MARRIAGE IN TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SOCIETY AND ITS RELEVANCE
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY, GENDER AND AFRICAN STUDIES
ETHNOLOGY
MAY CRYSTAL ASHAAKI
SIGNIFICANCE OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MARRIAGE IN TODAY’S SOCIETY
The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation.
The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature man and woman.
In African tradition, marriage was done after someone had gone through the adolescent stage where different lessons on respect, morality and upholding the tribes culture and traditions.
Once the man found a lady who was willing to marry him and of his choice, the man and his kin would go and visit the lady’s family and get permission from the bride’s parents. He would visit the home with a few of his peers and they would wait in the simba (bachelors hut) as the man went to get confirmation from the bride’s family. If he received good news he would come back and tell his peers. This traditional practice is still relevant as it is respectful for a suitor to get permission from the bride’s family if he should marry their daughter. Though not compulsory in today’s society, it is a good show of faith from the bride’s family that they entrust their daughter in the man’s hands.
The dowry ceremony which was known as Ayie (which means I agree). The man’s family would visit the woman’s homestead. It is on the Ayie ceremony that a groom officially meets the parents of the bride for the first time; all other visits that could have taken place prior to the Ayie ceremony are unofficial and in some cases may attract disciplinary action on the groom. If a groom visits the parents of the bride but without the intention to pay Ayie during the visit, he may be considered undisciplined, as his action may be interpreted as arrogance or prematurely show off his relationship with the bride to
INSTITUTE OF ANTHROPOLOGY, GENDER AND AFRICAN STUDIES
ETHNOLOGY
MAY CRYSTAL ASHAAKI
SIGNIFICANCE OF TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MARRIAGE IN TODAY’S SOCIETY
The African marriage is full of deep-rooted culture that cannot be wished away. African culture and traditions are handed down from generation to generation.
The African marriage is an integral part of the whole African culture and was a rite of passage for every mature man and woman.
In African tradition, marriage was done after someone had gone through the adolescent stage where different lessons on respect, morality and upholding the tribes culture and traditions.
Once the man found a lady who was willing to marry him and of his choice, the man and his kin would go and visit the lady’s family and get permission from the bride’s parents. He would visit the home with a few of his peers and they would wait in the simba (bachelors hut) as the man went to get confirmation from the bride’s family. If he received good news he would come back and tell his peers. This traditional practice is still relevant as it is respectful for a suitor to get permission from the bride’s family if he should marry their daughter. Though not compulsory in today’s society, it is a good show of faith from the bride’s family that they entrust their daughter in the man’s hands.
The dowry ceremony which was known as Ayie (which means I agree). The man’s family would visit the woman’s homestead. It is on the Ayie ceremony that a groom officially meets the parents of the bride for the first time; all other visits that could have taken place prior to the Ayie ceremony are unofficial and in some cases may attract disciplinary action on the groom. If a groom visits the parents of the bride but without the intention to pay Ayie during the visit, he may be considered undisciplined, as his action may be interpreted as arrogance or prematurely show off his relationship with the bride to
References: Paul Mboya’s Luo Kitgi Timbegi Wiki book Wikipedia Lecture’s notes