So it losing this new bridewealth diverges about most commercialised costs claimed inside urban areas inside the Ghana and elsewhere (Shope, 2006; Posel & Rudwick, 2013)
The fresh payment of bridewealth occupies a significant reputation on wedding process round the https://getbride.org/kuumia-perulaisia-naisia/ ethnicities for the north Ghana, and Dagaaba, Frafra and you will Builsa places. One of the Dagaaba, new bridewealth, kyeuri, mainly comprises such as factors because the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, look for Shape 1 ), fowls, tobacco and you may cola insane. In many cases, the level of cowrie shells have to be consistent with whatever try paid for the newest bride’s mommy. Various other times, ties out-of solidarity between the parents otherwise agreements of your own fiance and you will groom bring about a reduction in this new percentage, of course the newest bride’s agnatic kin dictate you to definitely in past times the groom’s nearest and dearest recharged a top brideprice for a marriage, he is attending along with require an excessive payment. Nevertheless, there are even standardised relationship money along side Dagaaba setup. At the moment, on average 2000 cowries, otherwise bucks comparable, are often accepted because the bridewealth from inside the Serekpere and its own environs. That it count signifies an excellent grave cures from an amount of 20,000 and significantly more than cowries that has been acknowledged in the same area on 90s. Inside the perspective out-of neoliberal financial rules, and you will dwindling agricultural efficiency profile contained in this fine environmental region, our communication that have gatekeepers indicated that the brand new cutback into number out-of cowries is intended to make matrimony sensible. Significantly, the brand new commission isn’t contingent on the fresh points of one’s bride, that’s, whether the bride-to-be is extremely experienced, separated, has recently offered delivery or perhaps not because reported in other places (Borgerhoff Mulder, 1989, 1995; Anderson, 2007). The latest regular norms governing the technique of bridewealth are prepared away when the negotiable no matter new bride’s socio-monetary condition or perhaps the amount of liberties transferred.
Anderson (2007: 159) profile one for the setup around the Africa, the marriage payment is actually normatively increased because of the groom’s ‘father, pops and you will dad’s brothers, with mom’s brothers and work out short contributions’
The latest bridewealth among the many Dagaaba, because across communities inside the outlying northern Ghana, was an elaborate procedure of transactions within agnatic kin regarding brand new wedding couple and you can, usually, an authorized, named a great dendeo, a wedding liaison. Typically, a married relationship liaison is a man from the groom’s community exactly who has many interactions about bride’s payment. The dendeo prospects the brand new groom’s household members on the bride’s agnatic kin, earliest to officially ask for their unique turn in wedding also to pay the brideprice. Brand new interactions of your own dendeo into the bride’s family relations mean that aforementioned was careful on the bridegroom with his kin. The previous also pleads on behalf of the new groom’s kinsmen if the the new bride’s relatives are looking for to charge an inflated brideprice. Just like the bridewealth might have been gone to live in and you may accepted by bride’s kin, the marriage commitment is created and you may legitimated.
Normatively, the fresh yirdandoo, your face of one’s relatives, rather than the father of your bride to be, is the custodian of your own cowries lead once the matrimony money. In the a group discussion during the Nator, close Serekpere, showing this new part of head of one’s clan, Mwinyella, a report new member, informed me, directing to their paternal bro who is your mind off their clan, that: ‘so it guy is my dad thereby whenever i wed it will be their responsibility to [spend the money for bridewealth] having me’. Yet, to own family members rather than tips appointed while the bridewealth, the groom and his agnatic kin are responsible for raising it. Which changes, to some degree, regarding Dagaaba account presented here. Yet they resonates that have bridewealth means certainly one of some Frafra congeries, where normatively the groom’s dad and you may dad’s brothers have the effect of make payment on bridewealth and you may in which he’s not able to boost they the brand new bridegroom converts to their dad’s otherwise mother’s brothers to have help.