1. LeVine40 described some of the customs and patterns that surround interaction in the traditional African family as institutionalized restrictions, segregated patterns, and avoidance patterns. f. The grave is dug in a special place e.g. 6 Ibid., p.10 Note also that special attention should be paid to the distinction between polygyny being practiced widely among people of Africa and it being the dominant form of traditional family pattern. Young men are taught to develop self-love and love for the community it provides a sense of belonging. It is a token of appreciation in the part of the bridegrooms people to those of the bride for the care over her. Edited by G.A. 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- Rural-urban migration - Breakdown in traditional values - Western culture - Generation gap/specialists seen as outdated john3 answered the question on October 10, 2017 at 19:10 There has been a lot of interference from Christian religious beliefs. - Wife inheritance has become risky due to HIV/AIDS. 3. 2. The term 'brother' and 'sister' shows the sex of blood relations. iv. He ..also adopts the deceased persons children, calling them his and making no distinction between them and his own children.16. - They oversee the division of property in the community after death. vi. Which factors have led to the weakening of kinship ties in Kenya today? - It also regulates marriage relations, before marriage one has to find the back ground of the other. LAND In the traditional African society, people had a lot of attachment to land. They also have the ability to stop rain. While the basic functions of the family remain the same all over the world, traditional African families have undergone significant transformations attributed to an interplay of factors, including Christianity, industrialization, educational expansion, population growth, monetization of the economy, migration, civilization, and now globalization. Herbalists find it difficult to carry out research due to financial constraints. 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 In some communities, it may be done in the forest while others the expectant mother would go back to their parents while others could also be done in the house of the in-law. 5. Seclusion nowadays is not very possible because of limited time. This background is essential to any application of Christian spirituality in Africa. 7. Everybody in the community is expected to work hard. The father knows that his children are not his ultimate responsibility but his sisters children. Rules and Regulations: People in the community are governed by rules and regulations, which are strictly followed. Impact of Modernism on Family. Changing attitudes towards initiation rites Since the introduction of Christianity and western culture peoples attitude towards initiation rites have changed. - Kinship helps to care for the less fortunate members of the society e.g. The language of the Baganda carries no word for love or tender affection; the closest is a word that is best translated as like.43. 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. It is the kinship ties which determine a person's rights, responsibilities and behaviour. But it makes it difficult to keep track of our kin. - Marriage ensures that children are not born outside wedlock. Grandparents are charged with the duty of counseling. The degree of which witchcraft as a cause of death is emphasized varies from one community to another. Most social scientists agree that kinship is based on two broad areas: birth and marriage; others say a third category of kinship involves social ties. Explaining Caribbean Family Patterns. Still, traditional families such as those in Family Ties and The Cosby Show dominated the ratings. 5. If he did, it would be like selling her. - A child who remained an orphan was easily adopted into another family. Diviners also have religious functions and perform duties of priests such as offering of sacrifice. Natural Factors: ADVERTISEMENTS: Natural forces and factors play an important role in unifying or disintegrating the society. 7. Richards, Audrey I., Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969. Importance of Naming 1. Their relevance today Some people still consult prophets on seers some couples may consult in case of barrenness. 7. 5) Modern science and technology also discourage people from believing mysterical powers. The Baganda people of Uganda provide the best illustration.7. Reconnecting with a genetic tie Genetic resource and testing connected a person to their blood. v. Marking of the body (scarification) - During initiation, the initiates are removed from the rest of the community. Among the Chewa of Eastern Zambia, the custom of man living with his wifes parents temporarily or permanently was known as Ukamwini.23. Communal activities: People participate in communal activities e.g. v. They drive a way witches and evil spirits. iv. 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. (Lusaka: Nalinga Consultancy/Sol-Consult A/ S Limited, 1989) p.97, 46 R.A. LeVine. .. [1] Naming ceremonies also provide opportunity to teach the culture of the youth. Matrilineality is the major influence in what children learn and come to accept about their society. Those who had not been initiated were not allowed to own property. Agikuyu umbilical cord is kept to symbolize the link between the mother and the child. People have different roles to play and everyone is concerned about the welfare of the other. Virginity is not highly valued and many people break their virginity at stage of adolescence. Role of priests, prophets and seers 1. Follow. A Modern Introduction to The Family, Glencoe: The Free Press, 1960. 4. ii. Their roles include the following:- i. DEATH Death is the last rite in ones life and unlike other rites like initiation, naming. Before initiation one is not fully considered belonging to the community. To give the mother instructions on how to take care of the child. The developments in science and technology. There are three main types of kinship: lineal, collateral, and affinal. Removal of teeth. Land is owned by individuals. D. at Michigan State University in Sociology in 1987. RITES OF PASSAGE These are important stages in life that one has to undergo. Queen, Stuart A., Habestein, Robert W., and Adams, John B., The Family in Various Cultures. This has been due to western culture, industrialization, urbanization Christianity, limited time and economic constraints. vii. 8. But however, after a few years of contact with white civilization and subsequent social change, the custom has gradually changed. Urbanization: Those who move away from home to towns in search of Jobs are drawn from their ancestral homes. A woman inherits her maternal grandmother or sisters. 4 It disrupts normal human activities. theories regarding family structure" (D . Diviners and mediums iii. 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. 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. Some people also consult them before making important decisions e.g. Indeed, such authors as Chondoka have recently found little accuracy or justification in calling this custom purchasing or buying of a wife. - Marriage was a source of wealth for the family. drought, famine etc. 9) The practice has also been affected by belief in conventional medicine. 4) Some people who falsely claim to be diviners today simply exploit the ignorance of the people. He is currently Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bridgewater College in Virginia. Mitchell, J. Elders iv. 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. Girls, in distinction to boys, seldom have time to play games.21, Among the Bemba people of Northern Zambia, marriage is matrilocal. - They negotiate for peace in time of war with another community. There is no bride price in our society. © 2023 Tutorke Limited. The . 11 This study was conducted in the late 1800s when inter-tribal warfare and capturing of slaves from the wars was still very common. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. GAZETTE: How have ancestors . Children could be named after their dead relatives. - It causes physical injury to the victim. They also do the work of advisors e.g. It is also a way of showing respect to God for the gift of the children. Those related by blood have common ancestors. Introduction The primary objective of this paper is to define the African traditional religious system as the basis of understanding Christian spiritual warfare within an African context. Bride wealth has lost its original meaning and has been commercialized. 3. Dec. 31, 2007. 8 It brings poverty to the family involved as sometimes it takes the bread winner 9 At times it brings misunderstanding in the community when the cause of death is blamed on someone or some people. iii. They are people who claim a common ancestry and are related by blood. The traditional African family is a very broad concept which has challenging variations across the continent. Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. The anthropology of the Caribbean has been called "the battle ground for competing. Some names are given in the remembrance of the departed relatives. 9. - The bathing symbolizes the beginning of a new state in life. Today initiation is not done at particular stage in life. Th importance whice h UNICEF attaches to the family is also based on the Conventio onn the Eliminatio onf How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. - Children born out of marriage inherit their parents property. - Religious organizations assist widows to start income generating projects. 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. - Generosity. - They could also observe the weather conduction and interpret the movement of clouds and wind. Although children among the Baganda are brought up in an unroutinized and casual way with a few rites of passage to adulthood, they seem to go through three distinct stages during their up bringing. - An orphan is a child whose both parents are dead. (Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980). Names are also given in honor of ancestors. Young men are taught to be honest in all their undertakings. In some communities, a pregnant women returns to her parents when the time for giving birth draws near. 2003). First, the strengths, durability, and resilience of the African traditional family were never dwelt on explicitly and at length. 25 This book is written in Chewa indigenous Central African language. Kinship refers to relationship between people through blood, marriage or adoption. 5. 3. He was a Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies of the University of Zambia from 1977 to 1990. Girls brought wealth in form of cattle to marriage. ii. The church also gives them food, and clothing and their daily needs. Importance of courtship 1. Edited by G.A. This culture was pre-literate, pre-scientific and pre-industrial. 5. The book describes and explains Chewa traditions and customs including Ukamwini. Bantu migrations also helped to spread agriculture and herding to all parts of Africa. Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. 5. This can begin as early as childhood or before the children are born. 6. The effective boundaries of the network vary for different people, over time and for different contents. 6. Second, the continued Eurocentric descriptions and characterization of the African traditional family as some what depraved lead to the use of such terms as bride price, avoidance social taboos, segregated relationships, lack of love and tenderness in African marriages and families. Indeed this sense of kinship binds together the entire life of the "tribe . CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING Today many people talk of the way things were sometimes back many factors have affected the African culture. pp. Challenges facing herbalists 1. So the relationship is often based on mutual expectations and is more beneficial for both parties than confrontational and fraught with issuing of orders. Courage is usually praised. v. They are also consulted in terms of crisis e.g. - They are concerned with maintenance of law and order in the community. 2. 2. - People tend to be individualized. When a girl is getting married her mothers brother must be consulted. 6. This article looks at the societies and cultures of sub-Saharan Africa in pre-modern history. In the traditional African Community, marriage was considered incomplete without children. Kinship connections are in turn based on two categories of bonds: those created by marriage and those that result from descent , which is socially recognized links between ancestors and descendants. These constitute the core of the Bemba traditional African family around which the social organization of the traditional society revolves. 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. In fact a woman was part of the property of the man. Before initiation, one is viewed as a child no matter the age. Girls at an early age are taught a wide range of household and agricultural duties including cooking, cultivation and tending children. Responsibility of elders: - They help in the settlement of disputes. The youth are taught to be courageous in order to be able to face challenges in life e.g. The kinship systems govern care,. Some communities such as the Maasai still maintain their traditional way of dressing. Introduction. Problems that the elderly face today 1. - Wealth is no longer determined in terms of the number of wives or children. 3) They are fortunetellers and palm readers. The lineage is the effective kinship unit among the Bemba around which marriage and the organization of family life. revolves.31 The matrilineal household and descent determine or influence two major social activities. Wedding ceremony - After the negotiation the wedding ceremonies are arranged. Elizabeth Colson, Marriage and the Family among the Plateau Tonga of Northern Rhodesia. This paper aims at tackling the change in the anthropological view of marriage and kinship ties in the society. It also gives them time to find out the background of the partners e.g. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that the study of kinship is the study of what humans do with these basic facts of life - mating, gestation, parenthood, socialization, siblingship etc. Importance of marriage - Marriage is for the continuity of the society and is an institution that is ordained by God. The community disciplined those who showed traits of greed over ownership of property. The midwives perform the following:- 1. 1. - It was a common belief that a woman belonged to the whole community. - The wife or orphans sometimes get mistreated. Magic, sorcery and witchcraft. 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