That it losing brand new bridewealth diverges throughout the really commercialised money advertised during the towns within the Ghana and you may elsewhere (Shope, 2006; Posel & Rudwick, 2013)
The brand new payment out-of bridewealth takes up an essential standing on relationship processes across ethnicities during the northern Ghana, in addition to Dagaaba, Frafra and you will Builsa regions. Among the Dagaaba, the bridewealth, kyeuri, mostly comprises such affairs due to the fact libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, discover Profile step 1 ), fowls, smoke and soda insane. Sometimes, the level of cowrie shells must be in keeping with whatever was taken care of the fresh new bride’s mother. Various other days, bonds from solidarity involving the family members or settlements of one’s bride-to-be and you may bridegroom bring about a reduction in the newest fee, incase the latest bride’s agnatic kin influence one to in the past the latest groom’s family relations energized a top brideprice to own a married relationship, they are gonna plus insist on an expensive percentage. However, there are also standardized relationships repayments along the Dagaaba setup. Currently, an average of 2000 cowries, otherwise cash comparable, are generally acknowledged once the bridewealth within the Serekpere and its own environs. So it matter stands for an excellent grave avoidance of an amount of 20,000 and you can more than cowries which had been accepted in the same area on 90s. From inside the context of neoliberal monetary regulations, and dwindling farming productivity accounts inside delicate ecological zone, all of our interaction having gatekeepers showed that the newest cutback on amount off cowries is intended to make relationships sensible. Significantly, the new payment isn’t contingent on the brand new issues of one’s bride to be, which is, if the bride to be is extremely educated, divorced, has recently considering birth or otherwise not because advertised elsewhere (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1989, 1995; Anderson, 2007). The fresh new regular norms ruling the technique of bridewealth are prepared aside if the negotiable regardless of the new bride’s socio-financial standing and/or level of liberties transferred.
Anderson (2007: 159) account one when you look at the options all over Africa, the marriage commission try normatively increased of the groom’s ‘father, dad and father’s brothers, in accordance with mother’s brothers and also make brief contributions’
This new bridewealth one of many Dagaaba, as across communities inside rural north Ghana, are an elaborate process of negotiations within agnatic kin off the groom and bride and you will, generally speaking, a 3rd party, called a great dendeo, a married relationship liaison. Usually, a wedding liaison is a person about groom’s community whom has some relationships on bride’s payment. The newest dendeo guides the fresh groom’s loved ones to the bride’s agnatic kin, basic in order to officially inquire about their turn in wedding and to spend the money for brideprice. The newest relations of dendeo into bride’s family relations indicate that aforementioned is careful for the bridegroom with his kin. The former in addition to begs on the part of this new groom’s kinsmen in the event the the fresh new bride’s family relations seek so you’re able to costs an excessive brideprice. While the bridewealth could have been relocated to and you can recognized by bride’s kin, the marriage connection is formed and you may legitimated.
Normatively, this new yirdandoo, your face of the relatives, instead of the father of your bride to be, is the caretaker of the cowries delivered given that marriage repayments. From the a team discussion in the Nator, close Serekpere, proving the fresh new what kind of visa do you get for your bride if you marry in a foriegn country part of the head of clan, Mwinyella, a study participant, informed me, pointing to help you their paternal cousin who’s your mind out of his clan, that: ‘it man are dad and so when i marry they could well be his obligation to help you [spend the money for bridewealth] for me’. But really, for parents in place of information designated just like the bridewealth, the new groom with his agnatic kin have the effect of raising it. Which changes, to some degree, regarding the Dagaaba membership demonstrated here. But really it resonates which have bridewealth techniques among particular Frafra congeries, in which normatively the latest groom’s father and you may father’s brothers are responsible for make payment on bridewealth and you can where he’s struggling to raise it the fresh new groom turns so you’re able to his dad’s or mom’s brothers to possess support.