Igbo Tribe Research Paper

Arranged Marriages have been around since time can remember. An arranged marriage is a marital union between a man and a woman who were selected to be wedded together by a third party. Historically, arrange marriages were the main way to marry. In certain parts of the world, it is still the primary approach. There are two types of arrange marriages. The first is a traditional marriage where the children can, with strong objections, refuse to marry their soon to be spouse. In a forced marriage, the children have no say in the matter. Bread Givers shows an excellent representation of the pressures on children from their parents to be married against their will.

Marriage is described as two people as partners in a personal relationship. There are two typical ideas of marriage that we know today. The first one that comes to mind is the one we all know, based on love, but there is another one that some may not even know of and its arranged marriages. Arranged marriage is not typically in our culture we know but in different cultures arranged marriages are their normal marriage. Throughout this essay, I will discuss the importance of realizing cultural diversity and how we apply the perspectives we gain from cross-cultural comparison to our own experience using central concepts about marriage to compare and contrast marriage in several cultures.

Along the River Niger and dispersed across southeastern Nigeria, the Igbo people have thrived for centuries. Their traditions have remained prominent in their culture to this day, including arranged marriage. The concept of arranged marriage is controversial for a variety of reasons, but it is still prevalent in many regions of the world. People of the Igbo tribe are expected to marry for benefits rather than love, which is not something most are familiar with. The process of arranged marriage within the Igbo tribe, opinions on its propriety, and the preferable characteristics of a spouse according to the Igbo people are all well represented in Chinua Achebe’s short story, “Marriage is a Private Affair”.

”since the beginning of civilization, in every known society, governments have recognized a marriage between a man and a woman because it provides the next generation outstanding citizens and is the only means of melding two sexes into a stronger and more complete whole” (Kaufman 164).

What is an arranged marriage? An arranged marriage by definition is a marriage planned and agreed to by the families or guardians of the bride and groom. The amount of input a bride or groom has is based off the type of arranged marriage. In the traditional arranged marriage the bride and groom have significant input and are not forced. Arranged marriage is a sensitive topic as it involves the values, beliefs and core characteristics of many. There are multiple views on arranged marriage, both positive and negative. Here in the west many have negative opinions on arranged marriages. Arranged marriage can be researched and analyzed from an anthropological, psychological and sociological perspective. Through the three perspectives, many distinctive differences and similarities between arranged marriage and other types of marriage such as love/choice marriage can be seen. This research essay will analyze arranged marriage from the perspective of all three social sciences and show how arranged marriage is just as good if not better than love/choice marriage from the perspective of all three social sciences.

Thousands of years ago there was a tribe filled with people known as the Ibo, now known as the Igbo. The Igbo were one of the first tribes to really be able to thrive and have order in their villages. Igboland is now one of the most populated countries in Nigeria. Though Igboland is now one of the most populated countries, it has managed to keep its historical charm. Igboland is now a very well thriving country, but it is still facing many hardships regarding their political system.

There was a time when Europe had fallen into a deep dilemma due to their debt. Africa was introduced to Europeans as Europe started to prevail through this tough time, known as the Long Depression. What started as a simple system of trade soon turned into utter exploitation of Africa and its vast resources. The news of what riches Africa possessed soon spread to all of Europe. This, in turn, resulted in what is known as the Scramble for Africa. During the Scramble for Africa, natives of Africa were traded as slaves to Europeans, natives had their homelands destroyed, and many natives were killed for resisting European colonialism. Through all

Women’s Rights in the Igbo Tribe In the Igbo tribe, women are portrayed as submissive wives to their husbands and taking care of their family. They have limited rights and freedom, and have arranged marriages planned by their fathers and other males in their tribe. The men they get married to freely beat them when they do not do what they are asked or behave properly.

A long time ago, before humans, the earth was covered entirely with water. Then, the God, Chukwu, created the first human family which included Eze Nri, his wife, and his children. Eze Nri and his family stood upon a small anthill feeling extremely hungry and without a place to live. Chukwu, who felt bad for them, gave them a yam and they found it to be very good. The next morning, the family was hungry again and begged for more yams from Chukwu. The God then gave them some yam seeds but there was no place to plant them. Chukwu told Eze Nri to call for the Akwa blacksmiths to blow away the water. Eze Nri was then told to sacrifice his eldest son and daughter to plant the seeds in their graves. Some time later, the yams were ready to be harvested and Eze Nri gave them to all the Igbo people (Ohadike). Today, the Igbo people are the third largest ethnic group in Nigeria and they make up 18 percent of the population which is over 32 million (The World Factbook - Nigeria) and about the size of Afghanistan (The

To what has become one of the largest African ethnic groups in the western hemisphere, the Yoruba tribe must give acknowledgment to the brave deities that they have come to worship. It is said in the story that has become the upbringing of this culture that the deities whom originally lived in the sky, looked in hope to bring life to the water and marshland below. In this attempt, these deities had unknowingly constructed the foundation of morals and values that are represented by millions of Yoruba people today.

The Ibo tribe is one of three ethnic groups in Nigeria, Africa. The treatment of woman and children in this tribe has altered and varied throughout the years. Traditionally, women of the Ibo tribe who were not married or without children were looked down upon. The course of action a man must take to marry an Ibo woman is lengthy and ornate. It usually takes several years. An Ibo man is also allowed to marry more than one woman. Marriage brought more opportunities to an Ibo woman and allowed her to be a part of different groups and the economics and politics of her tribe. The marital status also brought up a social reputation for a woman. Women in the Ibo tribe were expected to follow the traditions of their religion by marrying and reproducing.

In the late 1800’s through early 1900’s women and men were did not “tie the knot” like the women and men do in today’s day. In today’s world, women and men get married because they have many things in common, they are in love with each other, and they choose to get married to one another. In many stories written back then, readers can expect to read about how marriages were arranged and how many people were not having the wedded bliss marriage proclaims today.

First, I must break down what was the pre-colonial Igbo community. The main family typically consisted of grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, cousins, wives, husband, and children. Then you have the extended family which consisted of older role models, side wives, financial supporters, caretakers, etc.(Mama2 pg.2) It was the duty of the extended family to keep the marriage stabilized. Whether socially or economically, the extended family’s goal was for everyone in the family to become a union. In this context, you married the whole community.

An arranged marriage can be defined as “the arrangement of a marriage exclusively by a third party or by a joint venture of the third party and the child/person getting married” (Bowman and Dollahite, 2013). Most marriages in the world are arranged by parents or matchmakers and in many cultures in the non-Western world, love is believed not to be a requirement for marriage (Epstein, Pandit, & Thakar, 2013). In some of these cultures, arranged marriages are not only accepted, but are considered a normal part of life and it is believed that falling in love with someone who has a different upbringing and background does not produce a successful relationship (Houghton, 2011). In these specific relationships, the responsibilities of the husband

Marriage is a union that has been around for as long as humans have walked the earth. The human race depends upon the union of its members, and as such, the subject of marriage has been an issue that receives more intense scrutiny and attention than many would likely believe. In today's day and age, with humanity continuing to move in a modern direction, many argue that marriage is a union that should be entered into freely and should be based exclusively on the love between two people. However, I argue that arranged marriage, which has taken place throughout the ages and throughout the world, is a union that offers its observers a marriage based in support, longevity and love, and is an institution that should not be frowned upon.