Polygamy is a relationship where one person takes two or more spouses. It is usually in two forms; Polygyny is a marriage between one man and several women, and polyandry is marriage between a woman and several men.
Polygamous relationships are not rare in Africa and Asia; having more than two people in a relationship or living together under the same roof is not illegal in some countries. Three adults can voluntarily live together and raise children in Polygamous relationships.
Many religions and cultural practices in the world supports polygamy. In some African and Asia countries, polygamy is widely practised. Polygamy is common in some African countries, particularly the West and Central Africa.
In West African countries, polygamy is allowed by the customary law; men are allowed to marry several wives under certain conditions.
The husband must be financially capable of supporting his wives and families. In reality, polygamous relationships are limited to two women in West African countries (Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria)
Polygamy is practised in Asia, particularly the Middle East and South Asia. Many Muslim countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Morroco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others) permits men to marry four wives simultaneously.
While polygamy allows men to take multiple spouses, women can only marry one person. Polyandry is common among the people of Tibet in Nepal; this is based on the belief that a child can have more than one father.
India is a diverse society both polyandry and polygyny is being practised. Polyandry is prevalent among the Himalaya community; usually, brothers marry just one woman and share the paternity of the children. Muslim men in India are permitted by law to marry more than one wife.
Maasai Culture
The Maasai people are indigenous people in two East African countries (Tanzania and Kenya); the natives reside in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Nile Valley. The local language spoken by this tribe is called Maa (a combination of Nuer and Dinka language), while the official language in Kenya is English and Swahili.
The Maasai people have maintained their traditional ways of life for centuries. They are semi-nomadic people who live under a communal system.
The locals wear a fabric called ‘shuka’ and heavy necklaces and earrings made of glass beads of different colours and patterns. The women shave their hair while the men either shave their hair or wear dreadlocks.
They depend on livestock farming. It is now common to see women sell beads to tourists in towns and villages.
The tribe rely on meat, milk, maise, rice, potatoes, vegetables and millet. In the past, they also survived on blood and milk. Maasai believe that cattle blood heals sickness and provides them nutrients.
The women that belong to this tribe make the house ‘Kraals’, collect firewood, make beads, milk cows, cook and fetch water while the men are in charge of the livestock (cattle and goats) and provide security for the community.
Marriage in the Maasai community is conducted after marital rites. The tribe perform female genital mutilation on women; the practice of genitals mutilation is fading because of civilisation and advocacy.
A few families and parents now practise it. The government has banned it because women are prone to get infected after the cuts. Civil societies, individuals and governments are still pushing for the eradication of genital mutilation among the Maasai communities.
Marriages are usually arranged by the elders (male representatives from each family). When a young man sees a lady from another family that he likes, he will ask his parents to ask for her hand in marriage; after that, both families will arrange for the marital rites and conduct the wedding. After the bribe joins her new family, the elders in her new family will advise the couple on how they can live peacefully together.
Maasai men are polygamous; the men can marry more than one wife at a time. The locals believe that this practice stops jealousy among the women and brings them together.
