People nowadays try to show their loyalty to state and not the society. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. in women. New York: The Free Press, 1963. - Respect. KINSHIP SYSTEM - Kinship refers to being related to another either by blood or marriage. Education of children has been left to teachers. The land belonged to the whole community. Factors contributing to harmony and mutual responsibility in African communities. In some societies it is young people themselves who make their own choices and after wards informs their parents about it. The gift replaces her reminding the family that she has left her people yet she is not dead. Natural Factors: ADVERTISEMENTS: Natural forces and factors play an important role in unifying or disintegrating the society. 1. 4. The wishes of parents and the dead were honored. This explains why the family household included servants, female slaves, and their children. (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) p.68. Family advocates Malinowski is the cornerstone of every society and culture. to find out if they are related. Naming ceremonies also bring unity among the people whenever a new child is born, members of extended family would come to celebrate together. They are important because they have a lot of experience. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956, 1966, 1971. iv. .The eldest son cannot inherit.15, The Baganda practice the levirate custom. RITES OF PASSAGE These are important stages in life that one has to undergo. 6. - Children made marriage complete. In this system, all brothers of the father are called father, all sisters of the mother are called mother, all their children brother and sister. 8. 4) Some people who falsely claim to be diviners today simply exploit the ignorance of the people. Sometimes people mistake that they are witch doctors especially Christians. The kinships are based on two broad aspects 1) Birth (Blood relationships) 2) marriages. The father knows that his children are not his ultimate responsibility but his sisters children. Strong religious beliefs helped bind the members of society together and inspire a sense of unity. iii. Box 169 In some communities, a pregnant women returns to her parents when the time for giving birth draws near. c. The corpse is washed using water. 3) They are fortunetellers and palm readers. - Marriage was a source of wealth for the family. However, both the organization of the family unit, marriage, decent systems and the structure of kinship relations vary from society to society and through time (Ingiabuna et al. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. iv. - Marriage extended relationship and therefore enlarged kinship ties. iv. Would you say in the Western marriage ritual of the priest leading on the saying of vowes, that the priest orders the groom to now kiss the bride, or put the ring on the brides finger, or ordered to be married for that matter? 1975. - This special treatment starts before and continues after childbirth. Spirit of sharing: In African Traditional Community there is the spirit of sharing of resources among the members of a community e.g. In the late and early 19th century, a detailed study conducted among the Baganda found that, Polygyny, the type of marriage in which the husband has plural wives, is not only the preferred but the dominant form of marriage for the Baganda.8 Commoners had two or three, chiefs had dozens, and the Kings had hundreds of wives. A curse by a senior relative. 26 Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers. Clyde., The Yao Village: a Study in the Social Structure of a Malawian Tribe. Death must have a cause. The kin group is also a source of emotional and spiritual belonging. - Taking of dangerous drugs. This means that they are looking for death to kill it. Polygyny was widely practiced in Africa and it often formed the backbone of the traditional African family patterns. vi. The following day, the naming ceremony takes place. The common descriptions of the African traditional family in the literature is Eurocentric and biased. This is meant to send it clean into the world of the living dead. After initiation one is now free to marry and has a right to inherit his fathers property. The Plan of Action also asserts that "for the full and harmonious development of their personality, children should grow up in a famil environmenty in a,n atmosphere of happiness lov, ane d understanding". iii. They also play the role of priests and pray for people. For example honesty is expected in marriage. - In most communities the child and the mother are kept in seclusion for a number of days, depending on the sex of the baby. Ngulube, Naboth M. J., Some Aspects of Growing Up in Zambia, Lusaka: Nalinga Consultancy/Sol-Consult A/S Limited, 1989. - People do not have a lot of attachment to land, as there are other means of survival. Importance of Kinship System and Ties. In some communities girls are given to kings or chiefs as gifts. 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 It has been widely documented, particularly in Western cultural settings, that women prefer to compete less than men. v. Taking oaths falsely. While the basic functions of the family remain the same all over the world, traditional African families have undergone significant transformations attributed to an interplay of factors, including Christianity, industrialization, educational expansion, population growth, monetization of the economy, migration, civilization, and now globalization. For example, in the polygynous African family, like among the Baganda, and many others, your fathers wives and brothers were not just mothers and fathers just as mere kinship terms. 7. - Purification rites are performed for the mother and the child to make the child pure. the pain the initiates underwent. .. They could also warn of impending danger. - Rainmakers are special people who have the ability to make rain. 4. Boys and girls are not allowed to mix freely unless under supervision. They also do the work of advisors e.g. 4. LEISURE Leisure is the free time that an individual has at his disposal when he is not bound by duty. In fact cases where the father-in-law has to issue orders are perhaps such a minority that it is ironical that they are used to characterize the whole social interaction. they are operational and obtainable in every society around the world be it traditional or modern. 3. As Eaton et al (2003) found in South Africa, for young people struggling for daily survival, protection from possible future illness may be a lower priority than meeting immediate economic needs. Boys herd goats, cows, and livestock. 2 Traditional foster care arrangements are referred to as non-kin foster care. Measures that are taken to make sure virginity is preserved i).Virginity is highly valued and a girl is meant to preserve her virginity until marriage. PRIESTS/PROPHETS OR SEERS - These are other religious specialists who play a special role as intermediaries between God and human beings. (Ndola: Mission Press, 1988), 44 Thomas Price, A Short English-Nyanja Vocaublary, (Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia, and Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1970). NAMING Nearly all-African names have a meaning. They can also reveal-hidden information e.g. 35 3Audrey I. Richards, Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions. The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers. Changing Family Patterns: Sub-Saharan Africa, in World Revolution and Family Patterns. As the African society has not been static, changes in the traditional family patterns will be briefly alluded to. There are three main types of kinship: lineal, collateral, and affinal. ii. They are those who do not believe in traditional medicine. 4. among the Luos a person who comes out with the placenta would be called Obiero or Awino. Once the negotiations are over then dowry payment would begin. 4. Urbanization: Those who move away from home to towns in search of Jobs are drawn from their ancestral homes. 1967. It is said to be the basic and universal in relationships. Some communities such as the Maasai still maintain their traditional way of dressing. There are basically eight primary kinswife father son, father daughter mother son, wife; father son, father daughter, mother son, mother daughter; brother sister; and younger brother/sister older brother/sister. It varies from culture to culture, from society to society. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. Second, an identifying drum beat used at ceremonies. MEDIUMS AND DIVINERS - Mediums are people through which ancestors and spirits communicate with the living. - The naming of the child takes place some days after birth. - When a woman learns that she is pregnant, she becomes very happy and she becomes a special person in the community and receives special treatment. Richards, Audrey I., Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969. - A lot of bleeding can lead to the death of an individual. Kinship relationships also determine social obligations and responsibilities, such as who has the right to inherit property or who is responsible for caring for children Rethinking the Family: Some Feminist Questions, New York: Longman, 1982. 47 Mwizenge S. Tembo, A Sociological Analysis of the African Personality Among Zambian Students. Anything described in these terms must inherently be bad, primitive and, therefore, undesirable.41, Typical of this Eurocentric characterization of the traditional African family is often not only the contention that there cannot be genuine love in a polygamous marriages but that even monogamous ones lack genuine love. viii. A Bemba belongs to his mothers clan (umukoa), a group of relatives more or less distantly connected, who reckon descent from real or fictitious common ancestries, use a common totem name, and a series of praise titles, recite a common legend of origin and accept certain joint obligations.30. Both the mother and the child are given charms to protect them. Religion, in the African indigenous context, permeates all departments of life. vii. f. The grave is dug in a special place e.g. 36 Lucy P. Mair African Marriage and Social Change, in Survey of African Marriage and Family Life. the outcome of a war 5. Through this, they believed they could receive blessings. Women were not allowed to own property. false T/F: Female slaves generally worked outdoors while male slaves did domestic work. - They are given financial assistance. - Kinship system provides the peaceful ways of settling disputes in a community as all are treated as brothers and sisters. However dowry payment has been hindered by several factors today e.g. According to Dziro and Mhlanga (2018), urbanization, HIV/AIDS, and poverty in Africa are all factors that stifle the effectiveness of informal kinship approaches to proper childcare and. In some communities, it may be done in the forest while others the expectant mother would go back to their parents while others could also be done in the house of the in-law. 7 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures, (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) Ch. Rain makers ii. That is to say a man goes to live in his wifes village, at any rate for the first years of his married life.22 This is also true of marriage among other Zambian tribes like the Bisa, Lala, Lamba, Chewa, Kaonde, and many others. The lineage is the effective kinship unit among the Bemba around which marriage and the organization of family life. revolves.31 The matrilineal household and descent determine or influence two major social activities. This is because; 1 It is unavoidable. g. The body is carefully placed in the grave facing an appropriate direction according to the customs of the people. Family plays a central role in African society. - They counsel and guide the youth on matters of sex and marriage Why guiding and counseling was done by elders 1. Social change in Africa as everywhere else is ubiquitous. 2. Dr. Mwizenge S. Tembo Such occasions include beer drinking, wrestling, playing football, singing and dancing etc. Second Edition, London: The Macmillan Press, Ltd., 1974. The anthropology of the Caribbean has been called "the battle ground for competing. If there is agreement, this marks the beginning of courtship period. The degree of relatedness of carer to the child, socio-economic status of fostering households, gender and age were identified as factors contributing to the well-being of children in kinship care. Although children among the Baganda are brought up in an unroutinized and casual way with a few rites of passage to adulthood, they seem to go through three distinct stages during their up bringing. Other names can refer to place of birth e.g. - Religious organizations assist widows to start income generating projects. The children learn the customs, beliefs, and culture pertaining to the social roles of being a woman, mother, and wife for girls; and a man, father, and husband for boys. - Life also continues after death, death does not mark the end of life but is just a change of state. Coser, Rose Lamb., (Ed.) Polygyny though set the tone and often determined the strength of the society and pattern of social organization of the traditional African family. BIRTH Pregnancy - This is the first stage in the life of a person. Young initiates are trained to be responsible husbands and wives in future. 6. Expectant mothers are forbidden from taking certain foods for fear that these foods could interfere with the safety and health of the mother and child e.g. - They preside over important occasions such as initiation, planting and marriage. LAND In the traditional African society, people had a lot of attachment to land. Pregnant women are not allowed to handle certain types of tools. The medicine men lead the community in religious rituals. They live in one Geographical area. This review finds that parental care remains the best care setting and should be highly encouraged within African society. vi. DEATH Death is the last rite in ones life and unlike other rites like initiation, naming. The author obtained his B.A in Sociology and Psychology at University of Zambia in 1976, M.A, Ph. 2. Marriage 4. among the Luos the man is buried at the right and woman is buried the left. Prayers are offered also during time of calamities. He ..also adopts the deceased persons children, calling them his and making no distinction between them and his own children.16. This paper aims at tackling the change in the anthropological view of marriage and kinship ties in the society. The husband could take his wife home if the marriage was thought stable especially after the couple has had two or more children. 4. 6. Such include: - - Birth - Initiation - Marriage - Death 5. FACTORS AFFECTING THE SYSTEM 173 THE SIB: DESCENT AND EXOGAMY Kinship ties necessarily begin within the family as a pro- creational unit. 5. Main factors which affect social change can be discussed a follows: 1. 2. vi. 3. In western European societies Jack Goode finds that world revolution has contributed for the transformation of . - Children born out of marriage also provide security to the homes. Many children 2. This helps to control peoples behaviors. Land ownership: The ancestral land is communally owned and nobody is allowed to sell it. It also gives them time to find out the background of the partners e.g. In some communities the choice is made by the parents. It shapes such daily experiences as how and where individuals live, how they interact with the people around them, and even, in some cases, whom they marry. However, it is not a form of payment as is mistaken by others. Some names are given according to the time one was born. Kinship is a social relationship based on real consanguinity. 6. Names could also depict the character of the child. This is done by breaking the hearts of relatives by refusing to be good-hearted when they need you. GAZETTE: How have ancestors . iii. Christianity: Christianity has weakened African Kinship ties by introducing new ties by the Christian family. Edited by G.A. 4. Impact of Modernism on Family. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. Other names may also refer to the characteristics of the mothers pregnancy or the nature of delivery e.g. This difficulty in generalization bone of diversity was already apparent to many early scholars of the African traditional family like Mair(1) and Goode(2). It is a sign of belonging to the society or identification. 1. People who have become educated consider the shaving of the hair unnecessary. This symbolizes new life. - Generosity. Girls take care of the babies and fetch firewood. How the of rites passage inculcate moral values In the traditional African communities, people learn the moral values through every days activities and through education provided. We do not sell brides in our society. The introduction of formal education Formal education has weakened the role of parents and grandparents. 2) Some students also consult them to succeed in exams and career. e. In certain communities pregnant women and children are not allowed to go near touch the corpse to avoid misfortunes. This was because: - i. Africans believe that land was given to them by God. Among the Chewa of Eastern Zambia, the custom of man living with his wifes parents temporarily or permanently was known as Ukamwini.23. 3. Bridgewater, VA 22812 In the western culture, marriage results in permanent bonds between the couple, with centrally assigned sexual rights among the couple and parenthood responsibility. - They are kept company. Those who did not have were assisted to acquire property by the community. A clan is made up of a family who either are related by blood and marriage. He was a Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies of the University of Zambia from 1977 to 1990. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956, 1966, 1971). Some communities have abandoned initiation rites like among the luo; removal of six lower teeth is a practice of the past. in cases of death, the whole community mourn. During the period earlier than 1940s, marriages remained completely matrilocal during the couples entire life. Chondoka, Yizenge A., Traditional Marriages in Zambia: A Study in Cultural History, Ndola, Mission Press, 1988. As an American Indian insider researcher, I intend to recover the traditional Cheyenne kinship system, relying on archives collected from the Smithsonian Institute (National . The man who is the heir to the widow has the additional family responsibility of adopting the widows family. If one fails to show respect to such seniors. This shows that children seals marriage. People who have gone to school see the aged as old fashioned (generation gap) 6. Young men are taught to be honest in all their undertakings. LeVine40 described some of the customs and patterns that surround interaction in the traditional African family as institutionalized restrictions, segregated patterns, and avoidance patterns. Although polygamy is the act of an individual being married to more than one spouse at the same time, the more commonly practiced in Africa is polygyny .the legal marriage of one man to two or more women concurrently is permitted.4 This author argues that because of its perversity, the presence and absence of polygyny was a significant determinant and indicator of the nature of virtually every African social group; whether tribe, clan, or extended family, whether matrilineality or patrilineality was practiced, bride price existed, and how children were raised. 2. But rather as curiosities that were to succumb to the superior European monogamous marriage values legitimated by Christianity. Role of priests, prophets and seers 1. Included in this same bigger household will be servants, female slaves, and their children.10 The father remains the head of the nuclear family units. Importance of Initiation i. Second, an identifying drum beat used at ceremonies. iv. (Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980). This manuscript was written for a book, which was never published, which was to be edited by Dr. Elizabeth Brooks who was a lecturer at the University of Zambia. First, two animal totems from one of which the clan derives its name. drought, famine etc. Because of this wide spectrum, it is not possible to explore all aspects of the traditional African family. Rituals associated with death vary from one community to another. Wedding ceremony - After the negotiation the wedding ceremonies are arranged. Elders are respected [32777] [42770]. vii. Through the kinship system, people learn the importance of sharing what they have with others. Today initiation is not done at particular stage in life. 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