The Wodaabee: The tribe where stealing a wife is no big deal.

In the Wodaabe tribe of Niger in
West Africa, men are known to
steal each other's wives. The
Wodaabe's first marriage is
arranged by their parents in
infancy and must be between
cousins of the same lineage.

However, at the yearly Gerewol
Festival, Wodaabe men wear elaborate makeup and costumes and dance to impress the women – and hopefully steal a new wife.
If the new couple is able to steal
away undetected (especially from a current husband who may not want to part with his wife), then they become socially recognized. These subsequent marriages are called Teegal (love) marriages.

But such marriages often cause
friction,since it usually involve
"wife-stealing," often with the consent of the woman but never with that of her husband. Teegal marriage is also a source of friction
between the new wife and previous ones. More wives means that fewer resources, such as milk from the
husband's herd, are allocated to each.

Eloping in a Teegal marriage that
carries little stigma allows a Wodaabe woman considerable freedom, but she must leave her children with the ex-husband. The
system guarantees the children's place in society while permitting spontaneity and flexibility to the
parents.