Why the Uduk Won't Pay Bride Wealth

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Periodical article

Title:	Why the Uduk Won't Pay Bride Wealth
Author:	James, W.R.
Year:	1970
Periodical:	Sudan Notes and Records
Volume:	51
Pages:	75-84
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Sudan
Subjects:	Uduk bridewealth Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Women's Issues
Abstract:	In 1963 a system of bridewealth payment was introduced, which would probably cut down the frequency of marriage instability. This policy however failed for two reasons: 1. nobody in the area saw the system as being beneficial, 2. the bridewealth was considered as a gift to be consumed instead of a permanent investment, by which it was not taken seriously as compensation for the loss of right over productivity of a woman, which in fact is the essential meaning of the bridewealth transaction. Parts of the article: Social organization - Reaction to the Omda's 1963 policy - Gifts, debts, and morality - The southern Uduk: note on sister-exchange marriage - Conclusion. Notes.