Bride wealth
Gifts, often of cattle, given by a groom's family to the bride's family to seal a marriage.
Also: bridewealth, bride price
Bride wealth is the transfer of goods from the groom's side to the bride's side at marriage, the reverse of a dowry. In many herding societies of Africa, and in parts of Asia, cattle have been the main form it takes; in Northeast India the mithun plays the same part. Among the Dinka and Nuer of South Sudan, a marriage may involve dozens of cattle, gathered from the groom's relatives and shared among the bride's. Anthropologists stress that bride wealth creates lasting ties between families and recognises children as belonging to the husband's lineage. Rising numbers of cattle asked in some areas are linked to cattle raiding, and some communities have set limits.