Men frequently have several wives; in fact, many cultural traditions, including religions, endorse this practice, and polygamy is still common among many families today.
In the north, especially, we’ve seen leaders and celebrities with numerous wives, and when these tales are told, nobody seems to object. However, talking about women whose cultures let them to wed several husbands is sure to draw attention.
Particularly in a nation like ours, polyandry, in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time, is not a phenomenon we are familiar with. Even though this might be unfamiliar in Nigeria,
It is accepted as the standard in many parts of the world, including various areas of Africa, Nepal, China, and parts of Northern India.
Practices of polyandry in Irigwe
The Irigwe people, numbering about 17,000, are a distinctive population located on the western fringe of Plateau, Jos. This little group is well known for being ardent proponents of polyandry. Given their unusual habits, language, and social traditions that separate them apart from other tribes, it may or may not be as surprising.
Women in the Irigwe culture were able to roam freely from one man’s home to another and were permitted to have several spouses. Even when they had more than one spouse, the husband with whom the lady resided was considered to be the father of their children at a specific moment. Polyandry was a practice among the Irigwe people for a long time before it was made illegal in 1968.
Motives for engaging in polyandry Polyandry was common among the Irigwe people for a number of reasons. They engaged in polyandry for a variety of reasons, including custom and culture:
Economic factors: The practice enables the spouses to pool resources, labor, and land, which was particularly crucial in their agricultural societies.
Infertility: Polyandry was used to address the problem of infertility. When one husband is unable to father children, the other spouses in the marriage would split the burden of doing so.
Land rights and inheritance: Polyandry occasionally assisted in preserving family land rights. The family’s land and possessions remain with the group since children born in a polyandrous marriage are regarded as the heirs of all the husbands involved.
