Marriage among the Tiv is deeply rooted in the concept of family (tsombor), a word that also means the umbilical cord, symbolizing the lifelong bond of blood, kinship, and continuity. To the Tiv, marriage is more than the union of a man and a woman; it is the coming together of two families and lineages to preserve and expand the family. Traditionally, marriage was primarily intended to produce children, continue the family lineage, and strengthen relationships between clans. A wife was valued not only as a life partner but also for her ability to bear children and contribute to farming and the family's livelihood. Children, especially sons, inherited rights through their father's lineage (ityo) while maintaining important ties with their mother's family (igba), helping to strengthen relationships between both families. Over time, Tiv marriage evolved from the traditional Yamshe (Exchange Marriage) system to Kem Kwase (Bride-Price Marriage). Today, many Tiv families combine traditional marriage rites with Christian and civil wedding ceremonies while preserving important customs such as family introductions, bride-price negotiations, and the blessings of elders. Written records of these customs begin with the Tiv historian Akiga Sai, whose Akiga's Story (translated by Rupert East, 1939) describes the marriage forms of his youth in detail. The anthropologists Paul and Laura Bohannan later studied them in the 1950s. Paul Bohannan showed that in the old Tiv economy, rights in women given in marriage stood in the highest "sphere" of exchange. They could not be bought with ordinary market goods, only exchanged for like rights. This explains why exchange marriage was so central and so hard to replace. The colonial administration abolished exchange marriage in 1927, and bride-price marriage has been the norm since.