Marriage in Edda: Types of Marriage

Introduction

Marriage procedure in Edda is never carried out in a hurry so that tokens of love and protocols expressed in the giving and receiving of gifts may not be missed. Marriage in Edda is an arrangement and alliance between two extended families of the bride and bridegroom, rather than a contract between two individuals. In other words, there is an institutionalized elaboration of marital union over and beyond the couple.

Until very recently, the custom has been for the parents of the man or woman to exercise over-riding influence on the choice of a partner for their ward. It was also the custom for the parents to choose and negotiate the marriage on behalf to their children. The significance of this is that the parents of one are technically married to the parents of the other, and in this way a mutual affinity is established.

Prior to an engagement, preliminary inquiries are made on the antecedents of the man and woman by selected relatives on both sides. The aim is to ascertain whether both are not of the same maternal line (Ikwu Nne), and whether the families are of good behavior and free from genetically related diseases. When the relatives of the prospective husband are satisfied with the antecedents of the girl, her parents are then contacted. Formal consultation of the girl and her extended family will be followed by a formal betrothal.

Types of Marriage

In the past, “child marriage” was a common phenomenon. At the birth of a baby girl, a young man puts a coin into the baby’s bathing pot (Oku Nzu) or ties a twined raffia palm thread round her left wrist. This signifies that the man would be her future husband.

However, for this arrangement to come to fruition, there must be a master-servant relationship between the young man and his prospective father-in-law. The young man also helps nurture the baby until she is of age before other processes in their marriage are undertaken. This type of marriage is now outdated, largely due perhaps to the high level of instability associated with most marriages contracted that way. For instance, as the girl grows up, either party may discover that their intended spouse falls short of expectation.

Another form of marriage is that by proxy which is still in practice. This is a marriage contract entered into between the families of a man and woman who are not initially able to see each other.

In recent times, marriage by proxy could be contracted through the exchange of photographs. Under this arrangement, the young man is domiciled outside home asks his parents or relatives to "send" him a wife, and through the exchange of photographs, the man and his intended wife could make up their minds and take a decision as to whether or not their families should undertake the necessary processes. On the conclusion of the traditional customs, the girl is “transported” to the young man at his station.

This form of marriage used to be popular with Igbo migrants in such far-away locations as Fernanda Po (Panya) and, like child marriages, is prone to break up.

Woman Marriage is not a recognized form of marriage in Edda and will not be acceptable to the paternal relatives. Under this system, women “marry” on their own merit by paying the bride-wealth and could exercise the option to dispose of their rights in their brides. Some women allow their husbands to exercise these rights and accept their brides as co-wives. Where such female-husbands have no children, they share their huts with them and adopt the new wives’ children as theirs.

Widows and divorcees are free to remarry in Edda, but there has never been a case of “wife exchange” in the area. Marriage to a widow of divorcee has to attract bride-wealth to be formalized. Where bride-wealth is not paid, any child from the relationship is not regarded as the legitimate child of the new husband; hence the expression “Okwa adighi agu nwa afa” (The bush fowl does not name a child), the man being looked upon as a concubine.

It is pertinent at this stage to observe that acculturation has over the years institutionalized such other forms of marriage as Marriage by Ordinance and Church Marriage in Edda.

A common form of marriage today is that between two grown-ups who have made up their minds to spend the rest of their lives as husband and wife. Nevertheless, the consent of both set of parents is sought and in most cases approvals are given before the marriage holds. Where the parents of either the man or woman or both are reluctant to give their consent to the union, emissaries could be sent to persuade them to accept the choice of their ward(s) as life partner(s).

In the old days, physical prowess was a major factor to be reckoned with in families’ choice of husbands for their daughters. Therefore, wrestlers, warriors, successful farmers, and influential men were easily acceptable as suitors by girls and their parents. The moral status of a prospective husband was also taken into serious consideration.

On the part of the girls, renowned singers, beautiful maidens and those whose lineage was noted for high birth rate were considered most preferable as wives.

Polygamy is one of the features of the marriage system in traditional Edda. It conferred social recognition on the man and he was seen as “wealthy” (Ogaranya Amadi or Amakiri); thus, polygamy was part of the value system of the people.

The practice of having many wives also had economic considerations. For instance, a man’s wives and children were the main labor resources as well as sources of dependence in his old age. In the same vein, a man’s immediate physical security was contingent largely on the size of his family.

It has often been remarked by one elder in Edda that all the women in a community ought to be married and thus provided for materially. In the traditional setting, a bachelor or spinster is viewed as a social anomaly, because there is hardly any acceptable role for them in society. Derogatory appellations used in reference to bachelors include “Odinkeoga” and “Okpuntu.”