Widow 'dispossession' in northern Nambian inheritance

Gordon, Robert J.

article

Widow 'dispossession' in northern Nambian inheritance

Anthropology Southern Africa • 31 (1-2) • Published In 2008 • Pages: 1-12

By: Gordon, Robert J..

Abstract
European missionaries and global human rights organizations alike have argued that customary Ovambo inheritance rules deprive widows and orphans of land rights and other productive assets. Based on ethnographic information, this study suggests that this is an exaggeration and misinterpretation of the facts. By recognizing the unique structural positioning of widowed women and minor orphans in matrilineal societies, the well-intended social functions of Ovambo inheritance practices are revealed. This includes the reinforcement of the solidarity of matrilineal lineages in honoring a deceased member, which lineage heads sought to achieve by ensuring the deceased person’s productive assets are reverted to the collective ownership of his lineage.

Region

Africa

Sub Region

Southern Africa