ABSTRACT
The Edo village consists of a compact collection of essentially rectangular houses facing on to one or more village streets or cleared, sandy spaces. Each village is a spatially discrete entity apparent to the eye. It is divided into wards, which may be either separated from each other by small patches of bush, or closely grouped so that ward boundaries are not immediately visible. The solidarity of the village community in non-political contexts is evident both in organized co-operative activities and also in the spontaneous help expected and given irrespective of kinship and affinal ties. The chapter attempts to illustrate the solidarity of the village community as a corporate group in comparison to the lack of solidarity in wide-scale kin groups. The intervention of representatives of the village in purely domestic disputes serves to emphasize this state of affairs.
