marcus garvey pan african university - Blackherbals.com

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Continued from page 33 – Applied Afrikology, Restorative Practices and Community Resilience in the Mt. Elgon Area ludito kaka – individually and in councils. This structure was brought into crisis by the civil-war and displacement. Many elders died, and the civil war presented bigger problems for ‘traditional’ leadership to resolve. The authority of this lineage-based structure has also been undermined by the creation of the Resistance Council/Local Council system, which has taken over many of the conflict resolution roles previously held by ‘traditional’ authorities. Their disempowerment has been further intensified by NGO initiatives which tend to favour women and youth. Finally, displacement itself has had a significantly negative impact on lineage-based leaders, as clans have been dispersed; restrictions on movement have made clan meetings difficult and land also difficult to access, the dialogue noted. After tea break, the dialogue then returned to the primary subject matter and delved into the issue of meaning, it was felt necessary to explain the words and what they meant in Acholi in relation to their traditional culture. 1) Ot- Lim – Bride price (where Ot means house, and Lim means wealth). 2) Keny Atunga- this is when parents identify a potential bride for their son. 3) Nyom Apenya- two lovers (boy and girl) agree to marriage and decide to inform their parents about their intentions. This process triggers a series of investigations by both families. 4) Cuna Wat- this is a process initiated by relatives, usually one’s aunt introduces a spouse to a boy, following a series of investigations on the girl’s background. 5) Alima- slave. 6) Nyom- marriage. 7) Daa- Too (widow). 8) Coo-Too (widower). The traditional Process of Nyom Ms Adong Lucy, a blind and elderly woman, who identified herself as an Keny- alima (descendant of a slave) that had been captured during the intra-tribal wars and brought to Acholi, offered, with additional input from other participants, to explain the stages of Nyom (marriage). The Acholi community attaches so much significance to the marriage ritual, that failure to marry is considered a curse (or an abnormality) and it is common for the elders to be called in to monitor events. Childlessness is also counted as one of the most serious misfortunes to befall a couple, with women typically taking all the blame. In such cases, the marriage could be dissolved or the husband be allowed to marry another wife. Polygamy is regarded as a normal arrangement and as such a man can marry as many wives as he want provided he can look after them. For the Acholi, children are very important as they are often considered ultimate goal of any marriage. In the past a couple could not set up a home until their first child was born. Until then, the newly married couple lived in the groom's mother's house. In cases where a girl conceived before the official marriage, the Nyom would not take place until she had given birth, to confirm that the child belonged to the groom. Nyom in Acholi is usually a lengthy process which begins with a boy seeing a girl and initiating courtship. She is typically expected to be coy and hard to get in order to protect her morally upright reputation. Traditional Courtship A boy, on meeting a girl that takes his fancy, seeks the company of a friend and visits the girl's home. The two boys are taken to the girl's mother's house. The girl's mother vacates the house, leaving the groom-to-be alone with the daughter to chat, after which the girl walks the two visitors out. Later, the mother asks her daughter to identify the visitors, at which point the daughter announces the boy's interest in her, and her opinion of him. If it is positive, the mother goes ahead to inquire about the boy's clan in order to verify that the two love birds are not related by blood. The girl always looks out for the boy who owns plenty of cattle. However, a young man chiefly depends upon his lineage to get both the permission to marry a girl and the ability to provide the material goods required to pay her OT-LIM bride price (which is a must in the Acholi tradition culture). After the visit, the boy satisfied with what he saw, tells his family, who subsequently find out about the girl’s clan and her family's status socially. The boy eventually wins her over as several encounters lead to her finally giving in and accepting the boy's bead or a bracelet, a sign that she has agreed to be married to him. This pursuit is known as luk (getting to know each other). Expression of love among the Acholi youth was in the past mainly through 'blood packing' (making cuts on their bodies and tasting each other's blood). This used to be a version of cementing the relationship. Although marriages were sometimes organized without the consent of the boy and the girl in the past, such scenarios are increasingly rare today, with most people embracing the modern ideal of freedom of choice. In the past, if a father preferred a friend's daughter over other girls for his son, it was possible for the two fathers to’ strike a deal’ and compel their children to get married to each other. Because it was often the father's wealth that afforded the boy the OT-LIM, there Continued on page 35 -34- Traditional African Clinic August 2013
Continued from page 34 – Applied Afrikology, Restorative Practices and Community Resilience in the Mt. Elgon Area was little he could change. When the boy's family agrees, he is given a green light to marry the girl. He informs her and she in turn, announces to her parents that special visitors will be arriving on a given day to conduct the marriage ceremony. The girl's mother then informs the girl's entire family. In preparation for the visitors, the structures in the girl's homestead receive a new layer of mud mixed with cow dung. Seats (mainly animal hides) are set. On the agreed day, the boy, his father, brothers and other family members (as invited) go to the girl's home and are welcomed into the house of her mother. The visitors are not allowed to stand, but kneel throughout the introductions, with the girl's father asking the questions. He asks the visitors who they are and the boy's father responds appropriately. The girl is asked to ascertain she knows them. The items to be delivered as OT-LIM (which is a practical way of saying thank you to the girl's mother) are discussed and a specific date set for the delivery. This though, does not necessarily mean that the items must all be brought once. Installments are often accepted. After this ceremony, the girl becomes part of the boy's clan. It might take a while to complete dowry payments but the girl's status changes from nyako (girl) to dako ot (wife) immediately. Chanting and singing to the sound of sauce pans hitting the ground, congratulations are offered to the new couple as they are bid farewell to their lives as singles. This rejoicing is called nakub kub. OT-LIM can take the form of cattle, goats, sheep, household items or money. Often, the girl's OT-LIM is not spent but saved to offset her brothers' OT- LIM when it is their turn to marry and pay. OT-LIM refunds are made in the event of a divorce, although the value refunded depends on the terms agreed upon when it was paid. In the event of a death, the surviving partner demands that a sacrifice in form of a goat be offered to the gods and the corpse is taken through the back door of the house. This partner never sees the corpse again. Participants then engaged in discussions centering on Ot- Lim, what it meant from a traditional point of view and how it is being perceived in modern times. Mr Onek: “I think that traditional marriages are a good idea but to be honest, I think that Ot-Lim is too expensive and this is why we are seeing our boys running away from their responsibilities by impregnating girls and absconding”. Another male participant Mr Layine supplemented that he thought the problem with Ot-Lim is an educational one. He argued that parent demand a hefty Ot-Lim if their girl is ‘educated’. A girl ought to be a girl in spite of educational attainment, he stressed. Mr Lak thought that the problem with Ot-Lim was the distorted meaning. “Ot- lim traditionally meant appreciation; but nowadays it literally means paying or buying a wife (Bride Price). This traditional custom established good relations among families and legitimized the children born in the marriage. But today, some women are given away to the man who pays more. This, in a way, can be seen as the commodification of women or forced marriage, which was not the original intention of Ot-Lim. Ms Grace Latig of United Nation population Fund (UNFPA) then came in and argued that the problem in part lies with old men that are modernized –urbanized, “these men”, she observed, “tend to demand allot for Ot-Lim and they also impose items that are not supposed to part and parcel of the Ot-Lim”. Ms Vicky Acheri supported Ms Latig’s point and added: “I don’t think Ot-lim is a bad idea, but we ought to demand for cultural structures that consider the bride’s voice as often one finds that she is on the periphery of discussions and negotiations centering on Nyom and Ot-Lim. “Also I think that Ot-Lim is not bride price, we should strive to remind those confusssed about this definition that Ot-Lim is a token of appreciation to the bride’s family and in particular the mother. We are not selling our daughters! In the old days Ot-Lim used to be shred communally, it used to be passed around. These days it all commercialized, people even do electronic cash transfers and people start businesses with”. Lak: Yes, that is very right! Ot-Lim was a connecting factor and not a divisive factor as modern times is proving”. Lucy then suggested: “We should extend this very important dialogue to a wider platform using radio and television. This is timely! We thank MPAU for initiating and arranging this very important dialogue! Mzee Andrew then blamed Acholi community in the diasapora. “They are the problem as they are the ones disorganizing our community. They disregard our traditional customs when marrying and see things in terms of modern rights and law”, he said. The dialogue then turned its attention to the issue of divorce and inheritance. It was observed that the purpose of marriage was unity, and argued that in Acholi culture divorce was very much discouraged- all things possible were initiated to prevent a couple from getting divorced. “Divorce as such is not an easy process” said one woman, a local councilor. “It is brought before an elderly group to discuss and mediate the matter within the family, in the event of this failing then the matter is taken to the Clan leader, if tension is Continued on page 36 -35- Traditional African Clinic August 2013
Page 1 and 2: African Traditional Herbal Research
Page 3 and 4: AFRIKAN SPIRITUALITY Pan Africanism
Page 5 and 6: Continued from page 4 - The Nile Va
Page 7 and 8: Continued from page 6 - The Nile Va
Page 9 and 10: Continued from page 8- The Nile Val
Page 11 and 12: Continued from page 10 - How Africa
Page 13 and 14: Continued from page 12 - The Marcus
Page 15 and 16: Continued from page 14 - The Marcus
Page 17 and 18: Continued from page 16 - The Urgenc
Page 19 and 20: Continued from page 18 - The Urgenc
Page 21 and 22: Continued from page 20 - Towards An
Page 23 and 24: Continued from page 22 - Towards An
Page 25 and 26: Continued from page 24 - Applied Af
Page 33: Continued from page 32 - Applied Af
Page 39 and 40: Continued from page 38- Applied Afr
Page 43 and 44: Continued from page 42 - Photos of
Page 45 and 46: African Traditional Herbal Research
Page 47 and 48: Continued from page 46 - PAN-AFRICA
Page 53 and 54: Continued from page 52 - Pan-Africa
Page 55 and 56: Africa, Gabon Vernonia spp - PT DRC
Page 57 and 58: Guinea, Kenya, Reunion, Niger, Soma
Page 59 and 60: Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius Nige
Page 61 and 62: Continued from page 60- PAN-AFRICAN
Page 63 and 64: Continued from page 62 - THE AFRICA
Page 65 and 66: Continued from page 64 - THE AFRICA

marcus garvey pan african university - Blackherbals.com

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?