Rules of Descent and Pattern of Authority among the Bakor of Southern Nigeria

Abstract

The Bakor is one of the very few ethnic groups in Nigeria believed to practice a matrilineal descent system. There is either a common assumption that matriliny connotes matriarchy or a confusion between the two concepts among some African feminist scholars. Against this backdrop, this study sought to find out the prevailing rules of descent and the pattern of authority in Bakor society, where women constitute the currency for lineage tracing and inheritance. Data were collected from indigenous adult female and male participants of different sociodemographic backgrounds through twelve in-depth interviews and eight focus group discussion sessions. The study occurred in four rural and two urban communities among six Bakor clans using a qualitative research design. The results indicate a double descent system; patrilocality; matrifocality; women’s active participation in the economic, political, and social spheres; and their legitimate access to decision-making despite the preponderant patriarchal attitudes and practices. Although it is patriarchal, women have relative autonomy in the Bakor double descent system.