PhD thesis Title Page Final _Richard Juma - Victoria University ...

Figure 12: A dispute over bride-wealth before a wedding.
Source: Fieldwork 2007.
Clan elders are consulted at times of marriage, as they are intricately
involved in negotiations about the bridewealth animals. A man is a
member of his father’s clan for life, whereas a woman joins her husband’s
clan at the time of marriage (see Figure 13 for married women). 91
According to informants, even though a woman leaves her own lineage for
that of her husband, her kin maintains an interest in her affairs and come
to her aid according to need throughout her marital life, especially when a
food crisis looms. As already discussed, when a man marries a woman, a
social relationship based on a series of obligations, claims, and the
transfer of cattle, camels and goats will develop between the two families.
91 Informants pointed out that in Turkana, youths are not considered adults until they
marry. A girl (apese) becomes a woman or wife (aberu) about the age of 20, but a boy (idia)
traditionally does not marry and become a man (ekile) until about the age of 30.
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