Comparative Analysis of Hausa and Zarma Traditional Marriage Culture

Abstract

Marriage like in any other tradition plays avital role among the  Hausa and the Zarma communities. Marriage is one of the important  agent of socializations and development of every communities and  nation at large. The word marriage means abond or contract that legalizes the union of man and woman as wife and husband. In the two communities under study, marriage is considered as a cultural  and religious obligation, as such any man or woman who has no wife or husband is reluctantly accepted as irresponsible member of the  society. It is in view of the above, this paper wishes to comparatively study some aspects of marriage culture in the two different communities (Hausa and Zarma). The problem associated to this study is that, most of the younger generations, especially the youth are not aware of the real traditional marriage culture of these two  communities, talk less of comparing the two cultures. Thus, the  motive behind this study is to expose the younger ones to know some important marriage cultures that are practiced in the two communities. The methodology applied in the study includes use of  library and oral interviews. In addition, a “Cultural Comparative  Theory â€isused in the research ,as it gives a comparative guide for analysis on the data collected. Equally the significance is to assist in strengthening and bridging up the good socio-cultural relationship between the two communities. The paper also discussed the differences and similarities on some aspects of traditional marriage cultures of the two communities. At the end of this research, the paper is able to find and state some substantial differences and similarities in the traditional marriage processes between Hausa and Zarma communities.