Considerable self-reliance characterises brideprice and differing methods govern some Dagaaba congeries

New fee of bridewealth takes up an essential standing from the relationship procedure across ethnicities into the north Ghana, in addition to Dagaaba, Frafra and you may Builsa places. Among the many Dagaaba, the fresh bridewealth, kyeuri, mostly constitutes like points as the libi-pe?le (cowrie shells, come across Shape 1), fowls, smoking and soda insane. In some instances, the degree of cowrie shells should be consistent with that which are purchased the fresh new bride’s mom. Various other times, ties regarding solidarity between the parents or agreements of your bride to be and bridegroom lead to a reduction in the newest percentage, of course new bride’s agnatic kin dictate one to previously the brand new groom’s household members energized a top brideprice getting a wedding, they are likely to and require an inflated fee. Still, there are even standardized relationships repayments along side Dagaaba options. Today, an average of 2000 cowries, otherwise cash similar, are often recognized given that bridewealth in Serekpere and its own environments. That it amount signifies a beneficial grave reduction away from some 20,000 and you may more than cowries which was accepted in the same city from the 1990s. For the context out of neoliberal financial guidelines, and you can wife Munich diminishing farming production accounts within fine environmental region, all of our communication that have gatekeepers indicated that the latest cutback toward count away from cowries is intended to make relationships reasonable. This reduction in the fresh new bridewealth diverges on extremely commercialised repayments stated during the urban areas inside Ghana and you may somewhere else (Shope, Resource Shope 2006; Posel & Rudwick, Reference Posel and you will Rudwick 2013). Importantly, the fresh new percentage isn’t contingent on the latest issues of your own bride-to-be, that’s, perhaps the bride is highly knowledgeable, divorced, has recently offered birth or otherwise not since the reported elsewhere (Borgerhoff Mulder, Source Borgerhoff Mulder 1989, Source Borgerhoff Mulder 1995; Anderson, Resource Anderson 2007). The fresh classic norms ruling the practice of bridewealth are prepared out when the negotiable no matter what the bride’s socio-monetary reputation or even the level of liberties transmitted.

The former together with pleads on the part of the new groom’s kinsmen if the the fresh new bride’s family members are seeking so you can costs an inflated brideprice

Generally speaking, a marriage liaison is men on groom’s village who has many affairs regarding bride’s payment. The fresh new dendeo prospects the brand new groom’s family relations on the bride’s agnatic kin, first to officially require her turn in relationships and afford the brideprice. The brand new affairs of one’s dendeo to your bride’s family signify the second is careful to your groom with his kin. Since the bridewealth has been gone to live in and you will acknowledged by bride’s kin, the marriage commitment is formed and you can legitimated.

The bridewealth among the Dagaaba, because the all over societies into the outlying northern Ghana, is actually an elaborate means of deals involving the agnatic kin out of the wedding couple and, generally speaking, a third party, called an effective dendeo, a wedding liaison

Normatively, new yirdandoo, your mind of loved ones, as opposed to the dad of your own bride-to-be, ‘s the custodian of your own cowries put as the marriage payments. In the a team dialogue inside Nator, close Serekpere, exhibiting new role of your own head of one’s clan, Mwinyella, a report participant, informed me, leading in order to his paternal sibling who is your face of his clan, that: ‘this people try my father and so as i wed they could be his obligation to [pay the bridewealth] to possess me’. Yet, getting family members in the place of resources designated as the bridewealth, brand new bridegroom along with his agnatic kin are responsible for elevating it. Anderson ( Resource Anderson 2007: 159) account one to in the configurations across Africa, the wedding percentage are normatively increased of the groom’s ‘dad, pops and you will father’s brothers, in accordance with mother’s brothers and come up with short contributions’. So it differs, to an extent, on the Dagaaba account displayed here. Yet , they resonates having bridewealth techniques among particular Frafra congeries, in which normatively new groom’s father and you can dad’s brothers are responsible for paying the bridewealth and you may where he or she is incapable of boost it the latest groom turns so you can his dad’s otherwise mother’s brothers to possess support.