Dear Nairalanders,

I see that the question of Igbo is a mystery and a source of consternation to many forumites.
I will attempt o ease your anxieties by explaining to you what Igbo is.
First and foremost, Igbo is a philosophy not an identity. Let me explain:

- Igbo is ancient and yet modern. i.e. Igbo has never been and will always be. Any tradition attributed to the most ancient people (such as the Jews) can be found in Igbo land e.g Monotheism and circumcision to name a few, and any characteristic thought to associated with modernity is Igbo e.g human rights,technology and democracy.
- Igbo has no center and no boundaries.Similarly, Igbo has no headquarters.>>>>This should put an end to all your anxieties about whether Rivers/Ijaw is Igbo or whether Delta, Edo or Benue is Igbo.
- Igbo has Kings but no monarchy>>> this should be self-explanatory.
- Igbo is a republic, but not a state: ( the Jews have a similar quandary as to whether the State of Israel and zionism are corruptions of Judaism)
- Igbo has deities (schools of thought, if you will) but has only one GOD, CHUKWU, the creator God!
- Igbo respects tradition but has no orthodoxy.
- Igbo has no traditional dress but has recognized regalia. e.g red cap, and ikenga
- Igbo has kith and clans but no primogenitor
- Igbo has a lingua franca but not one tongue.
- Igbo has no constitution but has omenala.
- Igbo has no central banking but evolved the purest form of capitalism.
- Igbo pays tribute but has no taxation.>>> The British found this out when Aba WOMEN rioted with introduction of taxation in IGBO country.


This and many more explains why the British could not figure out the Igbo. The British thought Igbo were not behaving as they imagined primitive people would.
The Igbo were accused of becoming too Western, and liable to dominate Nigeria.
The problem is there is no way to suppress a philosophy as thorough as Igbo. It is too narrow and too broad and to illusive to discredit.
To the British (it was like an illusion, the more they looked- the less they saw)


I could go on.
However, if you will like to be inducted or learn more about Igbo as a philosophy, I will be glad to explain and induct you into the Igbo.

Sincerely,

Nwafor Igbo

Pure rubbish...no need wasting precious minutes reading this balderdash

Like your handle says...you surely got no brains.

ilugunboy: Pure rubbish...no need wasting precious minutes reading this balderdash

Like your handle says...you surely got no brains.

^^^^^ okay

My original post explains why the British had no real legacy to impart to Igbo.
They succeeded only in bringing Christianity,( protestant and catholic), but the Igbo adopted it because it was already in agreement with our beliefs.

So Igbo has been and will always be. No matter what Nogeria does or becomes, Igbo will prosper.

N.B.

Other Igbo are free to help educate Nairalanders about our Philosophy!

Sincerely,

Nwafor Igbo

Nwafor ndewo.
Hapu ndi Yoruba na ndi aboki na nzuzu ha.
Anyi zuru k'emee.
Igbo kwenu!

Go on! I will like to know more!

-Igbo is patrilineal e.g[i] umunna[/i] and matrilineal e.g Umere nne or Ikwu nne
-Igbo is individualistic e.g akaraka and communal e.g[i] Umu Ada[/i]
-Igbo is an open society e.g Ikwu na Ibe but has secret societies e.g mmanwu, nze na ozo,okonko,ekpe.

Again, these things made colonisation of the Igbo problematic for the British because they could not go on ad infintium signing treaties with every clan
and it made administration of Igbo cumbersome and expensive.
So they appointed warrant chiefs whose verdicts were hardly obeyed because they did not agree with omenaala.


N.B.

Other Igbo are welcome to educate Nairalanders about Igbo Philosophy

-Igbo is a free market but abhors monopolies, so market days were rotated between towns in a league.
-Igbo abhored sexism. Women are emancipated and do most of the trading. In addition, women had extensive rights, and in special circumstances could "marry" another woman.




So imagine if you were a British officer, what mechanism would you design to effectively colonize or civilize Igbo?

Hmmmm! (thinking) any go on! No comment for now

advocate666: Nwafor ndewo.
Hapu ndi Yoruba na ndi aboki na nzuzu ha.
Anyi zuru k'emee.
Igbo kwenu!

Yes..am Yoruba with Pride

ilugunboy: Pure rubbish...no need wasting precious minutes reading this balderdash

Like your handle says...you surely got no brains.

somebody is tensed. lmao...... oh you said no need wasting precious minutes reading that but not only did you read every word you even commented. what a clown, I bet you must be sweating like a christmas goat reading that and getting schooled


@OP Nice write up there, I enjoyed reading every bit. so true. I laughed at the part of british and primitive people. why will somebody who was thrown from the sky by oduduwa not be primitive. lol.


don't mind them Yoruba folks, they really got no brains yo. Igbo amaka

ilugunboy:

Yes..am Yoruba with Pride

It's not like you have a choice.

Mr. Globe:


somebody is tensed. lmao...... oh you said no need wasting precious minutes reading that but not only did you read every word you even commented. what a clown, I bet you must be sweating like a christmas goat reading that and getting schooled


@OP Nice write up there, I enjoyed reading every bit. so true. I laughed at the part of british and primitive people. why will somebody who was thrown from the sky by oduduwa not be primitive. lol.


don't mind them Yoruba folks, they really got no brains yo. Igbo amaka

Well, if that give you a kick this afternoon...you are free to make such conclusion.

advocate666:

It's not like you have a choice.

This idiottt..stop quoting ma post.

ilugunboy:

This idiottt..stop quoting ma post.

Yoruba effects: blowing hot and cold.

GotNoBrainsYo: Dear Nairalanders,

I see that the question of Igbo is a mystery and a source of consternation to many forumites.
I will attempt o ease your anxieties by explaining to you what Igbo is.
First and foremost, Igbo is a philosophy not an identity. Let me explain:

- Igbo is ancient and yet modern. i.e. Igbo has never been and will always be. Any tradition attributed to the most ancient people (such as the Jews) can be found in Igbo land e.g Monotheism and circumcision to name a few, and any characteristic thought to associated with modernity is Igbo e.g human rights,technology and democracy.
- Igbo has no center and no boundaries.Similarly, Igbo has no headquarters.>>>>This should put an end to all your anxieties about whether Rivers/Ijaw is Igbo or whether Delta, Edo or Benue is Igbo.
- Igbo has Kings but no monarchy>>> this should be self-explanatory.
- Igbo is a republic, but not a state: ( the Jews have a similar quandary as to whether the State of Israel and zionism are corruptions of Judaism)
- Igbo has deities (schools of thought, if you will) but has only one GOD, CHUKWU, the creator God!
- Igbo respects tradition but has no orthodoxy.
- Igbo has no traditional dress but has recognized regalia. e.g red cap, and ikenga
- Igbo has kith and clans but no primogenitor
- Igbo has a lingua franca but not one tongue.
- Igbo has no constitution but has omenala.
- Igbo has no central banking but evolved the purest form of capitalism.
- Igbo pays tribute but has no taxation.>>> The British found this out when Aba WOMEN rioted with introduction of taxation in IGBO country.


This and many more explains why the British could not figure out the Igbo. The British thought Igbo were not behaving as they imagined primitive people would.
The Igbo were accused of becoming too Western, and liable to dominate Nigeria.
The problem is there is no way to suppress a philosophy as thorough as Igbo. It is too narrow and too broad and to illusive to discredit.
To the British (it was like an illusion, the more they looked- the less they saw)


I could go on.
However, if you will like to be inducted or learn more about Igbo as a philosophy, I will be glad to explain and induct you into the Igbo.

Sincerely,

Nwafor Igbo

I found myself agreeing with you after reading this. You are needed in the culture section because we've been having some issues there trying to really define Igbo. But why is Igbo as it is? There's no absolute trait or agreement that covers majority of Igbos. I've been able to figure out Chi, Ofo n'ogu, Ali, market days.

Ibo is a name of any person,animal,place or thing.

~Bluetooth:

Ibo is a name of any person,animal,place or thing.

Yoruba or Yoruba is a name of group of wild human beings, animals, places and things.

Dede1:

Yoruba or Yoruba is a name of group of wild human beings, animals, places and things.

Must you copy him? Why not get original? Agbaya mofo

Dede1:

Yoruba or Yoruba is a name of group of wild human beings, animals, places and things.

OALM (OCHI ATOGBUO LA M) nwanne jiri nwayo tupu m emeruo m ahu eba!

@OP, kudos to you.chukwu gozie gi! Ihe a ideputara eba mere m enwe m ezigbo anuri.idi egwu nke ukwu.I don't think I have ever read something like this before.infact I had to show my dad this your write up and he is highly impressed! Daalu nwanne. You too much.

The igbo spirit in me will never die no matter what the disciples of bby killers aka ofemmanus/abokis do. Proudly igbo boy.

- Igbos hate poverty !

Igbo do not hate poverty per se.
-Igbo affirm self sufficiency. Igbo men had farms to raise yam, the staple while women were responsible for "women garden" fruits/vegetables in the backyard.
This was enough to feed the family. In addition to that, women traded in the markets excess produce from the garden or "manufactured" products e.g ekete/Nkata ( baskets), ola jewelry e.g ola nti.....
while men engaged in other trades to supplement/ accumulate wealth. Acquisition of this specialization was
honored( Doctorate if you will) and the men referred to as Di e.g Di nta ( hunter) DiBia ( Doctor), Dibulo ( Lord of the House) Di m ( husband) etc.

For example my grandmother, way back when, used to sell tomatoes in the market at sunrise. She would then return and do garden duty in the house.
In the evening, she would weave traditional cloth much like kente cloth-- but know most Igbo women wear Hollandis or what is known as wax.
Now tell me...How is it possible for her to be poor?..... In today's terms she was poor, yes, but she had her own roof, provided her own food and her personal finances.
I have not even told you what my grandfather did?

THis thread should be in the culture section.

Poster could you pls enlighten us on how it was possible that the igbos built pyramids - Nsu pyramids , and caves with no knowledge of the ones in Giza, built story buildings out of mud etc ?

^^^^^^ I will confess that I do not know that. However Igbo also were known for working with metals e.g bronze- Igbo-Ukwu from as early as the 9th century. So maybe Igbo should invest in archaelogy in IgboLand
to study Igbo in pre-historic times.

Some have suggested that this discussuion should be cultural section and i do not want to dwell on cultural issues as such.
I want to dwell on issues of Igbo that intersect with identity, ethnicity and socio-politics and political-economy.

GotNoBrainsYo:
- Igbo has deities (schools of thought, if you will) but has only one GOD, CHUKWU, the creator God!

Whatever this our God did to us that made us abandon Him and follow foreign gods, I don't know.

Have you not heard of Nsu pyramid ?

macjive01: Have you not heard of Nsu pyramid ?

no, can you tell us more?

@op you may have a point

http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=005518

have a look at this egyptian thread, Egyptians are even debating Igbos.

[img]http://mccoy.lib.siu.edu/jmccall/jones/igbo/arunsi10.JPG[/img]

[img]http://mccoy.lib.siu.edu/jmccall/jones/igbo/arunsi11.JPG[/img]

i made a mistake, its Nsude pyramids