The daughters of Zelophehad : a Nigerian perspective on inheritance of land by women according to Numbers 27:1-11

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Chapter one of this research and its hypothesis outlines the way in which land inheritancehas been applied in past decades to the total exclusion of women. This study includesmainly the Ogba and Ekpeye and concentrates on areas where the Bible has been readfor nearly 100 years without any appreciable impact on the cultural restrictions imposed onwomen with respect to the inheritance of land.Chapter two highlights the practices of land tenure in both the ancient Near East (ANE)and ancient Israel, with specific emphasis on the concepts of ahuzzah and nahalah, therole of the kinsman redeemer (goe/) in the redemption and retension of the familyinheritance, and the importance of the dowry as a substitute for land inheritance.Chapter three looks at the social and religious status of women in the ANE and ancientIsrael, and illustrates the importance of women as daughters or wives. The specificinheritance rights enjoyed by women in ANE societies are also mentioned.The inheritance rights of women in South-east Nigeria and the Niger Delta are covered inchapter four. The traditional system of land holding and the relationship between thissystem and the socio-economic status of women are disussed. Empirical evidence fromthe Niger Delta communities is given and a comparison made with other groups in Niqerie.The thesis proceeds to make a functionally equivalent translation of the Zelophehadnarrative (Num. 27:1-11) with the understanding that such unique texts, if properlyunderstood, could impact on the cultural perceptions of the people in terms of theinheritance rights of women. This contrasts with the more literal, second languagetranslations which seem not to have had any significant impact on the communities so far.The final chapter makes an evaluation of the central hypothesis. Due to logistic difficulties,the application of the results of the research to the target communities may have to waituntil funds are available to test the translation within the target communities. Such a testwill have to be done over a period of time to determine its impact on the problem facingwomen with respect to inheritance rights.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University