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416 family: Africa have more than one mate), Europeans celebrated celibacy and practiced monogamy In the Americas polygyny (where only the man could have more than one mate) was apparently common, and it clearly was established as a widespread practice in medieval Africa In Europe, Asia, and the Islamic world women in general were secluded in harems or segregated at home away from the male worlds of business, politics, and religion In the Americas and Africa women enjoyed both greater power and more freedom Again, the inhabitants of the Americas and Africa seem to have had far more equality than men and women in other parts of the medieval world Throughout the world there has been a distinction between men’s work and women’s work Activities within the household have been considered feminine, with a strong connotation of inferior importance except in the Americas Men’s work has involved the more socially valued tasks of governing, fighting, and providing family wealth Accordingly, men generally have been provided with educations outside the home, while women have been restricted to learning how to cook and make clothing for the family and engage in other household-related tasks Women had limited legal rights outside the home, including limits on taking legal action, such as suing, pleading in court, giving evidence, or witnessing wills The medieval world was largely a man’s world Women and children resided in a realm that had little relative importance As a result, much evidence about the medieval family has been lost to the ages Africa by Amy Hackney Blackwell The family and family relations were at the center of all significant life events in medieval Africa African peoples had many different family types, and it is impossible to provide one single definition of a medieval African family In most African societies, however, people defined themselves in terms of their positions within their families The largest family unit was the clan, which comprised many people related by blood and marriage The clan was one of the most important social units in African societies Among the Bantu, for example, family relationships extended far beyond the nuclear family Bantu children called all their father’s brothers “father,” all their mother’s sisters “mother,” and all the children of those two relatives “sister” or “brother.” Children of the father’s sisters were considered cousins Among many Bantu peoples the clan made all important decisions, and individuals did not have much say in their own lives For example, when a man died the clan would choose who would inherit his property African peoples had both patrilineal and matrilineal clan systems In a patrilineal system people traced their ancestry through their fathers and the male line The Bantu had a patrilineal system People living under a matrilineal system traced ancestry through their mothers Patrilineal systems were more common The clan often arranged marriages among members, choosing partners based on their family relationships and statuses Incest between blood relatives was taboo and strictly avoided Definitions of incest, however, varied from people to people In some southern African cultures marriage between cousins was desirable, whereas in others it was abhorrent Individuals might request particular partners and use go-betweens to negotiate between the families Fathers might speak to one another to arrange a match between their children Throughout African grooms had to pay the bride’s family a bride-price—property or money paid in exchange for the bride’s presence, including her work and her children The bride-price frequently was paid in livestock, such as goats or cattle, but it could also include pots, baskets, lengths of cloth, or metal goods The higher the status of the bride’s family the higher was her bride-price In most marriages brides were younger than their grooms, sometimes much younger Many tribes commonly betrothed infants or children In Somalia men could become engaged to women who were not yet born Actual marriages and sexual intercourse did not usually take place until the bride reached puberty, though this was not always the case Men were not allowed to marry until they were quite mature and owned enough property to support a wife In some cultures, usually hunter-gatherers such as the small people of the central African forests or the inhabitants of the southern deserts, weddings took place almost casually, when a man and woman decided to live together and produced a child In most places, however, wedding ceremonies were joyous occasions involving the entire clan The bride was the star of the wedding, accorded respect because she would provide the link between the families’ ancestors and descendants Weddings involved singing, dancing, feasting, and special costumes The marriage might occur in several stages over a number of years, especially when children were betrothed There might first be a betrothal ceremony to celebrate the marriage contract When the bride was old enough, she might go to her husband’s house for brief visits, during which she might sleep with her husband but would spend most of her time at her father’s house Among some peoples the bride might not live permanently with her husband until their first child was two or three years old Where the married couple lived was determined by whether the society was patrilineal or matrilineal In a matri-
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