When one thinks about polygamy, there may be several things that come to mind. The most obvious one is that of the Mormon religion. Another image we may get is that of a patriarchal male that dominates a family unit.
While we all may have our own presumptions about polygamy, there are many things that the general public may not know about it.
The first of which is who practices it? The fact is that many different cultures did, and still do practice polygamy. Though it is most popular in sub-saraharan Africa among many tribal religions, it is done all over the world and throughout history. Even in the Bible, there are a few verses in the Old Testament that reference polygamy. Though it was outlawed in America during the 1800’s for tax purposes, polygamy is still known to be practiced behind closed doors in many communities.
The second thing we need to know is that polygamy is not always practiced just for the male’s sexual desires. In most cases it is not, in fact. Polygamy is often practiced as a way to build a treaty between two groups of people. Several African tribes use it for diplomatic purposes, as marrying off a daughter to a tribal leader can constitute an alliance. The Mormon religion used it to build their family up so when they reach the celestial kingdom (essentially the highest tier of heaven), they can all be together. Today, the amount of Mormons practicing polygamy is very small, and is not even considered part of the church of the Latter-day Saints.
In addition to the misconception that polygamy is a male dominated practice, there is also the practice of polyandrous marriages. This is much like polygamy but in this case the woman marries two or more husbands. This can be seen in many different tribes in the Amazon.
The main point I want to get across is that practices that may seem strange and unique to one culture or group are really not all that strange. It was not until the past century or so that males were expected to be monogamous to their wives. Yes, our culture and beliefs are changing faster than many other cultures, but it does not hurt to understand the practices of others.
