Facts have emerged about Banyankole tribe, an ethnic group in Uganda, where the bride’s aunt must have sex with the groom before marriage, to test his sexual prowess.
Ankole is situated across the equator in south-western Uganda, about 100 kilometers west of
Lake Victoria and immediately south of Lakes Edward and George. Its size is about 16,182 square kilometers.
The people of Ankole are called “Banyankole” and speak “Runyankole”, one of the major
Bantu dialects in Uganda.
Virginity is highly respected in the Banyankole tribe of South Uganda. Since, she must be a virgin, the man must also be great in bed.
It is the responsibility of the aunt to ensure that before the wedding night when the marriage is consummated, the bride has maintained her virginity, and the groom is skilled in bed.
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At the age of eight, the aunt begins to groom the young girl for marriage. Once she develops breasts, she ought not to have sex. A bride who is not a virgin is considered of less value and suffers social exclusion or even the death penalty.
The Banyankoles consider fatness to be a sign of attractiveness. Young girls are kept indoors and fed beef, millet porridge and a lot of milk to make them fat.
The aunt has sex with the groom as a potency test for the groom to certify his sexual prowess and also to teach the bride what her husband-to-be will be like.
She is also asked to “test” to see if the bride is still a virgin.
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The wedding preparations start after the bride price the groom pays the bride price. There is a lot of eating at the bride’s house on the wedding day when the father kills a cow.
After the bride’s aunt “tested” the virginity of her niece and had sex with the groom to gauge his sexual prowess, there is a second feast in the groom’s house, where the marriage is consummated.
After the marriage, the aunt will even observe or listen in while the bride and groom engage in sexual activity to help the couple improve their sex life.
Although this archaic custom may seem strange, it demonstrates how the Banyankole people, especially the Bahima tribe, value virginity.
For this reason, teenage pregnancies before marriage were uncommon.
Polygyny (multiple wives) was associated with rank and wealth.
Bahima herders who were chiefs typically had more than one wife, and the Mugabe (king) sometimes had over one hundred. Marriages were alliances between clans and large extended families.
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Among both the Bahima and the Bairu, pre-marital virginity was valued.
Today, Christian marriages are common. The value attached to extended families and the importance of having children have persisted as measures of a successful marriage. Monogamy is now the norm.
Marriages occur at a later age than in the past, due to the attendance at school of both girls and boys. As a consequence, teenage pregnancies out of wedlock have risen.
Girls who become pregnant are severely punished by being dismissed from school or disciplined by parents. For this reason, infanticide is now more common than in the past, given that abortion is not legal in Uganda.