Compounds, cousin marriage, seclusion, polygyny and divorce.
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Lesson 1 of 2
The compound
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Mai-gida and cousins
Extended families or joint fraternal families often share a compound ruled by the mai-gida, the male head of the family. The Hausa prefer marriage between cousins on either side. Marriage with a patrilateral parallel cousin (a father’s brother’s child) has the greatest prestige, according to Salamone.
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Seclusion and status
Among the wealthier and elite families, wives are often secluded (kulle, “locking up”). Seclusion is seen as a sign of status and serves as a marker that separates families from their neighbours. Practice and opinion vary, and the subject is debated by Hausa women and men.
Lesson 2 of 2
Polygyny and divorce
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What Salamone reports
As Muslims, Hausa men may have up to four wives, ranked in the order of their marriages. Divorce is described as a common fact of life. Salamone mentions one explanation offered in the literature: women’s easy access to the market and their ability to compete with men.
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Did you know?
These are scholars’ descriptions of one period and region. Laws and habits differ across northern Nigeria and Niger, and they continue to change.