hin its grasp. In addition, the brides usually went to live with her husband's kin, and she was dependent on this group in which she was a virtual outsider. (Jennifer Seymour Whitaker, 1990, p. 99)Once involved with her new household, an Ibo woman often lived a life quite separate economically from that of her husband, in which the basic unit was herself and her children. She was usually expected to cook her husband's food, to bear children regularly, and to feed and clothe the children as well. Her husband traditionally provided her with a hut and some land to farm. She supported her family by working the land allotted to her and by trading. Women usually did most of the cultivation. Therefore, it was accepted that women got plentiful land, and had rights to portions of family land for their own use, Often their surplus was theirs to keep; at other times they sold it to their husbands; sometimes their husbands kept it themselves. In any event, even though the women also did most of the cultivation on their husband's land, they did not share in their husband's income. Nor, when their husbands died, did the women inherit their property, which went to their sons or sometimes, to the sons of the husband's sisters. (P.98)Moreover, a woman herself is often inherited by her husband's brother, who marries her to give her home and keep her procreative powers in the family. However, ultimately, even more than men, women had to depend on their children for their economic well being, and, in their old age, for their survival. Between husband and wife, mutual respect was the most important personal bond. Intimate companionship or "love" in the sense we describe it was rare. Ibo women were expected to share their husbands with other wives. And in their competition for their husband's regard, honor grew most of all with the numbers of children one gave her husband and his family. (p. 97-102)As I mention before, being a mother was the most important r...
