That it reduction in the fresh new bridewealth diverges about most commercialised payments reported for the towns in Ghana and you may elsewhere (Shope, 2006; Posel & Rudwick, 2013)
The newest payment of bridewealth occupies an important condition about relationship processes round the ethnicities into the northern Ghana, including Dagaaba, Frafra and Builsa regions. Among the many Dagaaba, new bridewealth, kyeuri, generally comprises such facts given that libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, select Profile step one ), fowls, smoking and you may cola insane. In some cases, the level of cowrie shells must be in keeping with what try covered the newest bride’s mommy. Various other hours, ties out of solidarity involving the group or settlements of one’s bride-to-be and you can groom produce a reduction in brand new fee, if in case the fresh new uzbekistan naiset bride’s agnatic kin influence you to in the past the fresh new groom’s nearest and dearest billed a top brideprice getting a married relationship, he could be going to and insist upon an exorbitant percentage. Nevertheless, there are also standardised wedding money across the Dagaaba options. Right now, normally 2000 cowries, or cash comparable, are often recognized as the bridewealth inside Serekpere and its own environs. That it amount stands for an effective grave reduction out of an amount of 20,000 and you can a lot more than cowries that was approved in the same city regarding the 90s. In perspective out of neoliberal financial procedures, and you can dwindling farming yields profile contained in this delicate environmental region, all of our communications that have gatekeepers showed that the brand new cutback to your number away from cowries is intended to make relationship sensible. Significantly, the payment is not contingent abreast of the fresh points of one’s bride-to-be, that is, whether the bride to be is extremely experienced, separated, has already provided birth or otherwise not once the reported in other places (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1989, 1995; Anderson, 2007). Brand new vintage norms governing the technique of bridewealth are ready away when the negotiable irrespective of the latest bride’s socio-economic position and/or level of legal rights transferred.
Anderson (2007: 159) records one from inside the setup across Africa, the wedding fee was normatively elevated because of the groom’s ‘dad, father and you can father’s brothers, in accordance with mom’s brothers and work out small contributions’
The bridewealth one of the Dagaaba, while the round the societies inside the outlying north Ghana, are an elaborate procedure of deals between the agnatic kin of this new wedding couple and, generally speaking, a third party, named a beneficial dendeo, a wedding liaison. Typically, a married relationship liaison are men regarding groom’s town whom has many connections regarding bride’s payment. The dendeo prospects the fresh new groom’s household members on bride’s agnatic kin, very first in order to officially inquire about their particular hand-in marriage also to afford the brideprice. The interactions of the dendeo towards the bride’s family members signify aforementioned is considerate with the bridegroom along with his kin. The previous plus begs for the new groom’s kinsmen in the event that the brand new bride’s family members want so you can fees an expensive brideprice. Because the bridewealth might have been transferred to and acknowledged from the bride’s kin, the marriage partnership is formed and you may legitimated.
Normatively, new yirdandoo, the head of your own nearest and dearest, rather than the father of bride-to-be, ‘s the custodian of your cowries brought as relationships costs. During the a team conversation when you look at the Nator, near Serekpere, exhibiting new role of direct of one’s clan, Mwinyella, a study new member, told me, pointing so you can his paternal cousin that is the head away from their clan, that: ‘that it man is my dad and therefore whenever i marry it would be their obligation so you’re able to [pay the bridewealth] for me’. Yet, to own families versus resources designated due to the fact bridewealth, the new groom along with his agnatic kin have the effect of elevating they. This changes, to an extent, on Dagaaba membership demonstrated right here. But really they resonates with bridewealth techniques certainly one of certain Frafra congeries, where normatively the fresh new groom’s father and you will father’s brothers are responsible for make payment on bridewealth and you will in which he or she is incapable of increase they new groom turns so you’re able to his dad’s otherwise mom’s brothers to possess assistance.