The newest fee away from bridewealth takes up an important condition throughout the marriage techniques across the ethnicities within the north Ghana, together with Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa regions. One of many Dagaaba, the fresh bridewealth, kyeuri, primarily comprises instance affairs since the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, get a hold of Shape 1), fowls, tobacco and you may cola insane. Occasionally, the level of cowrie shells must be commensurate with what are covered the newest bride’s mommy. In other era, bonds from solidarity between the parents otherwise settlements of the bride to be and groom end up in a decrease in the newest fee, and in case brand new bride’s agnatic kin determine you to definitely before this new groom’s household members recharged a high brideprice to possess a wedding, he or she is probably also require an excessive fee. Nonetheless, there are also standardised wedding repayments along the Dagaaba configurations. Currently, typically 2000 cowries, or cash similar, are recognized since bridewealth in the Serekpere and its environs. Which amount stands for a grave protection out-of some 20,000 and above cowries which was accepted in the same area on the 1990’s. In the context regarding neoliberal financial policies, and you may diminishing farming productivity membership within delicate ecological area, our communications with gatekeepers showed that this new cutback on the number from cowries is intended to create relationships affordable. Which loss in the latest bridewealth diverges about very commercialised repayments advertised from inside the cities in the Ghana and you may someplace else (Shope, Source Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Site Posel and Rudwick 2013). Importantly, brand new payment isn’t contingent upon this new activities of your own bride-to-be, that is, whether the bride-to-be is extremely knowledgeable, separated, has already offered birth or perhaps not once the said in other places (Borgerhoff Mulder, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Site Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Source Anderson 2007). The fresh new conventional norms governing the practice of bridewealth are prepared aside when the negotiable despite the fresh bride’s socio-financial position or perhaps the amount of rights directed.
The previous and additionally begs on behalf of new groom’s kinsmen in the event that the latest bride’s family unit members require so you can costs an inflated brideprice
Normally, a married relationship liaison are one from the groom’s town just who has many relations regarding bride’s settlement. The latest dendeo prospects the groom’s friends towards the bride’s agnatic kin, very first in order to formally request her hand in relationship also to pay the brideprice. The latest relationships of your own dendeo into bride’s nearest and dearest mean that the second try careful into the bridegroom with his kin. Because bridewealth could have been gone to live in and you will approved from the bride’s kin, the wedding union is made and you may legitimated.
The bridewealth among the Dagaaba, due to the fact around the societies during the rural northern Ghana, try a complicated procedure for transactions amongst the agnatic kin of brand new groom and bride and you may, typically, an authorized, titled a beneficial dendeo, a married relationship liaison
Normatively, the yirdandoo, your face of your household members, rather than the father of fiance, ‘s the custodian of your own cowries brought because the matrimony payments. At a team conversation inside the Nator, close Serekpere, exhibiting this new role of your lead of clan, Mwinyella, a report fellow member, informed me, leading so you can their paternal cousin who’s your face from his clan, that: ‘it man is actually my dad thereby while i get married they could well be his obligation so you’re able to [spend the money for bridewealth] to possess me’. Yet ,, getting family members in place of info appointed as the bridewealth, the fresh new bridegroom and his agnatic kin are responsible for elevating they. Anderson ( Source Anderson 2007: 159) profile you to definitely into the setup all over Africa, the marriage percentage was normatively increased because of the groom’s ‘dad, father and you may dad’s brothers, sufficient reason for mother’s brothers and make small contributions’. That it varies, to an extent, throughout the Dagaaba membership showed here. But really it resonates having bridewealth strategies one of certain Frafra congeries, in which normatively new groom’s father and you may dad’s brothers have the effect canadian kone of make payment on bridewealth and where they are struggling to raise it the fresh groom transforms in order to their dad’s or mother’s brothers having assistance.