The Igbos [Ndi Igbo] are an ethic group that trace their
homeland to Southern Nigeria [in Western Africa] around the River Niger.
Ndi Igbo are known for their hardworking and industrious nature
which have been made evident in popular books written on the ethnic group.
Chinua Achebe’s Things fall Apart
till date is one of the world’s leading sources on ancient Igbo traditions and
culture.
Location
The Igbos have resided in their current homeland for over
five thousand years [following ethnic legends and historical records] during
which they prospered in all aspects of life especially crafting and farming.
Hundreds of Bronze artworks known as Igbo-Ukwu art have been discovered in the
Igbo-Ukwu area of Igboland [Alaigbo] and more are yet being found all around
Igboland.
The Igbos were carted off by the Trans-Atlantic slave trade
during which they were settled in different locations around the world. Todya
Igbos or Igbo-related cultures can be found in places like the Caribbean, Latin
America, United States, United Kingdom, Haiti, Cuba, Sierra Leone. The Igbos
sold into slavery carried with them their Omenala
[customs and traditions] and Odinani
[spiritual knowledge and worship] with them and became established there.
Precolonialism
Before colonization by the British, the Igbos lived simple
lives and practiced a simple religion. The typical precolonial Igbo was either
a farmer or a hunter [the occupations which held sway of the Igbo society]. The
system of government practiced was a democracy like the type practiced in Athens,
or a checked-monarchy [where there was a king—eze, igwe—whose actions were kept in check by the cabinet of
elders]. Thus the saying: “Igbo enweghi
eze”. Which interprets “the Igbo has no king”.
The measurement of a man’s worth and wealth was in the size
of his family and the size of his barn, the yam [ji] was the main crop of the Igbo.
The people of Arochukwu, Aguleri and Nri were considered
the leading clans of towns and the
bases of Igbo Omenala and Odinani. Others like Owerre, Awka and
Umuahia followed in their wake.
Igbo Traditions and Culture
The Igbos have a very rich culture based strongly on their
religion and worship. The ancient Igbo believed that the process of life was a
circle [contrary to western belief of life being a line]. As the circle has no
beginning and no end so does life have no beginning and no end. The belief of
reincarnation was a very strong one held by all. When one died, he passed into
the land of the spirits [Ala Mmuo]
and underwent rebirth to be born into a new life.
Humans could be reincarnated so could devious spirits. When
a spirit [mmuo] decides to be
reincarnated into a particular family and cause grief and sorrow to the family,
the child was called an ogbanje. Special
rites and sacrifices had to be undertaken to either appease the spirit or send
it away.
There was also a strong belief in gods and goddesses but
there was even stronger belief in Ikenga
[a representation of one’s personal Chi
and success spirit]. One’s Chi
[personal god] was given a place of reverence in his house and life. If a man
suffered so much misfortune it was said that “Chi ya adago” and the Ikenga was destroyed.
When an Igbo man died, his eldest kinsman took the deceased
Ikenga and split it in two. One was buried with the deceased and the other was
thrown away.
Igbo Art, Architecture and Clothing
The Igbos were masters of geometric representational art.
Art was made on bare bodies, on tress, fences and on the walls of buildings.
Igbo art was mainly for decorative purposes with very little attributed to the
sacred rituals/cults. Research has shown however that some geometric arts
crafted by the Igbo have special and in-depth meanings attributed to them.
Igbo Architecture is quite simple. The living homes were
simple houses with frameworks made from raffia and bamboo stick then overlaid with
mud. This provided a cool interior, comfortable for the scorching heat of the
sun especially when combined with raffia thatch roofing.
Shrines were simple forest clearings or spaces overlaid
with the colours and symbols of the deity being revered.
Simple pyramids were built in honour of Igbo mysticism—a
field that no modern person known much about. But we do know that Igbo pyramids
were meant to serve roughly the same purpose as the ones built by the Aztecs
and Mayans [cultures which share many attributes with the Igbos].
Igbo Renaissance
Following the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War (1967-1970), Igbo
Tradition and heritage sites were destroyed and driven to the brink of
extinction. It was a conflict which saw more than one million [1 000 000] Igbos
lose their lives in the quest for freedom. Recently, there has been a great awakening
among the Igbos, both those at home and those in Diaspora.
This blog was created to aid in the Igbo’s search for cultural
identity and freedom. Books like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun tell the story of
the Igbos’ struggle.
The Igbos renaissance is marked by cultural rediscovery and acceptance.
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