It has been a thing of wonder, why men, especially in time past marry many wives and have numerous children. This primitive act, though still obtainable in some cultures or tribes, was as a result of so many reasons. To one tribe it is religious to have many wives and children, to others, it is cultural, or traditional; but to Igbo's it cut across religion and tradition but also serves as means of being wealthy, having or making wealth and also stands as a sign that one is a wealthy man.
In the ancient Igbo culture and tradition, a great man was known either by his strength as a great warrior, who had led or followed his clan or village to war, conquer, return alive and victoriously, or was known by his possession or wealth. Not Everyman in the ancient Igbo land was a warrior, though it was rare, yet, some men in the ancient Igbo land did not fight war for their clan or village. Therefore, one of the vital and most popular ways men became great in the ancient Igbo land was by the wealth they can show off. Men can be considered wealthy in those days when they possess some or all of these:
1. Lands
2. many wives and many children, especially male children
3. Barns of yams, goats and native cows
4. Palm trees and/or palm wine trees
5. Large compounds with well built and beautified "Obi" (this is like sitting room where the man stays and also receives his visitors), good huts for all his wives and well fanced with thick mud.
6. Title or titles, such as Nze and/or Ozo and other chieftaincy titles.
Any man that has these things was well respected and seen as a wealthy man who has everything that life needs. To have some or all of these however, was not a day job or children's moonlight tale. It takes a whole lot of years and committed hard work to achieve any of these. This is true, as it is also true that, it takes a lot for a boy to become a man. All the above mentioned can be inherited from one's parents or by one's strength, commitment and hard work.
When a male child is born in the ancient Igbo land, he was left with two choices, either to continue in his parents wealth, build upon it and become greater, or to become prodigal with his parents wealth and live in poverty. To a son of wealthy parents, when he grows to a man and inhert his father's wealth, he need to marry many wives who are expected to give birth to many male sons. Each son was regraded in the ancient Igbo land as great asset, this is because, he will help a great deal in his father's farm land in growing barns of yams which was the most important, valuable and costly food crop in the ancient Igbo land. Rearing of goats, native cows and sometimes pigs were also involved, but farming, especially, yam cultivation was the most glorious of all others. The number of wives a man has often determines the number of sons he will have, the number of sons a man has determines the strength of his farming success and this will in turn determine the size of his barns of yams, goats, cows, or better still, the strength of his wealthy.
To a son of poor parents, he is also left with the choice to remain poor just like his parents, by being lazy, living in self pity and blaming his parents fate, or to work extra hard to break the bound of poverty he inherited. He can do this by being a servant in a wealthy man's farm to be settled with seed of yams at the end of his service to the man, by the end of the number of years agreed. Few male and female goats, native cows, etc., can be involved, but it is usually for seed of yams for planting (farming). Another way he can do this is to convince a wealthy man to lend him a good number of seed of yams. When these seeds of yams are borrowed, they are planted and harvested, the man's own is returned to him and most times with interest, and the person who borrowed the seed yams begins to farm his gain to grow more yams and barns of his own. When he made enough or good money from his yams, he can then buy land or lands, marry wives, one after another, buy goats and native cows for rearing, and buy birds (like fowl, turkey, etc), for his wives and female children to rear.
Before he can farm to raise enough money to buy his own land, there are other ways to acquire land or lands for temporary use in the ancient Igbo land. There is a type of farming system in Igbo land called "Ruo pu". By translation it is, "Work and go away or work and leave", but by meaning, it is a process whereby, one agrees to pay for a piece of land or lands and farm on it for a period of time. When the time agreed expires, the farmer harvest all his crops from the farm land and leaves the land to the original owner. Lands were cheaply acquired with this method. People that usually release their lands to hirers under this ruo pu were people who were too weak or old to farm, people who have little or no sons to help or assist them to farm in their lands or people who have too many lands, so that, they have a lot of lands remaining unfarmed after farming their many other lands. Any of the above reasons can make one to subject his land or lands to or under ruo pu. When a man serve for seed yams or borrows them, and farms on his land or land under ruo pu, with hard work and commitment, he will begin to have and farm his own yams and grows his own barns. And will soon begin to buy his own land or lands, and then set out to marry a wife, and later, wives that will give birth to strong male children, who he will train into hard working farmers, who will soon begin to help him with his farm, especially, yam cultivation, which will in turn make him into one of the wealthiest and respected men in his clan or village.
In the ancient Igbo land, men are meant to farm yams, rear goats, cows and other four legs animals or mammals. Still in the same land where yams are farmed, women farm cassava, maze, beans, okoro and other vegetables, and they also rear birds like fowls etc. When a man is duly established to the point where he can comfortable provide for himself, his wives and children, and able to extend hands to his extended relations and begin to do tangible work and other civic responsibilities to/in his community, village or clan, which will earn him more respect and value from members of his community, then, he sets out to acquire some titles, such as "Nze" and/or "Ozo" and other chieftaincy titles. Title acquisition was the peak or zenith of the greatness or wealthiness of a man and also in showing that he has become a great and wealthy man. At this level of achievement, what was then left was to continue marrying wives and having more children, especially, male children. At this point also, women will be willing to marry such a man, even if they will become the 10th or 11th wife in his house, and parents will want to have such a man as their son-in-law. This is also the point at which the man starts to manage, preserve and protect his wealth for future use and mainly for his male children to inherit. So that, wealth and greatness will continue to run in his family linage. Also, he will begin to bear nicknames in addition to his formal titles. Such nicknames as, "Chief Ome ego (money or wealth maker) one" of his community, "Ori aku (wealth eater) one" of his community, "Osisi na mi ego (tree that bears or produces money) one" of his community, "Osimili atahiata (sea that does not dry up, meaning that his wealth is too numerous that it will not finish) one" of his community etc. And his wives, especially, his first wife will bear "Odoze aku" (wealth manager).
Oh! My, that was then, the modern world with her economy has proved this seemed wise act and belief unwise and improper. It has become wise for a man to marry one wife and have little number of children. Jesus Christ talking with the Pharisees said, "Don't you know that God has made them one man and one woman from the beginning?" And Apostle Paul addressing the Church with the latter he sent through Titus using Bishop as synecdoche to teach who a responsible, wise and eventually great man should be. In this, Paul pointed out that he must be a man of/with one wife, who will be able to control (and take care) of his family.
Too many wives and too many children causes too many problems for a man and eventually leads him to adject poverty, heart attack and early grave, especially, in this modern time where women and children are fearless of the man of the house, except where fierce religion, culture or tradition still enslaves them to do so.
Every culture is good, however, in every culture, there are things that are needed to be changed, abolished or reformed. Let's find them out in our cultures and believes and change, abolish and reform them for the betterment, humanitarian and moral benefits of our lives, cultures and believes.
In the ancient Igbo culture and tradition, a great man was known either by his strength as a great warrior, who had led or followed his clan or village to war, conquer, return alive and victoriously, or was known by his possession or wealth. Not Everyman in the ancient Igbo land was a warrior, though it was rare, yet, some men in the ancient Igbo land did not fight war for their clan or village. Therefore, one of the vital and most popular ways men became great in the ancient Igbo land was by the wealth they can show off. Men can be considered wealthy in those days when they possess some or all of these:
1. Lands
2. many wives and many children, especially male children
3. Barns of yams, goats and native cows
4. Palm trees and/or palm wine trees
5. Large compounds with well built and beautified "Obi" (this is like sitting room where the man stays and also receives his visitors), good huts for all his wives and well fanced with thick mud.
6. Title or titles, such as Nze and/or Ozo and other chieftaincy titles.
Any man that has these things was well respected and seen as a wealthy man who has everything that life needs. To have some or all of these however, was not a day job or children's moonlight tale. It takes a whole lot of years and committed hard work to achieve any of these. This is true, as it is also true that, it takes a lot for a boy to become a man. All the above mentioned can be inherited from one's parents or by one's strength, commitment and hard work.
When a male child is born in the ancient Igbo land, he was left with two choices, either to continue in his parents wealth, build upon it and become greater, or to become prodigal with his parents wealth and live in poverty. To a son of wealthy parents, when he grows to a man and inhert his father's wealth, he need to marry many wives who are expected to give birth to many male sons. Each son was regraded in the ancient Igbo land as great asset, this is because, he will help a great deal in his father's farm land in growing barns of yams which was the most important, valuable and costly food crop in the ancient Igbo land. Rearing of goats, native cows and sometimes pigs were also involved, but farming, especially, yam cultivation was the most glorious of all others. The number of wives a man has often determines the number of sons he will have, the number of sons a man has determines the strength of his farming success and this will in turn determine the size of his barns of yams, goats, cows, or better still, the strength of his wealthy.
To a son of poor parents, he is also left with the choice to remain poor just like his parents, by being lazy, living in self pity and blaming his parents fate, or to work extra hard to break the bound of poverty he inherited. He can do this by being a servant in a wealthy man's farm to be settled with seed of yams at the end of his service to the man, by the end of the number of years agreed. Few male and female goats, native cows, etc., can be involved, but it is usually for seed of yams for planting (farming). Another way he can do this is to convince a wealthy man to lend him a good number of seed of yams. When these seeds of yams are borrowed, they are planted and harvested, the man's own is returned to him and most times with interest, and the person who borrowed the seed yams begins to farm his gain to grow more yams and barns of his own. When he made enough or good money from his yams, he can then buy land or lands, marry wives, one after another, buy goats and native cows for rearing, and buy birds (like fowl, turkey, etc), for his wives and female children to rear.
Before he can farm to raise enough money to buy his own land, there are other ways to acquire land or lands for temporary use in the ancient Igbo land. There is a type of farming system in Igbo land called "Ruo pu". By translation it is, "Work and go away or work and leave", but by meaning, it is a process whereby, one agrees to pay for a piece of land or lands and farm on it for a period of time. When the time agreed expires, the farmer harvest all his crops from the farm land and leaves the land to the original owner. Lands were cheaply acquired with this method. People that usually release their lands to hirers under this ruo pu were people who were too weak or old to farm, people who have little or no sons to help or assist them to farm in their lands or people who have too many lands, so that, they have a lot of lands remaining unfarmed after farming their many other lands. Any of the above reasons can make one to subject his land or lands to or under ruo pu. When a man serve for seed yams or borrows them, and farms on his land or land under ruo pu, with hard work and commitment, he will begin to have and farm his own yams and grows his own barns. And will soon begin to buy his own land or lands, and then set out to marry a wife, and later, wives that will give birth to strong male children, who he will train into hard working farmers, who will soon begin to help him with his farm, especially, yam cultivation, which will in turn make him into one of the wealthiest and respected men in his clan or village.
In the ancient Igbo land, men are meant to farm yams, rear goats, cows and other four legs animals or mammals. Still in the same land where yams are farmed, women farm cassava, maze, beans, okoro and other vegetables, and they also rear birds like fowls etc. When a man is duly established to the point where he can comfortable provide for himself, his wives and children, and able to extend hands to his extended relations and begin to do tangible work and other civic responsibilities to/in his community, village or clan, which will earn him more respect and value from members of his community, then, he sets out to acquire some titles, such as "Nze" and/or "Ozo" and other chieftaincy titles. Title acquisition was the peak or zenith of the greatness or wealthiness of a man and also in showing that he has become a great and wealthy man. At this level of achievement, what was then left was to continue marrying wives and having more children, especially, male children. At this point also, women will be willing to marry such a man, even if they will become the 10th or 11th wife in his house, and parents will want to have such a man as their son-in-law. This is also the point at which the man starts to manage, preserve and protect his wealth for future use and mainly for his male children to inherit. So that, wealth and greatness will continue to run in his family linage. Also, he will begin to bear nicknames in addition to his formal titles. Such nicknames as, "Chief Ome ego (money or wealth maker) one" of his community, "Ori aku (wealth eater) one" of his community, "Osisi na mi ego (tree that bears or produces money) one" of his community, "Osimili atahiata (sea that does not dry up, meaning that his wealth is too numerous that it will not finish) one" of his community etc. And his wives, especially, his first wife will bear "Odoze aku" (wealth manager).
Oh! My, that was then, the modern world with her economy has proved this seemed wise act and belief unwise and improper. It has become wise for a man to marry one wife and have little number of children. Jesus Christ talking with the Pharisees said, "Don't you know that God has made them one man and one woman from the beginning?" And Apostle Paul addressing the Church with the latter he sent through Titus using Bishop as synecdoche to teach who a responsible, wise and eventually great man should be. In this, Paul pointed out that he must be a man of/with one wife, who will be able to control (and take care) of his family.
Too many wives and too many children causes too many problems for a man and eventually leads him to adject poverty, heart attack and early grave, especially, in this modern time where women and children are fearless of the man of the house, except where fierce religion, culture or tradition still enslaves them to do so.
Every culture is good, however, in every culture, there are things that are needed to be changed, abolished or reformed. Let's find them out in our cultures and believes and change, abolish and reform them for the betterment, humanitarian and moral benefits of our lives, cultures and believes.
Comments
Post a Comment