Female adolescent rites and the reproductive health of young women in Morogoro Tanzania

Hamdani, Salha

essay

Female adolescent rites and the reproductive health of young women in Morogoro Tanzania

[s.n.] • [S.L.] • Published In 2001 • Pages:

By: Hamdani, Salha.

Abstract
This is an ethnographic description of Luguru female life-cycle rites related to menarche, pregnancy, and childbirth. The focus is on how these rituals inculcate cultural knowledge relevant for undertaking a range of gendered roles, including the meaning of sex, childcare, and managing family life. The analysis suggests that, compared to women in other economically-similar eastern African societies, Luguru women enjoy greater autonomy for decision-making and resource control, attributable to the continuity of both matrilineal kinship ideology and the matriarchal residence pattern in Luguru society.

Puberty and initiation

Organized ceremonial

Prayers and sacrifices

Cult of the dead

Gender roles and issues

Techniques of socialization

Sex training

Transmission of skills

Gender status

Division of labor by gender

Rule of descent

Lineages