'Maasai Culture v American Culture\r'

'In the tribal vill jump ons of eastern Africa the Maasai conjugations be arranged by the elders with extinct ever first consulting the bride or the mother of the bride to be. Unlike, that of my own goal in the unite States of America, where I am free as a citizen to choose whomever I may choose to link and when and if I may marry. Polygyny is that of which is practiced in the Maasai culture, as an ideal that is achieved only by that of the elder workforce of the tribe. Unfortunately, as a result ofthe custody being very(prenominal) much older at the time of marriage, most wowork force vex widows, k this instanting that it is understood that they should never remarry again.\r\nAlthough, I myself practice monogamy, as it is tradition in my culture and that of what is expected by me, my community, and my family. A young misfires puerility in Maasai culture is dominated by a strict avoidance of her spawn and other elders. Her marriage prospects and her familys reputation hing es on her ability to develop an exact sense of measure in her community. She is socialized from surrender to accept her service to her future save as an elder and to all other elders in the community. The father is the key figure in the patriarchal family. Theoretically, his view is absolute only to the interference by decision senior elders.\r\nIt is tradition in Maasai culture that as long as the father is alive, no art objectlike child has final control all over his cattle or over his choice in marriage. It is practiced that as the younger men of the community age, the older men begin to rely on their sons to take over the troopsagement of the family. After a husbands d swallow uph, the widow is thusly subordinate to her sons in the management of her herd. If she has no sons; she is unprotected. As this idea is non practiced in my own community, where typicallythe roles of the head of house hold is sh bed among husband and wife equally.\r\nInheritance of property and land is spread thru the doctrine of a go away written out before death or handled in the courts of law. Although, respect is greatly admired and sought out upon in my community, it does not determine the stance of potential marriages and families in the community. A young girls childhood is sh bed by the love and center of a girl’s father and elders, not that of fear and solitude. Love, high morality, and affection is that of which typical childhoods argon instilled with upon their growing up in my society.\r\nSimilar to that of my own culture, the marriage ceremonyis one of the eternal and most celebrated ceremonies in the Maasai community. It begins by a man showing interest in a woman and giving her a chain, called an olpisiai, similar in retrospect as that of an engagement ring in American society. Likewise, as the word of this proposal circulates the family as well as the community waits for the initial transactions to begin. The Maasai man does this by finding wo men of his own age who go out sustain a gift of alcoholic drinkic beverage to the mother of the girl. This first stage called esirit enkoshoke indicates to everyone that the girl is now engaged.\r\nAfter whatsoever odd time, the man has to marque his intentions clear again once more. By presenting a gift of alcohol to the girls father, the man has shown this once again, as the alcohol will be brought by the alike(p) women who brought the other gift of alcohol to the women earlier. The gift of alcohol is called enkiroret, which the father of the intended bride drinks with his brothers and then summons the man asking him to declare his initial interest and to chat of the woman he wishes to marry. If the family agrees to the mans request, both parties officially free-base a relationship, and the spousal planning begins to take foot.\r\nIn the Maasai community and as in mine, marriage is considered very important. However, when both people are brought together to render a hus band and wife in the Maasai community, the cleanlyweds are expected to live with each other evermore; divorce is not an option. Once the Maasai man has chosen and paid for his wife he is then allowed to bring gifts to the womans family. By first giving the presents as he sees fit, to a final point where it will contract clear to those in the community that he has interpreted an interest in the well-being of the girls family and that she is not to be readily available.\r\nThese gifts the Maasai man has given to the girl will create the bride-to-be’s dowry, the purpose of which is not to create wealth for the brides family, but rather to legitimize the marriage. By the man putting his mark on that family, he is making itso that if anyone else tries to approach the family and offer a bride price, it will have been make clear that the girl has already been given away to another family and is utter for. Like that of an engagement ring or spousals band worn by both the men an d women in my community, as it is discovering to everyone that they are spoken for and are not available to others in the community.\r\nAs the marriage daylight begins in Maasai culture the trim brings the bride price, including triple cows, of which two are distaff and one is male and all are black, and two sheep, one female and the other male. The male sheep is to be slaughtered during the wedding day to remove its rich fats and oils, which will then later(prenominal) be applied to the wedding dress. The remaining’s of the oil is put in a container for the bride to anticipate to her new home after the wedding in her husbands kraal. The morning of the wedding, the brides head is shaved and anointed with lamb fat.\r\nShe is embellish similarly to that of my own culture by good-looking beaded decorations, and her wedding dress. Although unlike wise, her dress is made by relatives in the community and her mother, making the wedding dress an expression of community, no t individuality. The bride is also hellish by the elders using alcohol and milk, and she is led from her familys kraal to her new home, in the kraal of her husband. There, she will enter the house of her husbands mother, where she will stay for the next two days, during which time the groom may not sleep with her or eat food in the house she is staying in.\r\nFinally, after those two days, the wifes head is shaved once more by her husbands mother, and the wedding ceremony is finally over; the man and woman are married elders. Concluding that although both cultures differ greatly in their practices and expectations there are still similarities to be understood. Both cultures dually express and display their affection towards one another in some public manor or display. Even if our ideals and morals are different, the feelings that everyone wants to be with their true love ever is evident.\r\n'