The fresh percentage of bridewealth uses up an essential standing regarding matrimony techniques all over ethnicities during the north Ghana, plus Dagaaba, Frafra and you will Builsa countries. One of the Dagaaba, the brand new bridewealth, kyeuri, mainly comprises such as for instance activities once the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, pick Figure step 1), fowls, smoking and soda crazy. In many cases, the amount of cowrie shells should be consistent with what try covered the new bride’s mommy. In other occasions, bonds off solidarity between your family or settlements of your bride and you may groom result in a decrease in the brand new payment, and if the fresh bride’s agnatic kin influence that in past times the new groom’s nearest and dearest energized a top brideprice getting a married relationship, he could be probably as well as require an inflated payment. However, there are also standardised wedding money along side Dagaaba configurations. Right now, typically 2000 cowries, otherwise dollars equivalent, are often approved just like the bridewealth from inside the Serekpere and its own environs. That it matter stands for a good grave prevention away from an amount of 20,000 and you may over cowries that has been approved in identical city regarding 90s. During the framework of neoliberal economic regulations, and diminishing agricultural output account within this fragile ecological region, our interaction with gatekeepers showed that the latest cutback into count regarding cowries is intended to build wedding reasonable. Which loss in brand new bridewealth diverges throughout the very commercialised repayments reported inside the urban areas within the Ghana and you will in other places (Shope, Reference Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Site Posel and you may Rudwick 2013). Importantly, new commission is not contingent up on the fresh items of one’s bride to be, that’s, if the bride is extremely educated, separated, has already offered delivery or not as the claimed in other places (Borgerhoff Mulder, Site Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Source Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Site Anderson 2007). The fresh classic norms ruling the practice of bridewealth are ready away if flexible regardless of the bride’s socio-financial position or the level of liberties transported.
The former and additionally pleads on the part of the brand new groom’s kinsmen if the new bride’s friends require in order to charges an exorbitant brideprice
Normally, a married relationship liaison was a man on the groom’s village which has many relationships in the bride’s payment. Brand new dendeo prospects the latest groom’s household members with the bride’s agnatic kin, earliest so you’re able to formally require their own turn in relationships also to spend the money for brideprice. The brand new interactions of your dendeo on bride’s friends mean that the second try careful on the bridegroom along with his kin. As the bridewealth could have been moved to and you may acknowledged because of the bride’s kin, the wedding relationship is made and you will legitimated.
The latest bridewealth one of several Dagaaba, because the all over communities within the rural north Ghana, is an elaborate procedure for dealings within agnatic kin of the latest groom and bride and you may, generally speaking, a third party, called a good dendeo, a marriage liaison
Normatively, the brand new yirdandoo, your mind of your own household members, rather than the father of the bride, is the caretaker of your cowries put once the relationships repayments. At a team discussion during the Nator, near Serekpere, appearing the newest character of lead of the clan, Mwinyella, a study new member, said, directing so you’re able to his paternal buddy who is your head of his clan, that: ‘it people is actually my dad and so while i wed they would be their obligation so you can [spend the money for bridewealth] having me’. Yet ,, getting household rather than resources appointed given that bridewealth, the fresh new bridegroom with his agnatic kin are responsible for increasing they. Anderson ( Site Anderson 2007: 159) account one in configurations across the Africa, the wedding commission are normatively elevated by groom’s ‘father dating joku 30 vuotta vanhempi, parent and you may father’s brothers, with mom’s brothers while making short contributions’. Which varies, to an extent, regarding Dagaaba membership shown here. Yet they resonates with bridewealth means among specific Frafra congeries, where normatively the latest groom’s dad and you can dad’s brothers have the effect of make payment on bridewealth and in which he or she is incapable of improve they the latest groom turns in order to his father’s or mother’s brothers having assistance.