Did you know Nigerian tribe where women could marry more than one husband?

The Irigwe people, living on the western edge of Plateau, Jos are a unique group of people numbering approximately 17,000. This small group of people is known to be strong supporters of polyandry. It may or may not be as surprising given their peculiar customs, language, and social traditions, which set them apart from neighboring tribes.

In the Irigwe culture, women were allowed to have multiple husbands and moved freely from one man’s house to another. Though they had multiple spouses, their children’s paternity was attributed to the husband with whom the woman lived at a given time. The Irigwe people practiced polyandry for many decades until it was officially outlawed in 1968.

Several reasons contributed to the practice of polyandry among the Irigwe people. Aside from their tradition and culture, some other reasons why they practiced polyandry are:

Economic considerations: The practice allows for the pooling of resources, labour, and land among the husbands, which was especially important in their agricultural communities.

Infertility: Polyandry served as a solution to issues of infertility. When one husband is unable to father children, the responsibility of fathering children would be shared among the other husbands in the marriage.

Inheritance and land rights: In some cases, polyandry helped preserve family land and property rights. Since children born in a polyandrous marriage are considered the heirs of all the husbands involved, the family’s land and assets remain within the group.