Matriarchy in Africa
Faculty Seminar Series Presentation
Nkuzi Nnam, Philosophy
Tuesday, April 14

Matriarchy in Igbo

1. My book is on Igbo Jurisprudence
2. With this topic I tried to focus on a very narrow aspect of Igbo philosophy of laws known as legal reasoning. To get to that, I had to explore the nature of Igbo Judiciary. The nature of their judicial system reveals an incredible force of matriarchy behind Igbo jurisprudence. The following institutions reveal Igbo matriarchy:

Marriage: Polyandry; marriage between a man and several women known as polygyny is very prevalent in all of Africa. What is practiced in very few areas of Africa is polyandry or a marriage between a woman and several men at the same time. Igbo land happens to be one of those few matriarchal tribes that still practice polyandry today. In addition Igbo are the only people in Africa where women marry other women; men on the other hand, are not allowed to marry other men.

Combat: Aba Women War took place in 1929 between Igbo women and European soldiers. Igbo women were fed up with the British taxation of their husbands. With no warnings they took up arms against them.

Umuada: Is one of the most powerful groups of people in Igbo land. It is made up of indigenous women who use their spiritual power to curse or bless people. A woman has a tie with this cult by the virtue of her birth not by marriage.

Uzii: This is a process through which women are fattened and nurtured between three and six months before her wedding. Men want a similar privilege but cannot get it.

Naming: Igbo gives names such as (Nneka) to girls which means mother is superior father is superior (Nnaka) is not a name and cannot be given to boys.

Matrilineal: Igbo trace their genealogy through or down the mother line and not the father line.

Priesthood: Not only can women be priest (Priestesses) like men, women priest are indeed sought after a lot more. The belief is that women tend to be more clairvoyant than men.

Leadership: traditionally we have neither kings nor queens. Instead, we have a “dual sex political system” where men are not allowed to govern women and vice versa. Every Igbo community has two leaders a male and a female.

Economy: Every woman is economically independent no wife depends on the husband for support. That is why women are in charge of the markets, and in some areas they control the chief crops too (Yams) (Cocoa Yams).

Midwifery: Only women can be midwifes. In fact, men are forbidden or not allowed to witness or help at child birth- not even a husband or a father.