factors affecting kinship ties in traditional african society

Children among the matrilineal peoples are brought up in a similar traditional extended family village social environment. The midwives perform the following:- 1. Boys herd goats, cows, and livestock. The size of the clan could differ from one to the other. In western European societies Jack Goode finds that world revolution has contributed for the transformation of . - The naming of the child takes place some days after birth. 3. 5 It comes unannounced. 7. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. 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. CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING Today many people talk of the way things were sometimes back many factors have affected the African culture. v. Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men. Barnes, J.A., Marriage in a Changing Society: a Study in Structural Change among the Fort Jameson Ngoni, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1951, 1970. They give information concerning cause, nature and treatment of diseases. The author obtained his B.A in Sociology and Psychology at University of Zambia in 1976, M.A, Ph. 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. It is the kinship ties which determine a person's rights, responsibilities and behaviour. New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961. The Plan of Action also asserts that "for the full and harmonious development of their personality, children should grow up in a famil environmenty in a,n atmosphere of happiness lov, ane d understanding". 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). Economic hardships many people are not able to raise money to pay dowry. The traditional African family is a very broad concept which has challenging variations across the continent. Importance of Initiation i. iv. Grandmothers teach girls their roles and grandfathers maintain law and order .Young unmarried men provide security in form of warriors while boys look after the animals. Headmanships of villages, court offices, ritual titles, and chieftainships are passed on in this way. 3. Leisure Activities: This is the time that one has at his disposal. 5. - Many people have moved and have settled in foreign lands, which are not their ancestral lands. It starts at birth and continues through to death. Anthropologists have discovered that there are only six basic kin naming patterns or systems used by almost all of the thousands of cultures in the world. Coser, Rose Lamb., (Ed.) To give the mother time to heal. Importance of Naming 1. They are also given special instructions that prepare them for marriage life. 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. Division of labor in African societies, labor is divided according to sexes. - Can interfere with an individuals reproductive system. When one dies, he joins the world of the living dead. Herbalists find it difficult to carry out research due to financial constraints. They act as intermediaries between God and human beings. 2. 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. Information on traditional marriage customs among both patrilineal and matrilineal peoples of Zambia is available in Yizenge A. Chondoka, Traditional Marriages in Zambia: A Study in Cultural History, (Ndola: Mission Press, 1988). iv. 5. 4. 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. 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 term 'brother' and 'sister' shows the sex of blood relations. 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. Today choosing of a marriage partner is individualized and the parents do nowadays not choose the marriage partner. The male head has control over children produced by the children of the group. Mitchell, J. - Initiation rites have certain symbolic meanings. They may receive messages from the spirits and ancestors. The common descriptions of the African traditional family in the literature is Eurocentric and biased. 6 It separates one from the loved ones. But they are terminologically differentiated from parallel cousins and from sisters. Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. Such occasions include beer drinking, wrestling, playing football, singing and dancing etc. Land Ownership: It is no longer communal affair but a private affair. children born out of wed-lock are killed or abandoned. Edited by G.A. 3. It is believed that the dead relatives continue to live through children. Changing attitudes towards marriage 1. During initiation the young adults are taught matters relating to sex and adulthood. 3. One could also die due to breaking a taboo in such instances elders would identify the offender and perform an act of cleansing. Marriage ceremonies brought people together as they came together to rejoice. (Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980). They also do the work of advisors e.g. Western culture and education has really affected marriage. v. They are taught secrets of the society. Indeed this sense of kinship binds together the entire life of the "tribe . Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. Religious (invisible) causes of death They included: i. 3. A Modern Introduction to The Family, Glencoe: The Free Press, 1960. How the widows and orphans are supported - Church members offer them guidance and counseling (giving them hope) - They are prayed for. largest kinship network of any descent system ever invented. 7 Nobody knows what happens after life on earth here. -Responsibility. 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. This symbolizes new life. Extended Family: It ensures that children, orphans and the widows are well taken care of by the other members of the extended family. Although human beings have made tremendous progress during the last 150 years or so, yet they have not been able to wield full control over the nature. Bridgewater College Communal activities: People participate in communal activities e.g. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. - It also shows that the woman is fully integrated to the husbands family - There are certain rules and regulations she is expected to observe. Most of these ceremonies are religious. However the mode of dressing has seriously changed due to western influence. The kinships are based on two broad aspects 1) Birth (Blood relationships) 2) marriages. 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. iii. Even traditionally, ordinary citizens could not achieve marrying more than one wife. Family. (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). The naming of a child is therefore an important occasion, which is often marked with ceremonies. The husband could take his wife home if the marriage was thought stable especially after the couple has had two or more children. 2. 6. The mothers bring children of both sexes with the umbilical cords carefully kept after birth. Dowry is important in that:- 1. First, the strengths, durability, and resilience of the African traditional family were never dwelt on explicitly and at length. the Agikuyu the ancestors are Mumbi and Gikuyu were created by Ngai. Property could be owned by community, individuals or families. For example honesty is expected in marriage. A community has distinct beliefs, customs and cultural practices. 3. - It causes physical injury to the victim. vi. Mair, Lucy P., African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. vii. 47 Mwizenge S. Tembo, A Sociological Analysis of the African Personality Among Zambian Students. During seclusion there is sex education, which is meant for girls and boys for marriage. - People write wills to share or decide who should inherit their property. Thorne, Barrie., and Yalom, Marilyn., (Eds.) They would also announce the sex of the child. iii. Changing attitudes to birth and naming 1. Land ownership: The ancestral land is communally owned and nobody is allowed to sell it. 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. They could also give aid to increase productivity e.g. (2) Active leisure: This involves the use of the physical energy. Courtship gives the two families time to prepare in advance for the real marriage. 28-39. Babbie, Earl R., Sociology: An Introduction. Girls, in distinction to boys, seldom have time to play games.21, Among the Bemba people of Northern Zambia, marriage is matrilocal. 8. This is meant to send it clean into the world of the living dead. - Courage. Explaining these changes would require a different chapter. ii. a person born during locusts invasion can be called Adede among the luo. - Children made marriage complete. - Kinship ties assist people to live peacefully and in harmony with others. DeVos, (New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., 1976), 49 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures. Polygyny was widely practiced in Africa and it often formed the backbone of the traditional African family patterns. By Timothy T. Schwartz, PhD. Importance of kinship ties to TAS 5) Modern science and technology also discourage people from believing mysterical powers. Other names may also refer to the characteristics of the mothers pregnancy or the nature of delivery e.g. 3. in women. - Different communities have different rules on where the delivery should take place. Which factors have led to the weakening of kinship ties in Kenya today? Young men are taught to develop self-love and love for the community it provides a sense of belonging. - During this period of seclusion:- i. (Eds.) 7. - In most African communities a widow was inherited by the husbands close relatives. in cases of death, the whole community mourn. TOPIC 9:AFRICAN MORAL AND CULTURAL VALUES MEANING AND WHOLENESS OF LIFE- In the African traditional society, life is believed to originate from God. vii. East Lansing, Michigan State University, 1980, Unpublished M. A. Thesis. Economic hardships that has been due to introduction of money economy. Defines kinship and explains its importance. 7. Kinship relationships were and still are important among African communities. Second, an identifying drum beat used at ceremonies. iii. 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. Because of this, extended families among the Bemba are not really as large as those found, especially among patriarchal polygynous traditional families in other tribes be it in Southern, Eastern, or West Africa.28 Polygamy is relatively speaking uncommon in this area and the institution is not an essential part of the Bemba family and economic life as it is among so many Bantu peoples.29, The Bembas kinship is based on descent in the matrilineal line. Before initiation, one is viewed as a child no matter the age. ELDERS They are people who are elderly in society. Similar customs or rules of restrictions in interaction apply between many other kin in a traditional African family. iii. To protect the child from evil eyes. As Eaton et al (2003) found in South Africa, for young people struggling for daily survival, protection from possible future illness may be a lower priority than meeting immediate economic needs. Dr. Mwizenge S. Tembo There is no bride price in our society. Living with new parents means no particular change in status; the biological parents do not forget their off spring and are always present for any ceremonies involving their children.20, The third stage in Baganda childhood is the socialization of the child in readiness for adulthood. - Marriage brings completeness in a person. LAND In the traditional African society, people had a lot of attachment to land. b) Outline the role of priests in Traditional African communities. Factors that have affected Kinship system 1. - Marriage also unites the living and the dead. Traditional African Society. - Wife inheritance has become risky due to HIV/AIDS. Depending on the region and the people, these. They act as counselors and guide the people on all issues of life. Problems that the elderly face today 1. Grandparents are charged with the duty of counseling. They are given time to heal. This background is essential to any application of Christian spirituality in Africa. 2) Some students also consult them to succeed in exams and career. - Some widows and children are not accepted or welcomed in their new homes. 6. 6. - Marriage ensures that children are not born outside wedlock. 4. 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. In the traditional African Community, marriage was considered incomplete without children. 5. giving the expectant mother certain herbs. Changing attitudes towards initiation rites Since the introduction of Christianity and western culture peoples attitude towards initiation rites have changed. - The practices vary from one community to another. For example, in the polygynous African family, like among the Baganda, and many others, your fathers wives and brothers were not just mothers and fathers just as mere kinship terms. 7. DeVos, New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., 1976. Mothers and children would die at childbirth to cases where there is no skilled mid-wife. [.] ii. 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. Bridgewater, VA 22812 - The hair of the mother and the child is shaved. Prayers also connect the living and the dead. And this, together with neolocality, makes it nearly impossible to use kinship in structuring our social order. Diviners also have religious functions and perform duties of priests such as offering of sacrifice. She organizes the disposal of the placenta (after birth). There is socialization to raise boys and girls to become responsible and acceptable adults of the village, community, and ultimately society. 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 . 8. The permissive society has also encouraged trial marriages. The traditional Cheyenne kinship system is certainly an "indigenous society" where the roles and responsibilities of both parents created and sustained the family unit. They are made aware of their responsibilities in adulthood. 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