This article is an excellent description of what the concept of ‘marriage’ is among some Bantu groups in southern Africa. Marriage and child-bearing are linked conceptually in ways that are not common among most Americans. Thus, this article may be of use to child welfare or resettlement workers trying to sort out family problems among Bantu-speaking refugees from Africa. The article is ‘dated’ in its use of terms and is about ethnic groups from a distant location in Africa. Therefore, it may be inaccurate for current groups and should not be taken at face value. Nevertheless, the concepts about marriage and child-birth which it explores will be useful for American workers to keep in mind as a possible background for Bantu-speaking refugee groups. The article examines the Bantu marriage ritual and the significance of the birth of the first child. Complicating a definitive description of this ritual is the fact that Bantu marriage actually consists of a number of discrete ceremonies and other events over a long period and that the point at which cohabitation begins is not fixed in time. What is clear is that the Bantu concept of marriage entails the founding of the family; therefore, completion of the marriage act requires the birth of a child. Sterility or impotence, then, becomes grounds for annulment of the marriage. Many other features of the Bantu culture suggest that marriage is incomplete without children; for example, a young couple often has no household of their own until after the birth of the first child. In addition, a marriage that produces children enhances the legal status of both man and woman and requires adherence to certain forms of social etiquette. The modern Western tendency to disassociate marriage and family is judged to be detrimental to the future development of Bantu culture, leading to both social and economic difficulties.
