This new payment of bridewealth occupies a significant status on relationships process across ethnicities in the northern Ghana, and additionally Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa nations. Among the Dagaaba, the brand new bridewealth, kyeuri, mainly comprises particularly factors while the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, look for Figure 1), fowls, tobacco and cola wild. Oftentimes, the level of cowrie shells need to be in keeping with what was paid for the newest bride’s mommy. In other era, securities regarding solidarity between your parents otherwise settlements of one’s bride-to-be and you will groom end up in a decrease in the latest fee, whenever the fresh bride’s agnatic kin dictate one in earlier times the groom’s members of the family recharged a leading brideprice to have a married relationship, he is going to in addition to require an inflated commission. Still, there are also standardized relationship repayments along side Dagaaba setup. At the moment, normally 2000 cowries, or cash equivalent, are acknowledged due to the fact bridewealth for the Serekpere and its environments. So it count means a good grave avoidance of an amount of 20,000 and more than cowries that was approved in the same urban area in the 1990’s. Inside the perspective regarding neoliberal financial policies, and dwindling agricultural yields membership within this fragile environment region, our communication with gatekeepers indicated that the fresh cutback for the amount off cowries is intended to make relationship reasonable. This reduction in this new bridewealth diverges from the most commercialised repayments advertised inside the urban areas inside the Ghana and in other places (Shope, Source Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Resource Posel and you can Rudwick 2013). Notably, new fee isn’t contingent up on new items of your bride to be, that’s, perhaps the fiance is highly experienced, separated, has provided beginning or otherwise not just like the advertised somewhere else (Borgerhoff Mulder, Reference Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Source Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Source Anderson 2007). This new standard norms ruling the technique of bridewealth are ready women finnish away if negotiable regardless of brand new bride’s socio-monetary standing or even the number of legal rights transmitted.
The previous in addition to begs on the behalf of the new groom’s kinsmen if the latest bride’s friends need to help you charge an excessive brideprice
Usually, a married relationship liaison is actually a guy regarding groom’s village just who has some affairs on the bride’s payment. Brand new dendeo leads the fresh groom’s family relations on bride’s agnatic kin, basic so you’re able to formally inquire about their hand in relationship and also to afford the brideprice. The connections of your dendeo on bride’s household members imply that aforementioned try considerate on bridegroom with his kin. Because bridewealth could have been moved to and you will accepted of the bride’s kin, the marriage connection is formed and you may legitimated.
New bridewealth among the many Dagaaba, as across communities during the outlying northern Ghana, is an intricate procedure of dealings amongst the agnatic kin of the fresh new wedding couple and you can, normally, a third party, called a beneficial dendeo, a married relationship liaison
Normatively, the fresh new yirdandoo, your head of one’s family unit members, as opposed to the dad of your bride, ‘s the custodian of cowries introduced once the matrimony payments. At the a group discussion for the Nator, close Serekpere, indicating the part of one’s head of your own clan, Mwinyella, a research participant, said, directing to their paternal uncle who is your head of his clan, that: ‘that it people try my dad thereby whenever i marry it is their responsibility to help you [afford the bridewealth] for me’. Yet ,, getting group without tips appointed because the bridewealth, the newest groom with his agnatic kin have the effect of increasing it. Anderson ( Site Anderson 2007: 159) accounts one to in settings across Africa, the marriage fee try normatively elevated of the groom’s ‘father, dad and you may dad’s brothers, in accordance with mother’s brothers and come up with short contributions’. Which changes, to an extent, about Dagaaba account exhibited right here. But really it resonates having bridewealth practices certainly specific Frafra congeries, where normatively this new groom’s dad and you can father’s brothers have the effect of make payment on bridewealth and where he or she is not able to raise they brand new groom converts so you can his dad’s otherwise mother’s brothers getting support.