Obiefuna: Cause for Igbo Marriages in Deviance to Bible Teaching on Marriage

Abstract

Among the Igbo of Nigeria, it bequeaths a man to get a life partner after he might have undergone several rites of passage. In fact, marriage marks the end of adolescence and initiates one into adulthood among the Igbo notwithstanding ones age. For them, it is a taboo for a grown up man to live without a wife. Therefore, every adult male struggles to have a wife. Surprisingly, it seems Igbo man cannot be satisfied with one woman as one keeps on engaging in several types of marriage hence this study. In view of this, the study intends to unravel what marriage is all about, what other marriages Igbo man engages in and why he does that. It will also find out the merits and demerits of those other types of marriages among the Igbo. The paper will also find out the extent Christians among them are involved or rather, the influence of Christianity on Igbo marriage life. It is expected that the result of this study will change the Igbo man’s life concerning marriage and family as they will begin to see children as gift from God. It will also help them to see peace in their families as utmost importance and begin to refrain from marriages other than monogamy; as products of such arrangements end up in crisis when the captain of the family dies. The study covers meaning of marriage, types of marriage, reasons for marriage, steps in marriage contraction, gains and distractions that accompany several types of marriage among the Igbo. The study is conducted in Igbo nation of Nigeria and with random sampling, four out of eight Igbo states and twenty five adult and young individuals were selected and interviewed at their own separate times for collection of data. The responses from the selected interviewees formed the data of this paper which were descriptively analysed to form the result of the research. It was found that most Igbo men engage in many types of marriage in search of an heir. The paper therefore advises that the Igbo and other African men should accept Bible specification for one man, one wife and trust in God in their quest to start a family.