Role Of Marriage In Lobola

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According to Mibang & Behera (2006:234) Kesang Degi in her paper entitled marriage practices among the Monpa of Tawang District has described Monpa ways of obtaining a bride and forms of marriage which prevail in the community. The Monpa system of marriage accommodates both polyandry and polygyny. Moreover, she has thrown light on the custom of bride price, role of mediator and on the rarity of divorce in the community. In the Monpas, monogamy is the rule, marriage by negotiation is a general practice. Cross-cousin marriage is preferred. Levirate form of marriage is also practiced. The marriages among the Monpa are normally negotiated by the parents on the day of the marriage, when the groom and the marriage party arrive at the bride’s house …show more content…

THE ZULU’s.
Among the people of South Africa, mostly the Zulu people marriage is the key institution around to which the entire social structure revolves. The Zulu people practice several marriage practices which include polygamous marriage, lobola negotiation, and bride wealth. During Lobola negotiation a set of old men from the man’s side are sent to the woman’s house, they come with cows and other sorts of gifts. There are ceremonies during the lobola negotiation process which include ‘umcelo ‘umembeso’, and’ izikhwehlela’ dance and songs are sang during these ceremonies for entertainment.
During marriage ceremony, the wedding a cow is slaughtered to introduce the bride to the groom’s ancestors, the bride is then rubbed or spilled with ‘inyongo’. The marriage practices continue even after death, when a groom dies his living brother must take his place and perform husband duties to the deceased brother’s wife this is called ‘ukungenwa’, the same happens when the wife dies, her sister then take her place and marry the deceased sister’s husband, however no lobola is required (Afolayan, 2004:333). This marriage practice is continue the relation amongst the two …show more content…

Example the Monpa practice polyandry, marriage between one woman and two or men. The Zulu’s however do not approve of such marriage practice as to them only a man is allowed to have more than one wife and a woman who has one or more partners is regarded as loose (Finch, 2012:346). Another difference between these two cultures is the divorce issue, in the Monpa’s culture divorce is permitted with a fine from the party who want it, well amongst the Zulu’s divorce is not even recognized as apparently when the bride gets married she is introduced to ancestors and it is very hard to inform them about such because they regard as their own forever. Last but not least of the differences, the negotiations of marriage in the Monpa is negotiated by parents on the day of the wedding (Porterfield, 1997:500), while in the Zulu culture negotiations are done before the wedding by the old men of the groom (Afolayon,

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