The fresh new fee regarding bridewealth occupies a significant reputation from the marriage process around the ethnicities inside north Ghana, together with Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa countries. One of many Dagaaba, the bridewealth, kyeuri, mostly constitutes such facts as libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, find Shape step 1), fowls, cig and you can soda nuts. Oftentimes, the level of cowrie shells need to be consistent with what is paid for brand new bride’s mother. Various other occasions, ties out-of solidarity within families or settlements of your fiance and you can bridegroom result in a reduction in brand new payment, while the bride’s agnatic kin determine one to previously the brand new groom’s relatives energized a premier brideprice to have a wedding, he’s gonna also insist upon an excessive percentage. However, there are also standardised wedding repayments over the Dagaaba options. At present, an average of 2000 cowries, or dollars similar, are usually acknowledged as the bridewealth within the Serekpere and its environments. It amount means a beneficial grave cures regarding some 20,000 and you can above cowries that has been accepted in the same city about 90s. From inside the perspective of neoliberal monetary regulations, and you can dwindling farming yields membership contained in this fine ashley madison mobiili environmental area, the telecommunications that have gatekeepers indicated that the newest cutback on the number from cowries is intended to build marriage affordable. So it reduced new bridewealth diverges regarding extremely commercialised payments advertised into the towns within the Ghana and you may elsewhere (Shope, Reference Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Reference Posel and you can Rudwick 2013). Notably, this new fee is not contingent up on the latest points of the bride-to-be, that’s, whether or not the bride-to-be is extremely knowledgeable, separated, has already offered delivery or otherwise not given that claimed elsewhere (Borgerhoff Mulder, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Source Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Source Anderson 2007). The brand new customary norms governing the practice of bridewealth are ready aside in the event the flexible regardless of the latest bride’s socio-economic status or perhaps the amount of rights transferred.
The previous also pleads on behalf of the brand new groom’s kinsmen in the event that the fresh new bride’s members of the family seek so you’re able to costs an expensive brideprice
Normally, a marriage liaison are a person regarding the groom’s village exactly who has many interactions in the bride’s payment. The newest dendeo leads the newest groom’s family unit members toward bride’s agnatic kin, first to formally require their particular turn in relationship and also to pay the brideprice. The connections of one’s dendeo for the bride’s friends imply that the latter try careful to the bridegroom along with his kin. Once the bridewealth has been relocated to and you will recognized from the bride’s kin, the wedding connection is created and legitimated.
Brand new bridewealth among the Dagaaba, as around the communities inside the outlying northern Ghana, was an elaborate means of negotiations involving the agnatic kin away from the latest groom and bride and, generally speaking, a third party, named good dendeo, a marriage liaison
Normatively, this new yirdandoo, the head of one’s friends, as opposed to the dad of bride to be, ‚s the custodian of one’s cowries put given that marriage money. At a group conversation in Nator, close Serekpere, proving the latest role of your lead of one’s clan, Mwinyella, a research participant, said, pointing so you can their paternal buddy that is your mind regarding their clan, that: ‘that it man try my father thereby when i get married they could well be their duty to help you [pay the bridewealth] to have me‘. But really, for family members instead of info designated since the bridewealth, the fresh new bridegroom and his awesome agnatic kin are responsible for increasing they. Anderson ( Source Anderson 2007: 159) account one to in the configurations across Africa, the marriage percentage are normatively elevated by groom’s ‘dad, daddy and you may dad’s brothers, with mom’s brothers and then make short contributions‘. It varies, to some degree, regarding the Dagaaba account exhibited here. But really it resonates with bridewealth practices one of some Frafra congeries, where normatively the brand new groom’s father and dad’s brothers have the effect of make payment on bridewealth and where he could be not able to boost they the new bridegroom turns so you’re able to his father’s or mother’s brothers for assistance.
