This can begin as early as childhood or before the children are born. The attitude of the parents towards the sex of the child is also changing. Meanwhile, the husband works under his father-in-laws orders with other young son-in-laws.26 A matrilocal family of this kind forms the nucleus of a village community (umushi) which other relatives of the head of the family afterwards join.27, Polygamy or polygyny, which is a distinguishing feature in many traditional African families especially is patrilineal and patriarchal societies, is uncommon among the matrilineal Bemba. - Property can be owned outside ones ancestral home. Life is seen to begin from the time of conception since unborn children are taken as part of the community. 47 Mwizenge S. Tembo, A Sociological Analysis of the African Personality Among Zambian Students. v. Polygamy is encouraged for sexual satisfaction for men. Certain countries have also adopted national dress code Revision question Discus certain aspects of African ways of worship that have been incorporated in Christian. [1] The author obtained his B.A in Sociology and Psychology at University of Zambia in 1976, M.A, Ph. - With the introduction of money economy it is possible to sell land. Among the Baganda, the clan has remained the most important kinship entity. v. It brings people together; relatives and friends co me together hence strengthening kinship ties. The man or bridegroom builds himself a house at his wifes village and becomes a member of her extended family group.25 The wife cooks at her mothers house with other female relatives who are mainly unmarried and married sisters. among the Akamba pregnant women are not supposed to eat fats, beans or animals killed using poison. 2. iv. 8. It is believed that the dead relatives continue to live through children. Girls brought wealth in form of cattle to marriage. 8. Mitchell, J. Good, Changing Family Patterns: Sub-Saharan Africa, in World Revolution and Family Patterns. 6. As the African society has not been static, changes in the traditional family patterns will be briefly alluded to. The subject of traditional family patterns in Africa is so broad that it cannot be adequately addressed in one chapter. Permissiveness in the society has eroded . As such children at an early age learn that their father has little authority or responsibility for them. Kinship System in African Communities. 2. The term 'brother' and 'sister' shows the sex of blood relations. Through supernatural powers iii. Polygyny though set the tone and often determined the strength of the society and pattern of social organization of the traditional African family. (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1969) p.30. 3. - Marriage enables one to assume leadership rules an unmarried person would not be chosen a leader. Bantu Migrations Stateless Societies Bantu Societies did not depend on elaborate hierarchy of officials of a bureaucracy Governed through Kinship groups - extended families consisting of about 100 people. Young men are taught to develop self-love and love for the community it provides a sense of belonging. Second Edition, London: Cambridge University Press, 1984, Ch. Urbanization has undermined the role of of the elders as it becomes difficult for elders to operate as the people come from different backgrounds. Education of children has been left to teachers. This ensured that nobody remained landless. Problems that the elderly face today 1. That is one cannot escape it 2 It brings impurity to the family and thus several rites are observed after death 3 It deprives the family and the community of the individual. society. It can determine a person's political identity and the way money and property are transferred. 6) There is problem of correct dosage of traditional medicine. Economic hardships that has been due to introduction of money economy. These include birth, initiation, marriage and death. Such occasions include beer drinking, wrestling, playing football, singing and dancing etc. The midwife also monitors the development of the foetus. 6. If the child laughs, then the last mentioned name is given to him or her, .and the soul of the ancestors is considered to have entered its body.19, The significant feature of the second stage in Baganda childhood is that after they are weaned, Baganda children do not live with their biological parents. -Close and supportive extended-family relationships -Strong kinship ties with non blood relatives from church or organizational and social groups -Family unity, loyalty, and cooperation are important -Usually matriarchal African American Folk and Traditional Healthcare: A change in attitude towards joint family is evident among the urban educated persons. Everyone has an obligation to marry or get married. They live in one Geographical area. iii. Marriage 4. In a more obvious way, this Eurocentrism36 did not treat polygamy, the African marriages and the extended family and any others of its eccentricities (regarded as such because they were different from European customs) as social phenomena that was legitimate and workable in its own African social circumstances and environment. - Some pieces of land are being regarded as public land. - This special treatment starts before and continues after childbirth. in the garden or when one is building a new house. 5. v. Marking of the body (scarification) - During initiation, the initiates are removed from the rest of the community. Anything described in these terms must inherently be bad, primitive and, therefore, undesirable.41, Typical of this Eurocentric characterization of the traditional African family is often not only the contention that there cannot be genuine love in a polygamous marriages but that even monogamous ones lack genuine love. Other names may also refer to the characteristics of the mothers pregnancy or the nature of delivery e.g. in some communities it is thrown to uncultivated land to show fertility. NAMING Nearly all-African names have a meaning. Family. It cements the relationship between the two families through the exchange of gifts. It is a sign of belonging to the society or identification. Kinship systems provide each person with a defined role (based on age, gender, and other factors), and serve to link people via duties of care [35856]. LEISURE Leisure is the free time that an individual has at his disposal when he is not bound by duty. DEATH RITES When a person dies, members of the family gather at the home of the deceased and leave their everyday commitments for a while. It does not give warning. The major reason cited is that with increasing modern influences, marrying more than one wife became an economic burden. It is a source of food for the people and the animals. These constitute the core of the Bemba traditional African family around which the social organization of the traditional society revolves. People learn to be thankful to God, parents, relatives and one another AFRICAN UNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNITY AND KINSHIP African community is used to refer to a group of people occupying a particular geographical area, share common interest and practices a sense of togetherness. Angering the living dead and the spirits e.g. They lead people to communal prayer in time of crisis. He ..also adopts the deceased persons children, calling them his and making no distinction between them and his own children.16. 3. The continuance of Aboriginal society is dependent on keeping Aboriginal families strong and healthy both physically and culturally. The wishes of parents and the dead were honored. 25 This book is written in Chewa indigenous Central African language. The tie reduces cases of incest. Importance of kinship ties to TAS e. In certain communities pregnant women and children are not allowed to go near touch the corpse to avoid misfortunes. Introduction The primary objective of this paper is to define the African traditional religious system as the basis of understanding Christian spiritual warfare within an African context. Marriage has been commercialized - many people demand higher payment for their daughter. KINSHIP SYSTEM - Kinship refers to being related to another either by blood or marriage. among the Luos the man is buried at the right and woman is buried the left. Land was also the habitat of people, animals and plants. It shows an act of bravery and hardship one I s to meet in life. - The children born after his death were still referred to as his. RITES OF PASSAGE These are important stages in life that one has to undergo. It is also a taboo to marry close relative. They also perform light duties for relatives. People could also die due to shortage of food. v. There was a lot of fairness in the distribution of property. There is no proper dosage of the herbs. - Some people acquire wealth through dishonest means e.g. These could be through words or deeds. Family plays a central role in African society. The effective boundaries of the network vary for different people, over time and for different contents. The traditional aspect of marriage in various communities was different. This was because: - i. Africans believe that land was given to them by God. Magic, sorcery and witchcraft. - Protection charms are tied around the neck or the waist of the child. 7 Stuart Queen, Robert W. Habenstein, and John B. Adams, The Polygynous Baganda Family, in The Family in Various Cultures, (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) Ch. .. Ch. Thorne, Barrie., and Yalom, Marilyn., (Eds.) They act as intermediaries between God and human beings. Some have even gone as far as saying that for the African husband nothing else matters so long as he impregnates his wife every few years.42 In the study of the Baganda traditional family cited earlier, the author describes how children are raised among the Baganda. Communal worship prayers are offered to God to thank Him for whatever he has done. Kinship is a social relationship based on real consanguinity. Measures that are taken to make sure virginity is preserved i).Virginity is highly valued and a girl is meant to preserve her virginity until marriage. According to Dziro and Mhlanga (2018), urbanization, HIV/AIDS, and poverty in Africa are all factors that stifle the effectiveness of informal kinship approaches to proper childcare and. 5. If one fails to show respect to such seniors. - It also shows that the woman is fully integrated to the husbands family - There are certain rules and regulations she is expected to observe. Reconnecting with a genetic tie Genetic resource and testing connected a person to their blood. Would provide medical care e.g. Religion: People have some religious beliefs, which promote unity, and every community believes in the existence of one God. - Wife inheritance ensured that the late mans family would not suffer. Some of the issues that were the products of the Eurocentrically biased judgements include the following two. ii. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1983. Among the Chewa of Eastern Zambia, the custom of man living with his wifes parents temporarily or permanently was known as Ukamwini.23. 9 J.A. There are meteorologists who predict the weather conditions. The degree of relatedness of carer to the child, socio-economic status of fostering households, gender and age were identified as factors contributing to the well-being of children in kinship care. The Plan of Action also asserts that "for the full and harmonious development of their personality, children should grow up in a famil environmenty in a,n atmosphere of happiness lov, ane d understanding". (New York: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1961) p.68. Priests/prophets v. Blacksmiths The religious specialists acquire their skills through:- i. Inheritance from a relative ii. - Children born out of marriage inherit their parents property. 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