He has no rights on his paternal clan. This is because; 1 It is unavoidable. It must be emphasized, however, that these were traditional patterns as far back as late 1800s up to as late as 1960s. vi. Types of Kinship. Among the Chewa of Eastern Zambia, the custom of man living with his wifes parents temporarily or permanently was known as Ukamwini.23. 6. - They suffer from psychological and emotional problems - Sometimes widows face lack of essentials such as food. Young initiates are trained to be responsible husbands and wives in future. (Ndola: Mission Press, 1988), 44 Thomas Price, A Short English-Nyanja Vocaublary, (Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia, and Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1970). - They could also observe the weather conduction and interpret the movement of clouds and wind. A mans legal entitlements and rights of inheritance are on his mothers side. These carried with them all the heavy social obligations demanded of a mother or father, daughter or son. What was the structure of the polygynous family? When one dies, he joins the world of the living dead. Life is seen to begin from the time of conception since unborn children are taken as part of the community. Most social scientists agree that kinship is based on two broad areas: birth and marriage; others say a third category of kinship involves social ties. Follow. 3. Many children 2. It was used to bury the dead, the spirits were believed to dwell on land or below the ground. 2. 7. D. at Michigan State University in Sociology in 1987. 2003). 4. This chapter will briefly explore traditional African family patterns describing the patrilineal and matrilineal families. Young people are trained to have respect for others and self-respect. Lecture: Nexus kinship and blood has a taste if age-old ideologies. There has been a lot of interference from Christian religious beliefs. p119. DEATH RITES When a person dies, members of the family gather at the home of the deceased and leave their everyday commitments for a while. Religion, in the African indigenous context, permeates all departments of life. Kinship is the relationship, including social relationship, that exists between two or more individuals, and kinship has a major influence on political, and economic systems in many different regions from around the world. Naming ceremonies also provide opportunity to teach the culture of the youth. 7. 3. Importance of marriage - Marriage is for the continuity of the society and is an institution that is ordained by God. It was written in 1988. Therefore, they try to restrict the kinship ties. The degree of relatedness to the caregiver and socio-economic status of the fostering household were the strongest determinants of the well-being of children in kinship care. 6. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. They are free most of them and can get time for the younger generation. People who have become educated consider the shaving of the hair unnecessary. They are those who do not believe in traditional medicine. Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953), 24 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969). vii. The degree of which witchcraft as a cause of death is emphasized varies from one community to another. Kinship relationships were and still are important among African communities. They lead people to communal prayer in time of crisis. This means that they are looking for death to kill it. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. - It causes physical injury to the victim. Those who had not been initiated were not allowed to own property. After initiation one is now free to marry and has a right to inherit his fathers property. The basic kinship unit of Bemba society is not the individual family, but a matrilocal extended family composed of a man and his wife, their married daughters, and the latters husbands and children.24, A young Bemba couple live in the same hut with a child of pre-weaning age whom they may have. - Gambling. - Kinship ties also provide security to all concerned. Because of this wide spectrum, it is not possible to explore all aspects of the traditional African family. Majority of women today give birth in hospitals. The study of African societies has become an established area of scholarship, with sophisticated analyses that are far from earlier works . The husband could take his wife home if the marriage was thought stable especially after the couple has had two or more children. Pregnant women are not allowed to handle certain types of tools. 18. a) State five changes that have taken place in property ownership today. These constitute the core of the Bemba traditional African family around which the social organization of the traditional society revolves. The community disciplined those who showed traits of greed over ownership of property. i. Christianity: Christianity has weakened African Kinship ties by introducing new ties by the Christian family. Kinship is a social relationship based on real consanguinity. - Honesty. - In some communities e.g. - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. These relationships which are described in this way are rituals of respect between a son-in-law and his mother-in-law, a daughter-in-law and her father-in-law. Modern education and western culture has affected dowry payment in that many educated attach little value to dowry payment. 2. T/F: Through slavery, forced separation of spouses, siblings, and parents from children led to a more expansive definition of kinship, and thus an extended family model took root. - They give instructions to the younger generation on their roles and duties. Some people believe casting of an evil eye would cause bodily harm to somebody. The midwife also monitors the development of the foetus. DeVos, (New York: D. Van Nostrand Co., 1976). iii. There are also cases of inter-tribal marriages. They are made aware of their responsibilities in adulthood. Dec. 31, 2007. According to Mair, .the polygynous joint family, consisting of a man, his wives, and their children, is the ideal for most Africans.5 Studies conducted from the 1930s to 1950s indicate that polygyny was common virtually in all regions of Africa.6, In spite of the perversity of polygyny, there was evidence that it was on the decline. Human society is unique, he argues, in that we are "working with the same raw material as exists in the animal world, but [we] can conceptualize and categorize it to There are societies where prayers are made to the mother and the child. This is done by breaking the hearts of relatives by refusing to be good-hearted when they need you. LeVine40 described some of the customs and patterns that surround interaction in the traditional African family as institutionalized restrictions, segregated patterns, and avoidance patterns. 2 William J. The effective boundaries of the network vary for different people, over time and for different contents. Everyone has an obligation to marry or get married. x. That is, kinship is a network of relationships in which each tie is influenced by, and in turn influences, the others. food, beer drinking. Price, Thomas., A Short English-Nyanja Vocabulary. 1. Polygamy was preferred in African Traditional societies but today many people prefer monogamy marriage mainly due to economic hardship. Everybody is a part of the other. ii. Christianity: Christianity has weakened African Kinship ties by introducing new ties by the Christian family. In some instances a go between would be used to identify a suitable partner. Such influences as end of intra and inter-tribal warfare with the coming of European colonialism, the Western money economy, industrialization, migration, and urbanization have certainly transformed the traditional African family from what it was 50 to 100 years ago. vii. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. This is sexual differentiation in socialization in which girls will become acceptable mothers and wives and boys husbands and fathers. Rain makers ii. - Diviners are people who are believed to have the ability to reveal hidden things by use of magical powers Role of mediums and diviners in the societies i. Mediums link the living, spirits and the ancestors. - They give direction on funeral ceremonies and advise on what should be done about the ceremony. vi. - Kinship helps to prevent the spread of hereditary diseases. Headmanships of villages, court offices, ritual titles, and chieftainships are passed on in this way. They act as judges in certain circumstances. ix. - Rainmakers observe the behavior of insects, birds and animals to predict the nature of rain. - The children born after his death were still referred to as his. - With the introduction of money economy it is possible to sell land. h. Among the Luos animals are driven over the graveside, people run in the homestead with spears. The permissive society has also encouraged trial marriages. 1967. Some names are given according to the time one was born. The descriptions implicitly portray (to the African and Westerner) African relationships as being negative, rigid and miserable. The naming ceremony is very important early in the childs life. Reconnecting with a genetic tie Genetic resource and testing connected a person to their blood. - However the practice of looking after widows and orphans is dying out. It symbolized death and resurrection. traditional agricultural systems of production and the increasing ownership of land by women, as well as education and access to contraceptives have reduced the demand for large families. Traditionally no parent fixes a price for his daughter (a bride). In some communities there is feasting and drinking of beer. Same ancestry: People of a particular community believe that they have the same origin e.g. - Different communities have different rules on where the delivery should take place. © 2023 Tutorke Limited. Babbie, Earl R., Sociology: An Introduction. Even traditionally, ordinary citizens could not achieve marrying more than one wife. Most of these ceremonies are religious. There are three main types of kinship: lineal, collateral, and affinal. They believe iron implements attract lightning. We do not sell brides in our society. Researchers have examined the effects of matrilineal kinship systems for women's preferences, including preference for competition, altruism, risk, and political participation. Hotel Hope Ministries is a fully registered South African non-profit organisation established with aim of ensuring that each and every child is brought up in a safe, happy and healthy home so that they can grow up and develop into responsible and positive adults. 2. Courage is usually praised. - Kinship system provides the peaceful ways of settling disputes in a community as all are treated as brothers and sisters. She organizes the disposal of the placenta (after birth). They are regarded as honest. Marriage ceremonies brought people together as they came together to rejoice. Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. 29 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.30. 6. Depending on the region and the people, these. They are referred to as the Eskimo, Hawaiian, Sudanese, Omaha, Crow, and Iroquois systems. 3. 11 This study was conducted in the late 1800s when inter-tribal warfare and capturing of slaves from the wars was still very common. 4. Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953) p.14, 37 Lucy P. Mair, African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life, Edited by Arthur Phillips, (London: Oxford University Press, 1953) p.51 Naboth M. J. Ngulube, Some Aspects of Growing Up in Zambia. Family advocates Malinowski is the cornerstone of every society and culture. Importance of Naming 1. ii. [1] The kin group is also a source of emotional and spiritual belonging. 3) They are fortunetellers and palm readers. 8. 6. The gifts also act as security in case the marriage breaks then the gifts could be returned. In difficult times such as during famine, those who have share what they have with their relatives. They live in one Geographical area. ii. Some of the major issues raised will include polygamy, tribe, clan, the extended family, bride price and the raising of children. The written descriptions and therefore perceptions of the traditional African family were also a victim of the European colonial cultural bias and Christian values. Th importance whice h UNICEF attaches to the family is also based on the Conventio onn the Eliminatio onf They have the ability to foretell what would happen in the future. Almost 30% of all single-parent families headed by women are officially poor. 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