Running head: CULTURAL GROUPS 1

Gusii

Author’s Name

Institution

Date
Gusii 2

The Gusii community is one of the Bantu ethnic groups that occupy the Kisii highlands

Nyamira and Kisii counties in Western Kenya. Just like other ethnic groups in Kenya, the Gusii

community also strictly observes a couple of customs, including marriage. To the Gusii people,

for a marriage to be successful, children had to be in the picture.

In Gusii culture, boys between the age of 14 to 18 years were considered fit for marriage.

It was the duty of the parents to make sure their boys got wives. Both families wanted each of

their children a favorable match in marriage. On the boy's side, they wanted a girl from a good

family, attractive and with a good reputation. The go-between was to make sure that the girl had

no visible marks on her body. This determined the size of the bride price to be offered to her

parents. On the other hand, the father of the bride only wanted to be assured that the boy and the

family are in a position to pay the required bride price (Okinyi Paul, 2014).

After a boy had been declared fit to marry and the parents have gotten a girl for him, then

marriage plans would be set in motion. It is the woman or the bride who initiated the first move

of the marriage. It was up to the bride to request the go-between to talk to the bridegroom so that

he and his group can go to her home and see each other.

In this culture, the girl vetted her groom to be with the help of her female friends. If she did not

like the boy, she was allowed to choose not to go ahead with the marriage. However, as long as

the boy can pay the bride price, the father had the right to marry her off. All negotiations were

done by visiting the elders before the father of the bride is given the cows.

The Gusii culture required the father of the bride to replace the cows that died too soon before

the couple wedded. The bride’s father was not supposed to replace the dead cow himself. The

cow had to be replaced with the same breed. No goats or bulls were offered to replace a cow. A

girl was only taken to the groom’s home if the father was satisfied with the animals provided to
Gusii 3

him. Usually, after the bride’s father accepted the animals, the girl was drugged to her groom’s

home by young men. The Gusii people valued marriage; therefore, they celebrated it with lots of

food and beer. People feasted until morning and so much wrestling by men on the wedding night.

Immediately the girl arrived, the honeymoon starts, and it goes on for about six weeks.

The Gusii valued the sexual performance of the new couple because the marriage depended on it.

Also, if the groom discovered any deformities, especially virginal obstruction, the girl was sent

away, and the bride price would be returned.

After a week of staying in the groom’s home, the women from the bride's side come to

check how the girl was welcomed and inquire about the fitness of the groom. The bride only

went back to her father’s home after 3 to 4 months to discuss all the issues about their marriage.

It is during this time she was supposed to report if she has seen unusual behavior, habits, and

witchcraft from her husband's family. In case there was any of that in her husband's family, she

was in a position to let leave her husband, and her father would cancel the marriage.

The married girl slept in her husband's hut, but she ate and even cooked in the hut of her

mother in law; this still happens also today. The rationale behind this is because the girl has not

planted her crop yet. After marriage, the couple was expected to bear children, and if two or

more goes went by without conceiving, then they would be suspected. Sometimes the parents

consulted magicians to tell them what could be wrong with the couple.

In Gusii culture, they celebrated whenever a couple managed to sire children. People

from the girls' side would bring food and beer. The people celebrated as the called the child by

name. It through this ceremony that the girl got all the privileges and rights of living in her

newfound home as a full member (Okinyi Paul, 2014).

Gusii 4

The Gusii marriage customs in the latest centuries are a bit different from those in the

past. The marriage customs in the past were highly valued and regulated. However, today,

things are different. You find that people can meet from any part of the world and settle down.

Nowadays, sex before marriage is prevalent, and many girls are becoming single mothers at an

early age. The only thing that still stands is the payment of the bride price, which includes cows

and money as well. However, a large percent of the couple settle down without paying the bride

price first. The Gusii culture has degraded with time.

.
Gusii 5

Reference

Okinyi Paul, M., Nyakanga E. (2014). Traditional Marriage Customs among the Gusii of Kenya.