The Woman Who Married Seven Husbands and Demanded to Be Carried Around

Photo byE. DioponUnsplash

In what is one of the unusual stories to come out of the African continent, a woman who has been identified as a traditional healer named Allman has proposed to seven men and married them all. According to a short documentary about her, she claimed that she was instructed to break from tradition and commit to her marriage with multiple men by the spirits of her elders. Furthermore, Allman claims that once the spirits advised her, she refused to heed them but changed her mind when the same spirits punished her for not obeying them.

Though Allman never disclosed how the spirits punished her, she further claimed that the spirits made her quest to marry the seven men easy as each man welcomed her marriage proposal. Moreover, Allman also claimed in her position as a traditional healer, the spirits also give her spiritual powers, which she, in turn, uses to heal people.

Traditional healers are highly respected in Uganda, Allman’s home country, where many still utilize these healers’ help over modern medicine. According to a study published by Cambridge University Press, Uganda’s traditional healers have no formal education and learn their trade through apprenticeship.

Furthermore, the study suggests most traditional healers have been patients of other traditional healers before they take the apprenticeship. Nevertheless, the study’s findings concluded that traditional healers not only play an essential role in mental health problems but as many as 19% of patients seek the help of traditional healers to treat their medical problems.

Although many men in Uganda practice polygamy, women only stick with marrying one man. Nevertheless, that changes now with Allman though it’s not yet known whether other women would follow in her footsteps. Regardless, in the documentary, Allman makes more astonishing revelations. For instance, she claimed that her service to her deity involves giving birth to many children, but there is a catch. She can only give birth to one child per husband, which suggests Allman is not done and may even propose and marry more men.

Allman, who lives a happy life with all her seven men, defended her actions. Speaking up for herself, Allman said, “I am a traditional doctor. I use the power of the dead to heal other people. And to be able to do that, I have to marry to get power and also to avoid punishment from my elders.” The elders she is referring to mean spirits.

As surprising as Allman’s story is, what is even more astonishing is how the men she married accepted her. Moreover, Allman calls all the shots, and all the men must heed her. Allman further explained how she was the one with control when she said, “None of them has ever complained, and none will dare cheat because the elders will reveal it to me in a vision before it happens.”

Despite the stern warning, Allman has also been generous with her husbands. She built a house for each husband; in turn, they have various duties, including carrying her around as she is not allowed to walk, and her feet can not touch the ground. Furthermore, two of the husbands have the unenviable role of ensuring Allman is always kept cool, which they make sure of by standing on either side to fan her at all times.