Wife inheritance among the Luo

KennethJuror | Kenya

When this topic was brought out in one of the consultative forum discussing the gains made in the fight against HIV/AIDS elimination in the country. It was discussed with sheer arrogance and ignorance as many who attended did not quite understand. However, in every culture there is something that stands out which makes a cultural practice unique – unique in its beliefs, values and traditions.

After burial 

In the Luo cultural practice, after a wife has buried her husband she is then given time to mourn her departed husband later on she will choose an inheritor among her brothers-in-law who is married. He is referred to as Jater. He had to be married as being an inheritor was a preserve for those who are only married.

Before news was issued to the would be Jater, she (widow) would seek approval from the Jater’s wife of her intention to be inherited, on very rare cases would a man refuse. But if the widow does not find a suitable Jater among the brother’s-in-law then she can opt for a stranger – one who is not a relative, such a person is called Jak owiny.  Jak owiny would however not get approval of the clan members as it was viewed as an attempt to commercialize wife inheritance.

Reasons and the present world of HIV/AIDS

· Continue family lineage of the dead. A kid born in such a union if a boy he will be called the departed husband’s name and if a girl then the mother of the deceased.   

· The inheritor was to chair – go kom piny, dowry negotiations of the deceased children and more over gonyo dhok – issuing out cows to the son of the deceased as part of dowry payment. This was seen as a blessing and a preserve of men only. A woman cannot gonyo dhok.

· He was to protect and take care of the widow because the clan was wary of unchaste women.

The widow was to be inherited because if she does not then she cannot till land as tilling land was done by couples so if one is not present then she cannot do it alone until when she is inherited. 

These were very noble sage ways that constitutes culture which presently is misunderstood as many go for it to squander wealth left behind. It has further led to many deaths from HIV/AIDS but ideally it was for the common good of all in the society.  

On the other hand culture cannot be comparable nor looked at under the lens of your own culture. Each of our cultures should idyllically be understood and appreciated exclusively as the more we open up and be interested in knowing our various cultures the less prejudices we have ultimately move towards being a national/global citizen.