Considerable liberty characterises brideprice and differing modalities control some Dagaaba congeries

The latest fee regarding bridewealth uses up a significant condition throughout the marriage process across ethnicities into the northern Ghana, plus Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa regions. One of several Dagaaba, the fresh bridewealth, kyeuri, generally constitutes such as points while the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, see Figure 1), fowls, smoking and you can cola insane. In some instances, the degree of cowrie shells have to be in keeping with what try covered the fresh bride’s mother. Various other instances, bonds away from solidarity within family or agreements of your own bride and you can groom cause a decrease in the brand new percentage, of course, if the fresh bride’s agnatic kin dictate you to definitely in earlier times new groom’s members of the family billed a premier brideprice to own a wedding, he is going to as well as insist on an excessive commission. Nevertheless, there are even standardised relationships costs across the Dagaaba options. At this time, on average 2000 datingapper for ГҐ mГёte rumensk kvinner cowries, otherwise cash comparable, are often accepted as the bridewealth during the Serekpere as well as environments. That it matter stands for a grave cures out of some 20,000 and over cowries which was acknowledged in the same area from the 90s. When you look at the framework regarding neoliberal economic policies, and dwindling farming production membership inside fragile environment zone, the correspondence with gatekeepers indicated that the fresh new cutback towards the matter out-of cowries is intended to make relationship sensible. That it loss of the new bridewealth diverges regarding most commercialised money stated within the cities in Ghana and you will elsewhere (Shope, Site Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Site Posel and you can Rudwick 2013). Notably, the fresh new payment isn’t contingent on the new affairs of bride, that is, perhaps the bride to be is highly knowledgeable, separated, has already provided delivery or not given that reported somewhere else (Borgerhoff Mulder, Resource Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Source Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Site Anderson 2007). Brand new regular norms ruling the technique of bridewealth are prepared out in the event that flexible aside from brand new bride’s socio-economic reputation or the amount of legal rights transported.

The former plus begs on the behalf of the new groom’s kinsmen if the brand new bride’s family unit members need so you’re able to costs an excessive brideprice

Generally speaking, a marriage liaison is actually a guy about groom’s town which has many relations in the bride’s settlement. New dendeo guides the fresh groom’s relatives on the bride’s agnatic kin, very first to help you officially require their unique submit wedding in order to spend the money for brideprice. The new interactions of dendeo into the bride’s household members mean that the second is actually careful to the bridegroom with his kin. While the bridewealth might have been transferred to and you may acknowledged by the bride’s kin, the wedding partnership is created and legitimated.

This new bridewealth among the many Dagaaba, as across the societies in outlying northern Ghana, try an intricate process of transactions within agnatic kin out of the bride and groom and you may, generally, a 3rd party, called an excellent dendeo, a married relationship liaison

Normatively, the yirdandoo, your mind of your family relations, rather than the dad of your bride, ‘s the caretaker of the cowries brought just like the marriage repayments. During the a team talk for the Nator, close Serekpere, demonstrating brand new character of direct of the clan, Mwinyella, a report participant, explained, directing so you can their paternal cousin who is the head out of his clan, that: ‘that it people are my dad and thus as i wed they might be his obligation to help you [afford the bridewealth] getting me’. Yet, getting household without resources appointed because bridewealth, the newest groom and his awesome agnatic kin have the effect of elevating it. Anderson ( Reference Anderson 2007: 159) account one to for the options across Africa, the wedding commission was normatively increased of the groom’s ‘dad, parent and you may father’s brothers, in accordance with mother’s brothers and make short contributions’. It varies, to some degree, on the Dagaaba membership demonstrated right here. Yet , they resonates having bridewealth means certainly one of specific Frafra congeries, where normatively the groom’s father and you can dad’s brothers have the effect of paying the bridewealth and in which they are struggling to boost it the fresh new groom transforms to help you his father’s or mother’s brothers to possess support.