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The Levirate Custom of Inheriting Widows Among the Supyire People of Mali: Theological Pointers for Christian Marriage’

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The Levirate Custom of Inheriting Widows Among the Supyire People of Mali: Theological Pointers for Christian Marriage’ ‘The Levirate Custom of Inheriting Widows among the Supyire People of Mali: Theological pointers for Christian marriage’ Michael William Thomas Jemphrey OCMS, Ph.D. November 2011 ABSTRACT The Supyire people of Mali practise levirate: when a woman is married, she permanently joins her husband’s family, and the marriage is not terminated by his death. Rather, it continues, with one of the husband’s younger brothers or cousins inheriting her and acting as a substitute levirate husband. The thesis describes how levirate is an integral part of the Supyire institution of marriage, how it gives marriage permanence, supporting the social structure, linking descent groups, determining access to land and providing a milieu for socializing children. The thesis highlights the experiences, positive and negative, that Supyire men and women have had of levirate, as related in interviews. It then begins to construct a practical theology of Supyire marriage by reflecting on it through four metaphors applied to Christ and his mission (redeemer, bridegroom, head of the church and the image of God) and the qualities particularly associated with these four metaphors (mercy, joyful love, permanent unity and respect for human dignity respectively). Despite its imperfections, the Supyire system of levirate gives security to widows and the fatherless, allows them continued access to farmland and thus to a livelihood, and can be a channel for Christ to mediate and teach about his faithful love. On these bases it is argued that levirate should be recognized by the church as a valid stage of marriage rather than treated as adultery or fornication. The thesis also reflects on the negative impact of sin on Supyire levirate and how marriage and levirate could be redeemed, with God at its centre rather than on the periphery. There are concluding reflections on lessons that might be learnt or relearnt that could be fed into a theology of marriage for the global church. An appendix outlines a possible Christian service of blessing for a Supyire levirate union. ‘The Levirate Custom of Inheriting Widows among the Supyire People of Mali: Theological pointers for Christian marriage’ by Michael William Thomas Jemphrey LL.B. (Queen’s University, Belfast) B.D. (Queen’s University, Belfast) M.Th. (Queen’s University, Belfast) Theological Ethics and Anthropology Director of Studies: Prof. Adrian Thatcher Tutor: Dr Ben Knighton A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Wales November 2011 Oxford Centre for Mission Studies Dedication This thesis is dedicated to Miranda, my wife, and to our daughters, Shona and Stephanie, who spent their childhood with us living among the Supyire people in Mali, and to the Supyire people, who welcomed us into their midst. i ii Acknowledgements I wish to express my thanks to the following people: the staff of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies for their practical help and the stimulating academic environment they provided during my course of studies, and in particular my mentor, Dr Ben Knighton; the Supyire-speaking team of Zhe Bogono, Bassirou Sanogo, Mpiri Sogono and Lana Sogono who helped me to compose the questionnaire, carry out the interviews and to understand the subtext and the import of the responses; my colleagues in SIL in Mali, and in particular those who worked among the Supyire, Dr Robert Carlson, Joyce Carlson and Miranda Jemphrey, for their insights into Supyire life and culture. My Director of Studies, Professor Adrian Thatcher and also Dr Paula Heinonen, both of whom disciplined my thinking so that I could forge the material into an academic thesis; iii and Gordon Brand, Miranda Jemphrey and Shona Jemphrey, who volunteered to proof-read the manuscript, and Alan Pickard, who helped with its formatting. To every one who contributed, Kile u yii puni sâra , ‘May God reward you all.’ iv Table of Contents Dedication................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... v List of Figures and Tables......................................................................................... x Glossary .................................................................................................................. xi Glossary: Supyire Terms......................................................................................... xii Scripture Citations ................................................................................................ xiv Dissimulation of Names ........................................................................................ xiv Abbreviations........................................................................................................ xiv 1. Foundations for a Practical Theology of Supyire Marriage.............................1 1.1 The problematic of Supyire levirate in the eyes of the church......................... 2 1.2 The theoretical approach: a practical theology................................................ 6 1.3 The nature of revelation: the Spirit at work in culture, Scripture, tradition and Christ ......................................................................................... 9 1.4 The nature of culture: unity in diversity........................................................ 12 1.4.1 The relationship between theology and anthropology.......................... 12 1.4.2 Creative unity in diversity.................................................................... 19 1.4.3 The relativization of community structures.......................................... 23 1.5 The nature of knowledge in practical theology: the hermeneutical spiral...... 25 1.5.1 Introduction: the hermeneutical spiral in practical theology ................ 25 1.5.2 Relationship between the author, the text and the reader .................... 27 1.5.3 The place of the reader’s preunderstanding.......................................... 35 1.5.4 The fusion of horizons.......................................................................... 39 1.6 Theologizing in Scripture: multivocal witnesses to what God has done in Jesus Christ ................................................................................................... 41 1.7 The nature and location of authority: Scripture and tradition ....................... 53 1.8 Practical theology of marriage: the way forward........................................... 58 2. Methodology Used to Analyse Supyire Levirate ...........................................62 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 62 2.2 Kinship .......................................................................................................... 63 2.3 Gender roles .................................................................................................. 68 2.4 Levirate ......................................................................................................... 75 2.5 Introduction to methods used........................................................................ 80 v 2.6 Source of data: the Supyire people ................................................................ 85 2.7 Interviews...................................................................................................... 90 2.7.1 Rationale for semi-structured interviews .............................................. 90 2.7.2 Language of interviews......................................................................... 91 2.7.3 Interviewers.......................................................................................... 92 2.7.4 Development of the questionnaires..................................................... 100 2.7.5 In depth interviews............................................................................. 102 2.7.6 Positionality ....................................................................................... 103 2.7.7 Interpretation of the interview data.................................................... 110 2.8 Triangulation............................................................................................... 112 2.9 Evaluation of methodology.......................................................................... 115 3. The Supyire People of Southern Mali ......................................................... 120 3.1 The Supyire people and their environment.................................................. 120 3.2 The Supyire world view............................................................................... 123 3.2.1 The Supyire pantheon......................................................................... 123 3.2.2 Cosmology.......................................................................................... 126 3.3 The Supyire family ...................................................................................... 128 3.3.1 The Supyire family: introduction........................................................ 128 3.3.2 The Supyire family: the ancestors....................................................... 132 3.3.3 The Supyire family: the unborn .......................................................... 132 3.4 Supyire marriage ........................................................................................
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