In this article, platinumtimes.ng explores the history, culture, traditions and beliefs of the Igbo ethnic group.
The Igbo or Ibo people are an ethnic that predominates south eastern part of Nigeria.
They are mostly found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States with a fraction in Delta and Rivers States.
They are the third largest ethnic group in Nigeria with a sense population of about 44 million people who are mostly Christians.
The Igbos are well educated, business experts a people who love to migrate to other parts of the world.
Location
Igboland is located in southeastern Nigeria, with a total land area of about 15,800 square miles (about 41,000 square kilometers).
They residing place is called Igbo land and it includes states such as Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi and Abia States.
Language
The Igbos speak the Igbo language which is a part of the Niger-Congo language family. Its regional dialects are about 30 in number using a common literary language called Igbo izugbe.
These languages are intelligible among the larger “Igboid” cluster.
History
The Igbos are believed to have originated at the confluence of the Niger and Benue River. They were active slave traders, selling captives from the interior to European traders.
Before European colonization, the Igbo were a separate people who lived in autonomous local communities.
By the mid-20th century, a sense of ethnic identity was strongly developed, and the Igbo-dominated Eastern region of Nigeria tried to unilaterally secede from Nigeria in 1967 as the independent nation of Biafra.
Occupation
According to Igbo history, the people were farmers, craftsmen, and traders. Yams, cassava and taro are the chief root crops.
The men usually clear the farmlands for the women to plant.
Trading is part of the Igbos as they are known to have an excellent enterpreneural spirit, they are great business people, and this drive creates a room for their success, hard work, and innovations.
It is usually rare to find a lazy Igbo man or woman.
Beliefs
The Igbos have a traditional religion called Odinani.
They belief in the existence of a supreme deity called Chukwu, “great spirit” who created the world and everything in it including the universe.
They believe the cosmos is divided into four complex parts; creation, known as Okike; supernatural forces or deities called Alusi; Mmuo, which are gods/spirits; and Uwa, the earthly world.
Chukwu is believed to be formed rom two Igbo words; Chi meaning spiritual being and Ukwu meaning great in size. Chi is believed to be a guardian angel assigned to every person and have a great influence on the person’s destiny. The Igbo also belief in reincarnation.
There are also minor gods, who are generally subject to human passions and weaknesses.
They may be kind, hospitable, and industrious; at other times they are treacherous, unmerciful, and envious.
In addition to their gods, the Igbo believe in a variety of spirits whose good will depends on treating them well.
Forests and rivers at the edge of cultivated land are said to be occupied by these spirits. Mbataku and Agwo are spirits of wealth. Others include Aha njoku, the yam spirit and Ikoro, the drum spirit.
However, Christianity gained prominence in Igboland after it was introduced by the European merchants.
Schools and churches were built and values were instilled into young people. The Igbo people today are known as the ethnic group that has adopted Christianity the most in all of Africa.
Culture
The Igbos have a unique blend of cultures and traditions which distinguish them from other people. These include their music, food , dressing, visual art, values and dances.
It is a norm in Igboland for children to respect their elders. Elders are addressed with special titles, “Dede or Mazi” especially when greeting or talking with elders.
Dressing
The Igbo traditional attires consist of a blend of little Clothing which is usually won on the waist a d chest for the women with beads round the waist and other ornaments.
The men usually go with a wrapper round the waist and between their legs and tied to the back.
However, modern traditional Igbo attire for men consist of the “Isiagu top” which is designed with lions’ head.
This is worn with a trouser with a hat or a striped cap called “okpu agu”. women, a puffed sleeve blouse along with two wrappers and a head tie are worn. These attires are worn mainly in traditional occasions in Igboland.
Marriage
The process of marrying a young Igbo woman is a long, elaborate one.The process falls into four stages: asking the young woman’s consent, negotiating through a middleman, testing the bride’s character, and paying the bride wealth, a kind of dowry.
In the past, many Igbo men practiced polygamy. The polygamous family is made up of a man and his wives and all their children.
Men sometimes married multiple wives for economic reasons so as to have more people in the family, including children, to help on farms.
Christian and civil marriages have changed the Igbo family since colonization. Igbo people now tend to enter monogamous courtships and create nuclear families, mainly because of Western influence.
Western marriage customs, such as weddings in a church, take place either before or after the lgbo cultural traditional marriage.
Burial rites
Death in old age is accepted as a blessing. After death, the body is clothed in the person’s finest garments.
The corpse is placed on a stool in a sitting posture. Old friends and relatives visit and pay their last respects.
Young men wrap the corpse in grass mats, carry it out to the burial ground, and bury it. When the head of a family dies, he is buried beneath the floor of his house. Burial generally follows within twenty-four hours of death.
Children are buried in hiding and out of sight in the early mornings and late nights. A simple untitled man is buried in front of his house and a simple mother is buried in her place of origin, in a garden or a farm-area that belonged to her father in Igboland.
Food
Traditionally, the yam is the staple crop in Igboland, it was preferred as food of choice for ceremonial occasions.
Yams can be fried, roasted, boiled, or made into a potage with tomatoes and herbs.
The cultivation of yams is most commonly carried out by men, as women tend to focus on other crops.
Nowadays it has been replaced by rice and other starchy foods such as cassava, taro root, maize and plantains.
A typical meal includes a starch and a soup or stew, prepared with a vegetable to which pieces of fish, chicken, beef, or goat meat are added.
Jollof rice of various types is popular throughout Nigeria. Among the Igbo who live near waterways it is often prepared with shrimp.
Arts and music
The Igbo people have a musical style which involves the use of different percussion instruments such as the udu, which is made from a clay jug, an ekwe, which is formed from a hollowed log and the ogene, a hand bell designed from forged iron. Other instruments include opi, a wind instrument similar to the flute, igba, and ichaka.
These instruments are used to make music for traditional occasions and are usually accompanied by different dances including the “Atilogwu and the Egedege” dance performances.
Different Igbo masks are also used to accompany their traditional music. These can be made from wood, fabrics, iron and vegetation.
These masks are used mainly in social satires, religious rituals, secret society initiations and festivals. A few of these masks are the “Agbogho Mmuo and the Ijele masks”.