The Ankole people, often referred to as the Banyankole tribe has always been peaceful despite maintaining a social caste system between the Bahima and Bairu.
They are the inhabitants of the traditional Bantu Kingdom, which dates as far back as the 15th century. Located in South West Lake Victoria, South-western Uganda, the kingdom was ruled by King Mugabe until it’s abolishment by president Milton Obote.
Banyankole was known for its unique marriage rights. The tribe place great importance to marriage. Among the Bahima, at about age eight to ten, a young girl was been prepared for marriage. Marriages often takes place before a girl was sexually mature, or soon after her first menstruation. This helped to prevent teenage pregnancies before marriage. Parents derive joy and pride when their children are getting married.
The role of an aunt in Banyankole tribe is of utmost importance. It goes way beyond loving and guiding her niece by being a confidant to her especially with things she’s unable to share with her mother. She plays a major role during her niece’s marriage.
The Ankole people consider been slim as unattractive. To them, being fat is synonymous with beauty. Once a girl get to the ages of eight to ten, she goes through restrictions to prepare her for marriage. She is required to go through a fattening process where she is fed with millet, beef, and milk. So as to to speed up her gaining weight and also for her husband to find her attractive. Virginity in this culture is held in high regard, so the girls must abstain from premarital sex.
It is the duty of her aunt to groom her for family life. The aunt teaches her every single thing she needs to know about her role as a woman but most importantly, that of a wife.
The Banyakole marriage rights involves several ceremonies including a Giveaway period know as “Kuhingira” where the relatives and friends of the bride present her with gifts such as cows and other food items to take to her matrimonial home. Then, after 10 days, a ritual called the Okukoza Omunuriro is carried out. The ritual involves the bride lighting her first fire in her new kitchen.
On the day of the wedding, a feast is organized at the bride’s home where the father is to slaughter a bull. Meanwhile at the groom’s home there is also a feast to consummate the marriage. But first, there has to be one last traditional ceremony, a ceremony that involves two tests that must be carried out by the bride’s aunt.
Since virginity is the marriage standard for the girls of the Banyakole tribe, every bride must be tested by her aunt to confirm her virginity before the marriage. And if a girl is found not to be a virgin before marriage, she is to face the death penalty or ostracised from the society. If the bride passes the virginity test, it’s presumed she has no knowledge of sex or know how to sexually please her new husband.
So, the second test involves the bride’s aunt testing the potency of the groom by having sex with him. During this act, she also learns all his sexual tricks as well as favorite styles so she can gift her niece with pointers on what the groom likes sexually. This is believed to help the bride better please her husband in the marriage.
AIDS has been a serious problem since the mid 1980s. Adult Ugandans die of AIDS, many children become orphans. There has been a strong national effort to educate the public through mass media about AIDS prevention.
Sources
Historyofyesterday
Face2FaceAfrica
Guardian
Everyculture
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