Nhachi Nwaanyi In Igbo Culture: A Critical ‘Incest and Gender’ Analysis of a ‘Marriage’ Practice in Film and Literature
Conference: ISA 22nd Annual International Conference (2025)
Presenter(s): Adaora Lois Anyachebelu
Abstract
In Igbo culture, Nhachi Nwaanyi (‘Retention Marriage’) is an age-long marriage practice whereby a man who has no male child retains one of his daughters for begetting male issues for lineage continuity. In Igbo society, when a man dies without begetting any male issue, his brothers inherit his property, not minding that the wife is still alive. In some cases, the widowed wife is also inherited as well. The nature of inheritance practice and the desire for lineage perpetuation in Igbo culture pave way for this system of marriage. Against the backdrop of gender roles and the importance ascribed to the male gender, this study investigates the practice of Nhachi Nwaanyi in Igbo society --the processes involved, its effects on females/womanhood, the examination of the existence cum the sexual nature attached to (male gender) procreation in Igbo society, investigate gender roles in Igbo society, and the implications in contemporary Igbo society. Selected works of fiction in Igbo and English and the film ‘The Promise I Made’ will be analyzed using the ‘incest taboo theory’ and conventional critical approaches to gender studies. Individuals knowledgeable in Igbo custom are also interviewed. The study reveals that nhachi nwaanyi is a long-term marriage practice in Igbo society which still thrives even in the contemporary society.
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