People learn to be thankful to God, parents, relatives and one another AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY AND KINSHIP African community is used to refer to a group of people occupying a particular geographical area, share common interest and practices a sense of togetherness. 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. Elders iv. Dressing The dress code differed from one community to another in the traditional African setup. Spirit of sharing: In African Traditional Community there is the spirit of sharing of resources among the members of a community e.g. Richards, Audrey I., Bemba Marriage and Present Economic Conditions, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969. The land belonged to the whole community. a person born during locusts invasion can be called Adede among the luo. This shows concern that they have for the child. among the Luos a person who comes out with the placenta would be called Obiero or Awino. Each community has a distinct political and social organization. - Marriage enables one to assume leadership rules an unmarried person would not be chosen a leader. Kinship is a social relationship based on real consanguinity. Schooling where children spend most of their time with teachers depriving them the time to be with elders. fellow Christians. vii. It symbolized death and resurrection. Second, an identifying drum beat used at ceremonies. The African notion of "family," by contrast, typically refers to the extended family system. It also gives them time to find out the background of the partners e.g. 6. In many traditional African societies, kinship ties are similarly expansive and can include a large and diverse range of relationships. .The eldest son cannot inherit.15, The Baganda practice the levirate custom. 5. 9) The practice has also been affected by belief in conventional medicine. b) Outline the role of priests in Traditional African communities. The mid wife checks any abnormalities on the babies at the correct time. Asante, Molefi Kete., Afrocentricity; The Theory of Social Change, Buffalo: Amulefi Publishing Company, 1980. Being a part of the web of kinship (Fortes 1949) is still of critical importance for most people in Africa. Land was also the habitat of people, animals and plants. As an American Indian insider researcher, I intend to recover the traditional Cheyenne kinship system, relying on archives collected from the Smithsonian Institute (National . Before initiation, one is viewed as a child no matter the age. The gifts also act as security in case the marriage breaks then the gifts could be returned. 4. It is a token of appreciation in the part of the bridegrooms people to those of the bride for the care over her. Those who abuse sex are heavily punished. Tembo, Mwizenge S., A Sociological Analysis of the African Personality Among Zambian Students. to find out if they are related. food, beer drinking. Through apprenticeship iv. At times force could be applied to get a reluctant young girl marry the partner. It offers a general survey of the geographical environments they inhabited; their settlements, social structures and economies; and their religions and cultures. In the traditional African Community, marriage was considered incomplete without children. Marriage: Has been individualized and is no longer a communal affair. 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. They play the role of counselors and advisors to the community. All the members come together in times of need. iii. 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. - The placenta is disposed of ceremoniously e.g. 6. Everybody in the community is expected to work hard. - Alcoholism. Mbiri Ya Achewa, 195? 25 This book is written in Chewa indigenous Central African language. Meanwhile the man and her married sister do not live in one locality, as they must maintain their marriages. Anthropologists have discovered that there are only six basic kin naming patterns or systems used by almost all of the thousands of cultures in the world. Third, certain distinguishing personal names. These variations are caused by differences in tribal customs or culture according geography, history, religion, external influence of colonialism, inter migration, political and economic structures and influences. 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. vi. children born out of wed-lock are killed or abandoned. For example, all weapons and iron implements are removed from the house of an expectant mother. 5. LEISURE Leisure is the free time that an individual has at his disposal when he is not bound by duty. But typically news, information, and gossip flow readily through the network, with some individuals acting as "kin . As such disputes over land ownership were rare, this is because:- i. Barnes, Marriage in a Changing Society: a Study in Structural Change among the Fort Jameson Ngoni, The Rhodes-Livingstone Papers, (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1951, 1970). They could also warn of impending danger. 6. Once the proposals are made, the parents and relatives would begin marriage negotiations. 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. D. at Michigan State University in Sociology in 1987. - They preside over important occasions such as initiation, planting and marriage. Bride wealth has lost its original meaning and has been commercialized. i. - The government assists widows to get their husbands benefits. Second, the continued Eurocentric descriptions and characterization of the African traditional family as some what depraved lead to the use of such terms as bride price, avoidance social taboos, segregated relationships, lack of love and tenderness in African marriages and families. A father-in-law knows what to expect from a good son-in-law. One could also die due to breaking a taboo in such instances elders would identify the offender and perform an act of cleansing. - It also shows that the woman is fully integrated to the husbands family - There are certain rules and regulations she is expected to observe. But it makes it difficult to keep track of our kin. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. These institutions are a cultural universal i.e. viii. 5. (1) According to the Dictionary of Anthropology, "Kinship system includes socially recognized relationships based on supposed as well as actual genealogical ties.". - Also include the dead and those yet to be born and the departed relatives. It is a sign of belonging to the society or identification. The case studies presented will be those of the Baganda of Uganda and Bemba of Northern Zambia. People of the same age set consider themselves as brothers and sisters. Their roles include the following:- i. 3. - They act as a court of law to errant members of the society. They face challenges from medical practitioners who argue that they should go for formal training. Aboriginal kinship ties, values, beliefs, identity and language are maintained by the family. - After the cutting of the skin, the initiates are put in special huts for a period of time. - Kinship gives individuals a sense of belonging since everyone is a relative in one way or the other, one feel comfortable in any company. In fact Chondoka finds the use of the terms dowry, bride price to refer to particularly traditional Zambian marriages to be serious misnomers introduced by European missionaries and colonialists in Africa. The common descriptions of the African traditional family in the literature is Eurocentric and biased. 3. 8. ii. 16. - There are rites of passage that one has to undergo. in cases of death, the whole community mourn. - Sometimes the orphans and widows have their property destroyed or snatched. (2) Generation: Kinship tie is established between the persons in relation to generation. Edited by G.A. They also have the ability to stop rain. 4. 4. Midwife could assist the mother in actual delivery to ensure the safety of the baby. 5. the Agikuyu the ancestors are Mumbi and Gikuyu were created by Ngai. PaulVMcDowell. Importance of courtship 1. society. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1956, 1966, 1971). 3. 2. In some instances a go between would be used to identify a suitable partner. 4. The youth are ritually introduced to the communal living. 7. - Religious organizations assist widows to start income generating projects. They act as intermediaries between God and human beings. 7. Actual birth - During birth there are certain rituals that are performed to introduce the chills to the immediate and extended members of the family. This was because: - i. Africans believe that land was given to them by God. - In some communities it would last for several days. Thesis. Prayers are offered also during time of calamities. v. In some cases if a man is married and wants another wife his first or other wives would be involved in making the proposal. 4. RAIN MAKERS - Rain in traditional Africa is understood to come directly from God. They also do the work of advisors e.g. Similar customs or rules of restrictions in interaction apply between many other kin in a traditional African family. [1] 6. This may be due to urbanization and economic constraints. 6. 8. Naming ceremonies also bring unity among the people whenever a new child is born, members of extended family would come to celebrate together. Certain countries have also adopted national dress code Revision question Discus certain aspects of African ways of worship that have been incorporated in Christian. - People tend to be individualized. Yet others could also die due to old age. The Baganda use classificatory system of kinship terminology which seems common to virtually all the Bantu peoples of Central and Southern Africa. But this is not an independent nuclear family unit. 6. Life is seen to begin from the time of conception since unborn children are taken as part of the community. - The naming of the child takes place some days after birth. Culture and values are adaptive .. Religion: People have some religious beliefs, which promote unity, and every community believes in the existence of one God. Goldthorpe, J.E., The Sociology of the Third World: Disparity and Development. 6. A change in attitude towards joint family is evident among the urban educated persons. Fourth, special observations related to pregnancy, childbirth, naming of the child, and testing the childs legitimacy as clan member.14, The existence of patriarchy and the patrilineal system among the Baganda might suggest that individual men have the most dominant social status. ii. - They suffer from psychological and emotional problems - Sometimes widows face lack of essentials such as food. v. Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men. The paternal grandmothers drop the cords into a can, which contains beer, milk, and water. Some names are given according to the time one was born. Severing the ties of kinship is among the body sins and it is among the major sins. - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. Western Culture: Has provided the spirit of individualization. Most of these ceremonies are religious. How Names are given in the traditional African societies 1. Would provide medical care e.g. - The bathing symbolizes the beginning of a new state in life. After initiation, one has the right to marry. Significance of dowry payment The custom of paying personal gifts to the brides people is practiced all over Africa sometimes referred to as Bride wealth or Bride price. The author describes the interaction between the Baganda mother and her baby as unfavorable and lacking any affection or love. 5. Explain the importance of Kinship in traditional African society african cultural and moral values 1 Answer 0 votes answered Aug 9, 2021 by anonymous Control social relationships in community of people related by blood and marriage Bind whole community hence social cohesion Makes people live in harmony/ peace Promotes mutual responsibility and help - In some communities such a girl would be stabbed by an arrow and killed while in others she would be married to an old man. The attitude of the parents towards the sex of the child is also changing. 7. It is not possible to gather initiates together in some communities. Matrilineality is the major influence in what children learn and come to accept about their society. 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