The fresh payment regarding bridewealth occupies an essential condition about matrimony process across the ethnicities in the north Ghana, together with Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa nations. One of several Dagaaba, brand new bridewealth, kyeuri, mainly comprises such as for example factors since the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, pick Profile step 1), fowls, tobacco cigarette and you can soda crazy. In some instances, the level of cowrie shells must be in keeping with whatever is purchased the new bride’s mom. Stuttgart women In other era, ties regarding solidarity between the family or settlements of one’s bride-to-be and you will bridegroom trigger a decrease in the brand new fee, while the new bride’s agnatic kin dictate you to definitely before new groom’s loved ones recharged a top brideprice to own a marriage, he or she is browsing together with insist upon an exorbitant fee. Nonetheless, there are also standardized wedding repayments across the Dagaaba configurations. At the moment, an average of 2000 cowries, otherwise bucks similar, are often accepted due to the fact bridewealth inside Serekpere and its own environs. That it matter represents a good grave protection away from an amount of 20,000 and you may a lot more than cowries which had been approved in identical urban area from the 1990s. Inside the perspective regarding neoliberal monetary procedures, and you will diminishing farming efficiency accounts in this delicate ecological region, the interaction which have gatekeepers revealed that the fresh new cutback into the matter of cowries is meant to create relationship reasonable. That it reduction in this new bridewealth diverges from the very commercialised costs reported within the cities during the Ghana and in other places (Shope, Resource Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Source Posel and you will Rudwick 2013). Notably, the fresh new payment isn’t contingent abreast of the newest things of your bride, that is, whether the bride is extremely educated, separated, has already offered birth or perhaps not because the claimed elsewhere (Borgerhoff Mulder, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Reference Anderson 2007). The newest classic norms ruling the technique of bridewealth are prepared aside if flexible regardless of new bride’s socio-financial standing and/or level of liberties transferred.
The previous along with pleads on behalf of the fresh groom’s kinsmen in the event that the latest bride’s household members are searching for to fees an excessive brideprice
Normally, a married relationship liaison are a guy throughout the groom’s village exactly who has many relationships in the bride’s payment. The fresh new dendeo leads new groom’s nearest and dearest on bride’s agnatic kin, earliest to formally inquire about their unique hand in wedding in order to afford the brideprice. The relationships of one’s dendeo on the bride’s members of the family signify the latter was considerate towards the bridegroom and his kin. Given that bridewealth has been transferred to and you may recognized of the bride’s kin, the wedding partnership is created and legitimated.
This new bridewealth one of the Dagaaba, as across the communities during the rural northern Ghana, try a complex means of dealings within agnatic kin out of this new wedding couple and, typically, a 3rd party, entitled a beneficial dendeo, a wedding liaison
Normatively, the brand new yirdandoo, your mind of your own loved ones, instead of the dad of the bride to be, ‘s the caretaker of your own cowries put because matrimony repayments. On a group talk for the Nator, near Serekpere, showing new character of your own lead of the clan, Mwinyella, a research new member, told me, leading so you can their paternal bro that is the head out-of their clan, that: ‘which man is my dad and therefore once i marry it would-be their duty so you’re able to [spend the money for bridewealth] having me’. Yet, to have parents as opposed to information appointed because the bridewealth, the fresh bridegroom and his awesome agnatic kin are responsible for raising it. Anderson ( Reference Anderson 2007: 159) account you to for the options round the Africa, the wedding commission are normatively raised of the groom’s ‘dad, parent and you will dad’s brothers, and with mom’s brothers while making short contributions’. It varies, to an extent, about Dagaaba account exhibited here. Yet , it resonates which have bridewealth strategies among specific Frafra congeries, where normatively the groom’s father and you may father’s brothers are responsible for make payment on bridewealth and you will in which he or she is incapable of improve it the newest bridegroom converts so you’re able to his father’s otherwise mother’s brothers having service.