Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 292, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1913 — Marriage In Southern Nigeria. [ARTICLE]

Marriage In Southern Nigeria.

Among all tribes in Southern Nigeria polygamy is the rule, the reason given by the natives being that it is Impossible for one woman to do all the work of the house, look after the children, prepare and cook the food, fetch the daily supply of water (often Bn-arduous job), cultivate the plantation and go to market. And the reason is that the African is an exceedingly hungry person. It is their custom to eat several times a day when at home, and the men spend most of their day sitting in the palaver house, or market plac >, while the' women bring the food all day long. One wife could not possibly do this. Besides, the African lady encourages it, for she says: "The more wives the less work.” Among the Ahiaras, Onlchas, Obuwus and the lower class of pagan tribes in the interior there is very little form of marriage. As soon as a man has the means he pays the parents what they want in the shape of goats, cows, beads, money, and takes the girl. There is no ceremony at all. The more wives he has indicates a richer man and that he will be: better looked after. If of course they ;can manage to seize a woman from the neighboring tribe while she is fetching water or working on her farm so much the cheaper. With this method in vogue for centuries no wonder that it is as much as a native’s life is worth to go out of his own village and that the country is so backward.