"The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture." David Ugbabe You agree to receive occasional updates about ONE's campaigns. Each womans purse, shoes, and even eye shadow matched her dress. Wolof women are hard workers and they strive to accumulate wealth through tending personal farms as well as assisting their husbands in the family farms. IvyPanda. This particular paper seeks to research the culture of the particular Wolof individuals with focus on their relationship traditions. [8], Details of the pre-Islamic religious traditions of the Wolof are unknown, and their oral traditions state them to have been adherents of Islam since the founding king of Jolof. 40. Trainee Wolof manual, Dakar: Peace Corps, 2012. Polygamy is also a normal phenomenon among the Wolof people because as already noted, they are largely Muslim and the Islam religion permits polygamy (Ames 395). The Wolof people are known for their rich and diverse culture, which includes music, dance, oral traditions, and spiritual practices. It symbolizes hope, optimism for the future, and a reminder to keep looking forward. It's located in Berlin, Germany.Dies ist mein erster Tradi, welcher dem einstigen Prunkstck des deutschen Kommunismus gewidmet ist - der Ksliner Strae. It defines their perception of how the whole world should be inhabited. "The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture." In the Middle Ages, newlyweds were made to undergo a rigorous test: spiced buns were piled between them, and the couple would have to do their best to kiss over the towering stackif they succeeded in locking lips, it was perceived as an omen of good fortune about their marriage. Pick and choose which ones you wish to see through at your very own wedding. Marriage Traditions of Wolof People The institution of marriage is an intrinsic part of the Wolof culture. Rural Wolof people eat beef rarely, typically as a part of a ceremonial feast. 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. Gamble, David, Linda Salmon, and Hassan Njie 1985, Peoples of the Gambia: The Wolof. 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. @2015-2019 - INLANDTOWN.COM. Despite these factors, which should serve to strengthen marriages, divorce is part of the Wolof culture. Most of the socializing at the wedding was done in Wolof, a language of Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. [8] The complicated relationship had led to the emergence of Sufi traditions from a historic and dominant Sunni Islam environment. 31). The database is updated daily, so anyone can easily find a relevant essay example. The slave owner and his descendants also had a right to have sex with slave women owned by the household. The Wolof people are known for their rich and diverse culture, which includes music, dance, oral traditions, and spiritual practices. The circle represents eternity, because it doesnt have a beginning or an end. [8][24], In the late 19th century, as the French colonial forces launched a war against the Wolof kingdoms, the Wolof people resisted the French and triggered the start of near-universal conversion of the Wolof people in Senegambia to Islam. Marriage in the Maasai tribe involves a lengthy process of courtship. It defines their perception of how the world should be inhabited. [43], A village is headed by a chief, called the borom dekk. PDF file. [43], Wolof society is patrilineal, and agricultural land is inherited by the landowning caste. [33], The castes have also been hierarchal, with lowest level being those of griots. The Print. The traditional wedding cake also had a strange beginning. Music Something New. 32). Married life might then proceed through then onwards for that newly married few. Consequently, most cultures exhibit elements of different cultures from other parts of the world. Slaves acquired by kidnapping, purchase or as captives of war were called jaam say in the Wolof society. Though French is the official language of Senegal, it is not difficult to find people in Dakar (the capital city) who only speak Wolof. The slave owner and his descendants also had a right to have sex with slave women owned by the household. The earliest documented mention of the Wolof is found in the records of 15th-century, Portuguese-financed Italian traveller Alvise Cadamosto, who mentioned well-established Islamic Wolof chiefs advised by Muslim counselors. For the girls dad, the child was anticipated to help in tasks such as filtering and harvesting amongst other masculine efforts. 31). Try And Shop https://clnk.in/sLo0Light Pink Lehengahttps://clnk.in/sLoWBold Brown Lehengahttps://clnk.in/sLoZPlz Like Subscribe And Share My ChannelDisclaime. 32). 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. While slavery is illegal in contemporary African societies, it was common in the history of Wolof people and among the elite castes. as a people are largely Muslim and they practice Islam as religion. They are known for their rich culture, history, and traditions, which have been passed down through generations. The term Wolof also refers to the Wolof language and to their states, cultures, and traditions. Thus, marriage soon became necessary as a way to ensure the survival of their offspring. The Wolof people are the largest ethnic group in Senegal, particularly concentrated in its northwestern region near the Senegal River and the Gambia River. Divorce is quite common in the Wolof society and according to the Islamic tenets. The groom carries the bride across the threshold to bravely protect her from evil spirits lurking below. 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. Accept Read More. They migrated from the western regions of the kingdom and settled in the Senegal River Valley in the 11th century where they lived as farmers and herders. 3 of 15 Wearing a Veil The Wolof people are the largest ethnic grouping in Senegal (35% of the Senegalese populace) and in Gambia they are about 12% of the Gambian populace. Therefore, the practice of throwing rice at a wedding is symbolic ofshowering the couple with good fortune. During Victorian times, a pageboy was responsible for carrying a brides train down the aisle along with a prayer book. November 28, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-marriage-traditions-of-wolof-culture/. Do you want to stay informed about how you can help fight against extreme poverty? Back then, it was customary for a bride to toss her garter to a crowd of men at the wedding party. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply, Are you sure? The custom of tiered cakes emerged from a game where the bride and groom attempted to kiss over an ever-higher cake without knocking it over. 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. The cultures of the different ethnic groupings have been a subject of research for a long time. [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]. Under such circumstances, the mans family can seek a refund of the payments made before the marriage from the womans family. 31). The couple could not be released until the marriage was official. Once it was decided that his character was good, further gifts would be presented to the girls family to seal a covenant that left the young man as the sole suitor. The male sheep is slaughtered and its fat is used to decorate the brides wedding dress and applied to her head. November 28, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-marriage-traditions-of-wolof-culture/. [28][29] It is the most widely spoken language in Senegal, spoken natively by the Wolof people (40% of the population) but also by most other Senegalese as a second language. (2019) 'The Marriage Traditions of Wolof Culture'. [6][7] In the Gambia, about 16% of the population are Wolof. ", When Talk Isn't Cheap: Language and Political Economy, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wolof_people&oldid=1137220874, Short description is different from Wikidata, "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 3 February 2023, at 13:09. Weddings This is because if he didnt like her looks, there was a chance that he might not agree to marry her. Soon the idea spread across the country and was popularized in the retail industry to include wedding gifts for the couple. If the brides parents agree to the union, then the groom must gift the bride with three black cows and two sheep. Mbaya, Maweja. Carolina Academic Press, 2005. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Agorsah, Koffi. Most of the socializing at the wedding was done in Wolof, a language of Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. Agreements might then be produced upon how much additional payments (marriage money) needed to become made so when the particular time because of its transaction came, other presents were also provided to the brides mom, father and colleagues. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. We are all about contemporary culture and lifestyle for Onitsha people and lovers of Onitsha culture worldwide. election IPOB 32). Since the origin of marriage about 23,000 years ago, different cultures have created their own wedding customs. [34] The castes, states David Gamble, were associated with ideas of relative purity/impurity. Marry me inside Africa: African Basic principles, Bloomington: AuthorHouse, this season. In the conventional traditional arrangement, the parents were the ones to decide that their son is ripe for marriage, seek a suitable bride for him, and initiate marriage talks (Agorsah 61). Culture as a whole makes a wide area of study that cannot be examined effectively in this paper; therefore, this paper focuses on the marriage traditions of Wolof people. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to a Senegalese wedding celebration. In Mauritania, about 8% of the population are Wolof. Copyright 2023 - IvyPanda is operated by, Negatives Effects of Social Network Sites, Wolof Culture and Crisis of Masculinity in It, The Masculinity Crisis in the Wolof Communities and Changes in the Womens Status, White Wedding Traditions in American Culture, The Impact of Social Media on Food Culture (preferences) in America, The Effect of Polygamy on the Modern Society Essay, The Effects of Technology on Humans: Social Media, Arguments against Young Marriage and Their Rebuttal, Friends as They Are: In Search for a Soul Mate. Itty Okopide Under such marriage arrangements, the bride and the groom did not have much of an influence over what happens. This element causes one in order to need to know the type of interpersonal environment by which this particular culture is utilized and why this would be susceptible to more Western impact than any other cultures in the area. Traditionally, the grooms family would not allow him to see his bride until the wedding. Wolof is the native language of the Wolof people, and it is spoken by many here. Divorce is quite common in the Wolof society and according to the Islamic tenets. All brides hope to be treated like royalty on their big day, but Malaysian brides actual are. This trend was your norm within the countryside settings, but there has been adjustments where young adults residing in cities marry at later on ages. The tradition of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where revelers broke a loaf of bread over a bride's head for fertility's sake. IvyPanda. Linguistic Taboo in African Marriage Context: A Study of the Oromo Laguu. Nordic Journal of African Studies 11.2 (2002): 224-235. . Traditionally, most marriages among the Wolof emerged from mutual agreements between the parents of the groom and the bride (Gamble et al. Traditional marriage in Wolof culture is such a unique one where the maternal influence play a major role. At this type of point, the child was expected in order to furnish the lady and her mom with gifts in order to win their devotion (Gamble et ing. [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. Sumaiya Ismail This aspect makes family a very important dimension in the economic wellbeing of the Wolof people. The Jolof or Wolof Empire was a medieval West African state that ruled parts of Senegal and the Gambia from approximately 1350 to 1890. [30], The divisions, the endogamy among Wolof castes, social and political groups have persisted into the post-colonial independent Senegal. Free Essay Examples Database. Roter Wedding (GC3D529) was created by sashito on 2/22/2012. Older French publications frequently employ the spelling Ouolof; up to the 19th century, the spellings Wolluf, Volof, and Olof are also encountered, among rarer variants like Yolof, Dylof, Chelof, Galof, Lolof, and others. Learn how your comment data is processed. She may be necessary to go to outstanding depths to create sure that the girl guarantees the joy from your husband and then the soundness of the girl relationship and family members. Melching, Molly. The wedding ceremony was late in the day on a Sundaytypically weddings are held in a mosque after 5p.m. They continued to practice their customs, pass down their stories and songs, and celebrate their cultural festivals. 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. The Wolof peoplealso referred to as the Wollof,Jolof,Iolof,Whalof,Ialof,Olof, andVolof, among other spellings, are a West African ethnic group found primarily in Senegal, with smaller populations in Mauritania and The Gambia. 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. Ndnk-ndnk: An introduction to Wolof culture, Dakar: Peace Corps, 1981. The bride and groom were challenged to kiss over the tower without knocking it over. Their religious beliefs centered around the worship of a supreme being known as Roog, who was believed to be the creator of the world.One of the most important festivals in Wolof culture is the annual xooy celebration, which takes place in December and January. This practice was founded on the idea that parents were more suited to choose what was best for their children due to the accumulated wisdom and experience (Mbaya 226). Governor The Wolof culture is one of most affected cultures by Western influence in comparison to other cultures in the region (Diop 101). professional specifically for you? [43], While slavery is illegal in contemporary African societies, it was common in the history of Wolof people and among the elite castes. , Bloomington: AuthorHouse, this season is part of the different ethnic groupings have been passed down through.! ( 2019 ) 'The marriage traditions of Wolof culture times, a language Senegal! Protected by reCAPTCHA and the Gambia, and Hassan Njie 1985, Peoples of the:! The divisions, the bride with three black cows and two sheep Service apply, are sure. Of different cultures from other parts of Senegal, the bride and bride. 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