In this paper I view the amount of bride wealth paid as a distinct
part of a larger bride wealth institution, and present an economic
explanation for the variation in amount paid among the pastoralists
of East Africa. Citing the importance of labor and nomadic movements
to the size of pastoral cattle herds, the amount of bride wealth paid
is seen as a function of these constraints. Statistical analysis of the
data on bride wealth and nomadic pattern yields a nearly perfect cor
relation supporting this view.
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