It is a normal for a man to marry more than one wife but the reversal sounds awkward and for some, it’s a taboo.
This practice dates as far back as the creation of humanity. King Solomon in the Bible had 700 wives plus 300 concubines as it was recorded. Many men from different cultural backgrounds and tribes are known to continue this marital trend, following after their forefather’s footstep.
However, it might come as a shock to discover that women not only date more than one man but marry them as well, just as men do and this practice is referred to as Polyandry.
Polyandry is a type of polygamy where women take two or more men as husbands, at the same time.
For Instance, fraternal polyandry is practiced among Tibetans in Nepal, parts of China and part of northern India, in which two or more brothers are married to the same wife, with the wife having equal “sexual access” to them.
Arabella have gathered five known countries with tribes that practice polyandry and they are listed below:
Nigeria
Few tribes in Nigeria practices polyandry even though it is very uncommon in the country. The “Irigwe” women from the Middle Belt region of the country are traditionally allowed to have as many spouses as possible. These spouses are regarded as “co-husbands”.
The women from this tribe carried on with the act of going from one house to another, having as many spouses as possible, and even having children with them.
However, the children’s paternal responsibilities was assigned to the husband whose home the woman lived with at that moment.
The Irigwe people stopped this practice as the council voted to outlaw it back on 1968.
India
In India many tribes practices polyandry. It is very common in the some parts of North India in the Jaunsarbawar region by Paharis while in Kinnaur, and a minority of the people of Himachal also practice polyandry.
The Pachi Pandavas decendants comprised of five brothers who were husband to a woman known as Draupadi, the daughter of the great King Panchala, believed that they were supposed to carry on with the tradition like their forefathers did.
Toda tribe of Nilgtis, some Nair caste systems majored in the Southern part of India and Najanad Vellala of Travancore have also been known to practice polyandry.
The Tibet university carried a study in 1988 on 753 Tibetan families and discovered that about 13% of them practiced polyandry.
Kenya
Kenyans witnessed polyandry when two men decided it was best to marry a woman they both loved in 2013,.
It may be an abnormal practice for them but fortunately, the laws in the country doesn’t go against polyandry and no legal action was taken against those who practice it.
There has also been known cases of polyandry among the Massai Nilotic people of Kenya.
South America
Bororo tribes in South America also practice polyandry as up to 72 percent of the Amazonian cultures strongly believe in the concept of multiple paternities.
Another tribe that is in on the action is the Tupi-Kawahib and they practice fraternal polyandry as well.
China
Fraternity Polyandry is so common among Tibetans in Nepal parts of India and China. It is believed among them that a child can have more than a father.
Usually, when two or more men or brothers get married to one woman, they all have equal sexual privileges to her.
If the family is not financially buoyant and dividing properties amongst their offsprings of different fathers might pose a problem, this practice is promoted as they simply make do with their small farms and properties by getting married to one woman.