home of the deceased and leave their everyday commitments for a while. To give the mother time to heal. 6. vii. The tie reduces cases of incest. - They can foretell the future by receiving visions, dreams or words from God. Phone: (540) 828-5351 This helps to control peoples behaviors. 2. Coser, Rose Lamb., (Ed.) Kinship System in African Communities. 5. 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. At times girls could be given to repay debts. In the late and early 19th century, a detailed study conducted among the Baganda found that, Polygyny, the type of marriage in which the husband has plural wives, is not only the preferred but the dominant form of marriage for the Baganda.8 Commoners had two or three, chiefs had dozens, and the Kings had hundreds of wives. - Life is also seen as communal. Communal activities: People participate in communal activities e.g. They are experts in particular religious fields. - Some widows and children are not accepted or welcomed in their new homes. During this period, the couples are given special instructions that prepare them for marriage life. 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. Overall, there are two forms of social groups that from the basis of Bemba marriage and traditional family. It also gives them time to find out the background of the partners e.g. People who have become educated consider the shaving of the hair unnecessary. Dec. 31, 2007. The paternal grandfather recites many names of the clans dead ancestors. J. Clyde Mitchell, The Yao Village: a Study in the Social Structure of a Malawian Tribe. 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. Choosing of a marriage partner This differs from one community to another. - The introduction of money economy has reduced the value of land. Kinship relationships were and still are important among African communities. It marks change from childhood to adulthood. - Marriage was a source of wealth for the family. As an American Indian insider researcher, I intend to recover the traditional Cheyenne kinship system, relying on archives collected from the Smithsonian Institute (National . Importance of Initiation i. So the relationship is often based on mutual expectations and is more beneficial for both parties than confrontational and fraught with issuing of orders. Schapera, Isaac., Married Life in an African Tribe. - They help the priests to performing certain rituals such as sacrifices. iii. As such disputes over land ownership were rare, this is because:- i. 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. They include: i. They are taught about morals of the society. iii. LeVine40 described some of the customs and patterns that surround interaction in the traditional African family as institutionalized restrictions, segregated patterns, and avoidance patterns. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. There are three main types of kinship: lineal, collateral, and affinal. Women were not allowed to own property. 42 Yizenge A. Chondoka, Traditional Marriages in Zambia: A Study in Cultural History. Death is believed to be a next journey to the world of the spirits. - The hair of the mother and the child is shaved. Are made up of smaller units called clan. Each community has a distinct political and social organization. To protect the child from evil eyes. Defines kinship and explains its importance. - It was a common belief that a woman belonged to the whole community. - Prayers are also offered to God for protection. Box 169 The San society in general and the kinship system in particular are very different from contemporary American society. Factors that have affected Kinship system 1. - Respect. Courage is usually praised. 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. They are important because they have a lot of experience. 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. Family. The medicine men lead the community in religious rituals. There is a lot of secrecy surrounding the knowledge of herbs. 4. 6. 6) There is problem of correct dosage of traditional medicine. 3. ii. could advice on when to go to war. If the child laughs, then the last mentioned name is given to him or her, .and the soul of the ancestors is considered to have entered its body.19, The significant feature of the second stage in Baganda childhood is that after they are weaned, Baganda children do not live with their biological parents. This can begin as early as childhood or before the children are born. If one fails to show respect to such seniors. Changing attitudes to birth and naming 1. Land Ownership: It is no longer communal affair but a private affair. 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 sturm funeral home obituaries near st james mn, Belonged to the world of the spirits traditional medicine the right to marry explore traditional African family patterns describing patrilineal... 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