II-II Wa (Traditional Marriage): Towards the Typologies of Marriage in Ogoni Traditional Philosophy

Abstract

Every society has its own norms, values and morals, which help them to structure their universe. Among the Ogoni indigenous people, the centrality of ii-ii wa (traditional marriage) as the nucleus of society is the under guiding factor for their comprehensive marriage rites. To the Ogoni indigenous people, marriage is a sacred institution, inextricably attached to the Ogoni traditional religion. It is a process rather than a discrete event that marks one’s transition from one stage of life to another; it involves rituals, negotiations, and transactions that stretch over years. It is a community practice within which the values of a community are shaped and preserved. However, the eventual contact with the western culture through colonialism, christianity, education and, with the subsequent upsurge of globalization, reflects the diffusion of modern orientations and ideologies. These values are not only being challenged but also eroded. Consequently, this onslaught brings into question the place of the Ogoni cultural values and marriage system amidst modernization. This study, therefore, centers on the organized system of the Ogoni traditional marriage forms in relation to specific underlying dimensions, attributes and categories. The study further distinguishes between Bia-k?̅, biabe and the assumed Sira-culture that do not exist in Ogoni cultural practices. In analyzing the subject matter, the study adopts the descriptive research design, using the philosophical approach, with special reference to the structural functionalism and the diffusion of innovation theories. Through the research effort it was observed that the fortunes of marriage and family institutions are dwindling due to the emerging trends of individualism, loosed morality, materialism and intrusion of foreign ideas into marriage and family system in Ogoni. Hence, the need to respect, project and protect those core Ogoni traditional marriage values.

Keywords: II-II-Wa (traditional marriage), family values, religion, social change