This book represents the culmination of three years of rigorous doctoral research and comprehensive ¿eldwork on con¿ict resolution among the matrilineal Cross River Igbo of Nigeria from pre-colonial times to 1996. It explained matrilineaty and reveals how these communities developed unique institutions for resolving family, social, political, religious, and communal disputes systems that were resilient even in the face of colonial rule, modern courts, and faith-based interventions. The book stresses that although these communities are matrilineal, leadership remained in the hands of men, with women excluded from core judicial roles. The book also uncovers how colonial in¿uence gave rise to chieftaincy, religious con¿icts, as well as delay and capital- intensive processes in con¿ict resolution processes that continue to shape the region. By examining both continuity and change, the book examines the strengths and weaknesses of both indigenous and alien institutions and processes of con¿ict resolution mechanisms and proposes an all-inclusive hybrid model of con¿ict resolution for today's diverse societies. Furthermore, the time frame of this book is signi¿cant: the pre-colonial period represents fully indigenous institutions and processes of con¿ict resolution mechanisms, while 1996 was the year that the government resolved a prolonged con¿ict in the area under review using traditional and alien institutions.