The Sukuma people make up a
large population in Tanzania. The tribe is separated into several groups among
different territories and marriage is a common custom found among the Sukuma.
Marriage, in the western hemisphere, is defined as a union of two individuals
bounded by law. People marry out of love, support, to have a traditional
nuclear family, and several varying reasons but essentially, it is a union of people. The Sukuma people of Tanzania
take marriage seriously; they do have divorces, as do many other cultures.
The average female will get
married around the ages of 18 to 20 and the males’ age varies. Polygamy is not an uncommon lifestyle
among the Sukuma, although nowadays it is less likely to occur. Mainly old men
around their forties or chiefs would have a polygamous life.
In Sukuma culture there are two
types of marriages: with and without bride-wealth. There is a term that defines
the act of paying bride-wealth: kukwa. The bride-wealth is given paid to the
man and the bride-wealth is used for his daughters and passed on to his sons.
The bride-wealth, once paid, gives the father custody over the children the
wife bears. It is a common tradition and the payments are found to be greater
for the daughters than the sons.
A common tradition among the
Sukuma is that there is a wedding house that is built from wood that is built
by the friends of the man getting married. Another tradition is that the father
of the bride provides food for the ceremony and perhaps even a goat. A wedding
feast is provided on the day of the wedding at the father of the brides’ home.
This is a big part of the ceremony and everyone is welcome to join in on the
festivities. Well mostly everyone because the mother and father of the groom do
not attend the wedding. This is done out of respect and a way of saying goodbye
to one of the strong men from their territory. Instead of being sad of losing a
member of their group, they are instead happy to lead the man to a greater
life. Another reason why the grooms’ parents do not attend is so that the groom
can successfully have intercourse with the bride. They want to avoid any bad
light and avoid any shame; therefore they do not come to the wedding until
after the ceremony and feast.
The Sukuma marriage is not meant
just to bind two people together but rather the elders of the two individuals
together. It is very important that the elders of the bride and groom make
peace with each other and gain each other’s respect.
Tanner, R.E.S.
"Maturity and Marriage among the Northern Basukuma of
Tanganyika." African
Studies (1955): 159-70.
Electronic Document, Accessed November 5, 2013.
I found it interesting to research this topic because I know how marriage traditions can be very different to the ones that are in the United States. It seemed to me that marriage to the Sukuma people has a lot to do with wealth and future well-being as well as love and affection.
ReplyDeleteI found my source to be very reliable. It came from a journal and it seemed to be filled with details pertaining to the Sukuma marriage customs. I also read other sources that had similar ideas and traditions so that helped me conclude that these are the ways of the Sukuma people.
I enjoyed writing about the Sukuma people because I had a better understanding of their way of life. This tribe is fairly large compared to other indigenous groups so to understand how they come together as a tribe was fascinating. If I could choose one fact that amazed me about the Sukuma marriage, I would choose the part in the marriage where the grooms parents do not attend the wedding. I comprehended their reasoning to not attend the wedding and it was an interesting insight to how the Sukuma people live their lives.