41. Their religious beliefs centered around the worship of . Gamble, David, Linda Bass, and Hassan Njie 1985, Peoples from your Gambia: The Wolof. This observation implies that in a home with many wives, the man takes the credit for the wealth that belongs to all his wives. Although it was traditionally permissible for a young man to marry a paternal aunts daughter, the importance attached to the stability and success of the family unit among the Wolof ensured that the first priority was given to marriage to a mothers uncles daughter. Weddings can be very elaborate, involving feasting and dancing for days within a community, they can be very simple, or they can even be performed in huge marriage ceremonies involving many different couples. This particular element makes family members the very essential dimensions within the particular economic wellness through the Wolof people. 40. Diop, Elhadji. Onitsha Men of certain caste are smiths, leatherworkers, weavers (now the profession of former slave descendants). [8] In the 19th century, as the colonial French forces launched a war against the Wolof kingdoms, the Wolof people resisted the French and converted to Islam. [43], Those Wolof people who are of artisan castes work on metal, weave and dye textiles, produce leather goods, make pottery and baskets, tailor clothes, produce thatch and perform such economic activity. Cassava is also grown, but it has been a source of income for the Wolof farmers. As would be expected of any other woman anywhere in the world, Wolof women show jealousy towards their co-wives and rivalry among co-wives is a common sight. Both have traditionally been hereditary castes. Under such marriage arrangements, the bride and the groom did not have much of an influence over what happens. With these firearms, the intensity and violence of Wolof slave raids (and conflicts with other ethnic groups in general) increased. The Monetary Base of Wolof Polygamy. This would be accomplished after colorful traditional wedding rituals meant to free the marriage of evil and make it fruitful and successful. Ndnk-ndnk: An introduction to Wolof culture, Dakar: Peace Corps, 1981. anambra citizens 5. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to a Senegalese wedding celebration. Traditionally, the grooms family would not allow him to see his bride until the wedding. 32). The oral traditions of the Wolof have legends that state them to have been adherents of Islam since the founding of their Kingdom of Jolof. Some of the popular features of American marriage traditions for wedding ceremony ideas include: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Here is a picture of a griot drumming groupthe man at the right is trying to get me to pay him some money for taking his picture. Before the Wolof people became involved in goods and slave trading with the Portuguese merchants on the coast, they had a long tradition of established trading of goods and slaves with the Western Sudanese empires and with Imamate of Futa Toro and other ethnic groups in North Africa. In the Wolof tribe there is even a time where the elders of the village gather with the bride and give advice and gifts. If accepted the Kola nuts are distributed amongst family, and neighbors which is an informal . You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper. [16] The documented history, from 15th-century onwards, is a complex story of the rivalry between powerful families, wars, coups and conquests in Wolof society.[18]. "The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture." The bridal party would then make its way to the grooms compound. Melching, Molly. In and after the 18th century, the Wolof were impacted by the violent jihads in West Africa, which triggered internal disagreements about Islam among the Wolof. Slaves acquired by kidnapping, purchase or as captives of war were called jaam say in the Wolof society. Need a custom Research Paper sample written from scratch by As will certainly be expected associated with some other lady worldwide, Wolof ladies show envy in the direction of their co-wives plus rivalry amongst co-wives is really a frequent see. The Wolof attaches more importance to the stability and success of the family unit. [19], Slavery had been a part of the Wolof culture since their earliest recorded history. This is IvyPanda's free database of academic paper samples. [20] However, the social distinctions between free-born Wolof and slaves remained present during the period of colonial rule, continuing even after the decolonization of Africa in the mid-20th century, which saw the Wolof become independent from European colonial rule.[20]. The tradition of having groomsmen as part of the wedding, comes from the ancient tradition of kidnapping the bride. 32). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After identifying the right girl, the father of a young would man would enlist the help of a third party to serve as a go-between. 28 November. Change). "The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture." [39] She places the development and spread of castes in these societies to about the 10th century, because slave capture, slave trade, and slave holding by elite families across the Sahel, West Africa, and North Africa was an established institution by then, and slavery created a template for servile relationships and social stratification. This assertion implies that to the Wolof people, a family is an important unit, which forms a building block for other social units into which the Wolof society is organized. 4 (1955): 391-403. In Nigeria, the Igbo bless the newlywed couple by throwing bank notes on them or rubbing their foreheads with banknotes, expressing the prosperous future they hope the couple shares. Learn how your comment data is processed. Marriage Traditions of Wolof People The institution of marriage is an intrinsic part of the Wolof culture. Agreements would then be made on how much further payments (marriage money) needed to be made and when the time for its payment came, other gifts were also given to the brides mother, father and peers. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Later politico-religious changes, such as those brought during the Wolof Empire era, introduced major changes in the social structure among the Wolofs and many other ethnic groups, including a shift to a patrilineal system. The Wolof people are a good ethnic grouping within North Eastern a part of Senegal, parts associated with Mauritania, and Gambia. One Norwegian tradition states that the bride will wear an ornate silver and gold crown that has small charms dangling all around it. By signing you agree to ONE's privacy policy, including to the transfer of your information to ONE.org's servers in the United States. Clearly, the family unit is a fundamental unit of the Wolof culture, and apart from being a building block for society, it defines the economic status of a man. @2015-2019 - INLANDTOWN.COM. Wolof (/wlf/) is a language of Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania, and the native language of the Wolof people. Although it was traditionally permissible for a young man to marry a paternal aunts daughter, the importance attached to the stability and success of the family unit among the Wolof ensured that the first priority was given to marriage to a maternal uncles daughter. A brief marriage ceremony was then performed by an Imam (the Wolof people are largely Islamic) after the routine Friday prayers at the mosque (Gamble et al. A compound is sometimes fenced with a hedge made from reeds or millet-stalk. Eventually, it becamethe pageboys responsibility to carry the ring pillow down the aisle and is a tradition that has evolved into the ring bearer that we are familiar with today. During the ceremony, a small payment consisting of kola nuts and money was made to the brides family, thus making the marriage legally binding (Gamble et al. . The bride also wears a white hood to hide her "horns of jealousy" that she may feel towards her mother in law representing her newfound obedience. 32). Covid-19 prayer (Senegal is a predominantly Muslim country). Once a man and woman get married, it is the primary duty of the woman to make her husband happy. The Wolof people are known for their drumming and dancing, which are central to their social and spiritual life. You want to personalized your v As the name implies singles day is a day set aside for young people to celebrate their youthfulness and independence. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, it belongs to the Senegambian branch of the NigerCongo language family. Whether youre planning your wedding ceremony and reception, attending one soon, or just want to learn more about the history of marriage, youre sure to be surprised by how much these wedding traditions have changed since theyve originated! Rural Wolof people eat beef rarely, typically as a part of a ceremonial feast. griot, Mande jeli or jali, Wolof gewel, West African troubadour-historian.The griot profession is hereditary and has long been a part of West African culture.The griots' role has traditionally been to preserve the genealogies, historical narratives, and oral traditions of their people; praise songs are also part of the griot's repertoire.Many griots play the kora, a long-necked harp lute . This preference hinged on the idea that such arrangements provided the best and most stable marriages. Most of the socializing at the wedding was done in Wolof, a language of Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. Nigeria For the girls father, the young man was expected to assist in chores such as weeding and harvesting among other masculine endeavors. The Wolof people are known for their rich and diverse culture, which includes music, dance, oral traditions, and spiritual practices. politics The Wolof people are found in North Eastern part of Senegal, Mauritania, and Gambia. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Federal Government As the European demand for slaves increased during the 17th and 18th centuries, the era saw a corresponding increase in Wolof slave raids with the purpose of acquiring captives to transport to the coast. The suitor firsts gifts his potential bride with a chain, marking his interest in her. In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the "best day" to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health. 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wolof wedding traditions