28/06/2019
THE ABOLITION OF EXCHANGE MARRIAGE
Whereas Tiv elders considered the indigenous marriage system as a stabilizing factor in Tiv society, a means of social control, the colonialists saw it as constituting a contradiction for colonial capitalism as well as their attempts at the modemization of society.
As if these were not enough, Christian missionaries brought pressure on the colonialists by urging them to abolish the exchange marriage institution.
Confused and frustrated by their own inability to understand the intricacies of the exchange marriage system, the Dutch Reformed missionaries argued that exchange marriage acted as a deterrent to the spread of Christianity. 1 In 1922, the Dutch Reformed Church informed captain Gordon, then Resident of Munshi province that;
Their (the Tiv's) marriage custom makes it practically impossible for a man to be a Christian and marry a woman of his own tribe. The difficulty, we find is keeping back many a
young man from openly professing what he really believes in his heart. Could a system of dowry be introduced in Munshi country, it would salve the difficulty.
Under the prevailing marriage custom the missionaries could not help new converts to secure wives. They had no exchange wards,
the principal requirement for contracting marriage. It was hoped that the introduction of bride price by the colonialists would enable the missionaries to assist new converts by lending money to them for the payment of bride price.
The position of the missionaries was backed by the youths. For the expansion in the trading economy coupled with the creation of wage labour had made some of them to be financially independent. They had hoped for the introduction of bride price so that they could take new wives rather than wait until wards were available to be used for exchange marriage.
However, the elders on their part were vehemently opposed to the idea of transforming Tiv marriage customs with an administrative fiat. Even the district and clan heads who constituted part of the native administrative hierarchy were opposed to the abolition of exchange marriage. Their stand was not surprising since they benefited most from the prevailing arrangement. Yet the missionaries pressed ahead with their demands. Thus, the inspection tour of Benue province in July 1926 by Lieutenant Govemor Palmer provided the missionaries with a unique opportunity to present a formal request for the abolition of exchange marriage.
After listening to the plea of the missionaries led by Reverends Brinks and Malherbe, Palmer remarked that the colonial govemment could
not give a definite pledge to modify existing marriage institutions. However, he left the matter in the hands of the District Officer
Munshi Division who would in his words:
... call a meeting of all chiefs, point out the position and explain to the elders that by continuing in the old ways they were cutting their own throats. His Honour was confident that if the matter was put before them in a
proper way, they would see reason It seemed that the missionaries failed to grasp the point of the Lieutenant Govemor's remarks.
So Palmer went on to state the govemment's position in even more explicit terms:
The laws and customs administered by native Courts could not be changed by the Govemment but that pressure might be
brought to bear to bring about modifications.
Despite the argument in favour of exchange marriage, the administration was gradually convinced of the need to eradicate the
practice. Thus on 8 Juiy 1927 al! Tiv district heads were invited to a meeting in Abinsi. The agendum was unequivocal, to discuss the abolition of exchange marnage.
To be continued........
