This paper examines the value orientations underlying reproductive behavior among the
Yakurr of southeastern Nigeria. It describes the role of matriclan priests in unifying the
sacred and profane worlds of this people and presents an argument for linking fertility
outcomes with political economy. The paper shows that pronatalism constitutes the
cultural theme of Yakurr society and, in the modern period, serves as a negotiating
strategy within the plural ethnic environments of the Nigerian nation.