Traditional Marriage List in Imo State: Items and Stages

Traditional marriage in Imo State follows the wider Igbo pattern, but details change from one town to the next. A list from Mbaise will not match one from Orlu, Okigwe or Owerri, and even two families in the same village can differ. What follows is the common structure and the items that appear most often, so you know what to expect and what to ask.

Always treat the list you receive from the bride's family as the official one. Figures in this article are examples only.

Stages of traditional marriage in Imo State

Most Imo marriages pass through four stages: knocking, enquiry and investigation, bride price and list settlement, and the wine carrying ceremony (igba nkwu or, in some places, mbuzu mmanya).

1. Knocking (iku aka): the groom goes with a few relatives to the bride's father to announce their interest. They bring drinks and kola. Some families expect this visit more than once.
2. Investigation: both families quietly check each other's background, character, health history and any family issues.
3. Collecting the list: if the bride's family agrees, they give the groom's people the list. Elders or the kindred often help compile it.
4. Bride price and settlements: the groom's family pays the bride price, usually in a private meeting with the father and a few elders, and settles the kindred, women and youths as the list says.
5. Igba nkwu (wine carrying): the public ceremony. The bride searches the crowd with a cup of palm wine, finds her husband, kneels and gives him the drink. When he drinks, the marriage is seen as accepted before the community.

In some communities the public igba nkwu is optional; the marriage is valid once the bride price and rites are completed.

Items commonly on an Imo marriage list

A typical list is split by who receives each part. Quantities below are common examples, not fixed rules.

For the bride's father

• Native attire (isiagu or sewn traditional wear) with a red cap
• Walking stick
• Pair of shoes
• Bottles of hot drink (schnapps or gin) and a carton of beer
• Kola nuts
• Cash gift

For the bride's mother

• George wrapper and Hollandais or Ankara wrappers
• Blouses and head ties
• Shoes, handbag, jewellery set
• Big basins and household items
• Food items: tubers of yam, bags of rice and salt, stockfish, vegetable or groundnut oil, tomato paste
• Cash gift

For the umunna (kindred men)

• Jars or gallons of palm wine
• Cartons of beer and malt or minerals
• Hot drinks
• A goat (sometimes a cow in some families)
• Kola nuts, garden eggs and alligator pepper
• Snuff, tobacco or potash in some villages
• Cash settlement

For the umuada (daughters of the family) and women

• Wrappers or cash in place of wrappers
• Tubers of yam, salt, soap, oil
• Drinks
• Cash settlement

For the youths

• Cartons of beer and minerals
• Cash settlement

For the bride

• Box or suitcase of clothes, wrappers, shoes and bags
• Jewellery and toiletries
• Sometimes cash to buy her own items

Many families now accept the money value of items in place of the items themselves. Ask before you buy.

How much is bride price in Imo State?

There is no fixed bride price in Imo State; each family decides. In many families the bride price itself is small and symbolic, while the list of drinks, gifts and settlements costs far more.

• A 2021 report in The Sun said the traditional bride price in Aboh Mbaise was 500 naira, with other costs negotiated.
• The same report said marriage rites in Umuaka, Njaba LGA, could cost over 300,000 naira at the time.
• Some fathers return the bride price, or take only a token, as a sign that they are not "selling" their daughter.

Prices in 2026 are much higher than in those reports because of inflation, so use them only to understand the pattern.

Is the Mbaise marriage list really expensive?

Mbaise has a reputation for costly marriage lists, mostly because of the settlements for kindred, women and youths. Traditional rulers in Mbaise have publicly denied that their bride price is high, saying a few families inflate demands.

In March 2021, an Imo State lawmaker, Kenneth Ibeh of Obowo, sponsored a bill to cap the total cost of customary marriage at 180,000 naira and bride price at 80,000 naira. We could not confirm that the bill became law, so do not rely on it when negotiating.

How the list is negotiated

Negotiation is normal and expected. The groom's family usually sends a spokesman, often an uncle or respected elder, to discuss the list.

1. Read the whole list together as a family and price every item at current market rates.
2. Ask which items can be replaced with cash and which must be brought physically.
3. Let your spokesman ask, politely, for reductions on the settlements. Many families agree to drop some items.
4. Agree on everything before the igba nkwu date so there are no surprises on the day.
5. Keep a written copy of what was agreed and what was paid.

Respect matters more than money in these talks. Families tend to soften when they see the groom is serious and humble.

What you need

• The official list from the bride's family
• A spokesman from your family to lead talks
• Drinks and kola nuts for the knocking visit
• Budget for list items, settlements and bride price
• Transport for your family and items on the day
• Budget for the igba nkwu itself: canopies, chairs, food and music
• Customary marriage certificate, if your community issues one

For prayers over your marriage plans, browse our faith guides.

Frequently asked questions

What is igba nkwu?

Igba nkwu means wine carrying. It is the public part of the Igbo traditional marriage where the bride finds her husband in the crowd and gives him palm wine to show she accepts him.

Who gives the marriage list in Imo State?

The bride's family gives it, usually after consulting the kindred elders. In some communities a village or family committee prepares it.

Can a non-Igbo man marry an Imo woman?

Yes. He follows the same rites through his own family or representatives. Some communities give the same list to indigenes and non-indigenes.

Can I pay cash instead of buying the items?

Often yes. Many families accept the money value of items, but always ask first, because some items, like the goat or palm wine, may be required physically.

Is the marriage list the same across Imo State?

No. It changes by town, family and sometimes by the bride's status. Only the list from her family counts.