Matrimoni Nande

Abstract

The present article is a survery of special marriages among the BaNande of northern Kivu (Zaire), illustrating some aspects of their social structure. The most highly favoured marriage a man can make is undoubtedly one With the daughter of a maternal uncle, but while it may even be prescribed in some cases, this marriage does not constitute a genuine social practice. Its comparative rarity and the fact that other marriages with female cousins (especially with the daughter of the paternal aunt and - at least in one Nande group -- with the daughter of a paternal uncle) may be performed suggests that divergent forces and principles are at work in the Banande social structure.