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Abstract

In Kalabari there is a remarkable pervasiveness of tripartite schemes. This was not the situation centuries ago, and it is at variance with the baseline culture in the Niger Delta. In the past, and still among other Ijo communities, number three and odd numbers in general were associated with men; and even numbers and four in particular were associated with women. This paper investigates why the number-symbolism changed and "feminine" numbers disappeared from the traditional religious cosmology. Our analysis suggests that the transformation of Kalabari society from fishing village to trading state altered the gender balance in favor of men. With their newly found dominance in long-distance trade, which relied on violence for success, the reproduction of social relationships was structured in various ways to produce and maintain the worldview that what was masculine and strong was good for the governance of society. The prominence of number three in Kalabari social relations is, therefore, an "archaeological" artifact of historic transformation of gender relations.

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Three against Four: A Cultural Analysis of the Disappearance of Women in Kalabari

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