article

The noble custom of roora: the marriage practices of the Shona of Zimbabwe

Ethnology32 (1)Published In 1993 • Pages: 35-54

By: Meekers, D. (Dominique).

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This document explores change and continuity in marriage practices. Among the most important changes is a decline in the power of lineages over marriage arrangements, together with a substantial reduction in the amount of control the husband previously exercised over his wife. This transformation was brought about mostly by the expansion of modern education and improved opportunities for employment, especially for women. The author warns that this change may have the unintended consequence of reducing fathers' responsibilities for their children, which had been instituted in the custom of [n]roora[/n] (payment of bridewealth).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Mode of marriage
Arranging a marriage
Basis of marriage
Household
Family relationships
Lineages
Localized kin groups
Community structure
Gender status
Special unions and marriages
Cultural identity and pride
Sociocultural trends
Sexuality
Pregnancy
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Shona
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2014
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Africa
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southern Africa
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Anthropologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Teferi A. Adem; 2012
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1986
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1986-1993
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Harare, Zimbabwe
NotesAdditional notes
Dominique Meekers
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
64005713
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Shona (African people)