A GIRL NAMED DISASTER

Meghan Voight

Part Two

Ms. Clear Mod: 12-13

BRIDE PRICE IN THE BOOK

In the book A Girl Named Disaster the people in Nhamo’s village are Shona people. They have special words and different ways of doing things. They celebrate different things and have customs unlike our own. One of their customs it that they have a bride price that the man must pay for the woman's hand in marriage.

BRIDE PRICE- WHAT IS IT?In Shona it is called Roora.

The bride price is what the husband-to-be pays to get married.

Most of the time the bride price is cattle. More modernly they just use cash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobolo

BRIDE PRICE- WHY?

The bride price is a symbol that the man will be able to support his new wife. (financially and emotionally)

It is also to bring the two families together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobolo

BRIDE PRICE- FACTS If the couple isn’t both financially and emotional

ready the marriage can be put off for weeks or even months.

The higher the bride price, the more valuable the woman.

There can be multiple steps to get the final bride price.

The bride price is paid to the brides father.

The bride price will sometime include other gifts like clothes, food, or blankets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobolo

CAN A MAN HAVE MORE THEN ONE WIFE?

Yes.A man can have more than one wife

as long as he can pay the bride price for each.

So if a man is considered rich, then he will probably have more wives.

SOURCES http://

dictionary.reference.com/browse/lobolo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobolo A Girl Named Disaster By Nancy Farmer.