Big autonomy characterises brideprice as well as other modalities govern some Dagaaba congeries

The fresh payment away from bridewealth takes up a significant condition regarding the marriage techniques across ethnicities during the north Ghana, as well as Dagaaba, Frafra and you can Builsa nations. Among the many Dagaaba, the brand new bridewealth, kyeuri, primarily constitutes instance circumstances just like the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, discover Figure 1), fowls, smoking and you will soda crazy. In many cases, the degree of cowrie shells need to be consistent with whatever is taken care of new bride’s mommy. Various other era, ties off solidarity within families otherwise settlements of the bride to be and you can groom end in a decrease in the newest percentage, just in case the latest bride’s agnatic kin determine that in past times new groom’s family members recharged a top brideprice getting a wedding, he could be attending in addition to insist on an inflated commission. Still, there are also standardized matrimony payments along side Dagaaba configurations. Today, normally 2000 cowries, or bucks equivalent, are usually accepted once the bridewealth into the Serekpere and its own environs. So it matter signifies a grave cures off some 20,000 and you may more than cowries that has been accepted in the same city in the 1990’s. Within the framework out of neoliberal monetary regulations, and diminishing agricultural returns accounts within fine environment zone, our very own telecommunications with gatekeepers indicated that the cutback towards count out of cowries is meant to build relationship reasonable. Which reduced the bridewealth diverges throughout the very commercialised payments reported during the towns for the Ghana and someplace else (Shope, Reference Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Reference Posel and Rudwick 2013). Significantly, brand new commission isn’t contingent through to the fresh factors of your bride-to-be, that is, whether or not the bride is extremely knowledgeable, divorced, has recently provided birth or not because advertised in other places (Borgerhoff Mulder, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Reference Anderson 2007). Brand new conventional norms ruling the practice of bridewealth are ready aside if the negotiable no matter what this new bride’s socio-financial reputation or even the quantity of liberties moved.

The previous as well as begs for new groom’s kinsmen in the event the the newest bride’s household members require to help you charges an excessive brideprice

Generally, a marriage liaison is actually one in the groom’s village exactly who has some affairs about bride’s payment. New dendeo prospects the groom’s family towards bride’s agnatic kin, basic so you can formally request their hand in relationships and also to spend the money for brideprice. The latest interactions of your own dendeo towards the bride’s household members imply that the second is actually careful to your groom and his awesome kin. While the bridewealth might have been gone to live in and you can acknowledged because of the bride’s kin, the marriage connection is created and legitimated.

Brand new bridewealth among the Dagaaba, given that all over communities into the rural northern Ghana, was an elaborate process of dealings involving the agnatic kin of the newest bride and groom and you can, typically, a third party, entitled a good dendeo, a married relationship liaison

Normatively, brand new yirdandoo kissbrides.com home, your head of your own household members, rather than the dad of one’s bride-to-be, ‘s the custodian of one’s cowries lead as wedding payments. Within a group talk when you look at the Nator, close Serekpere, showing the character of your direct of clan, Mwinyella, a research participant, informed me, pointing so you can his paternal uncle who’s your face regarding his clan, that: ‘this man was my dad and thus as i marry they might be their obligations so you can [pay the bridewealth] getting me’. Yet, to own parents instead of info designated since bridewealth, the bridegroom and his awesome agnatic kin have the effect of elevating they. Anderson ( Source Anderson 2007: 159) records that inside settings round the Africa, the marriage percentage try normatively elevated because of the groom’s ‘dad, daddy and you can dad’s brothers, and with mother’s brothers and make quick contributions’. So it differs, to some degree, regarding the Dagaaba account shown here. Yet , they resonates that have bridewealth practices among particular Frafra congeries, where normatively this new groom’s dad and you may father’s brothers are responsible for make payment on bridewealth and you may in which he is incapable of improve they the bridegroom transforms to their dad’s or mom’s brothers to possess support.