What makes one an Igbo? Ancestry? Origin? Culture/language? Or belief? The Nkwunzu people of Aniocha North LGA are mainly of Yoroboid ancestry. But today, due to assimilation, many regard themselves as Igbos. An Ika and Ukwuani man will vehemently reject being called an Igbo on the basis of cultural similarity with the Binis, but an Ohafia man whose culture and language reflects that of the Ibibios and an Mgbo man from Ebonyi whose culture and language reflects that of the Yakur ethnic group in Cross Rivers State identify themselves as Igbos. The question then is, what is Igbo?

It would be a folly of epic proportion to say that Igbo is an ethnic group. Igbo is NOT an ethnic group. There is no Igbo ethnic group; what exist are Ohuhu, Etche, Ikwerre, Ika, Ukwuani, Ohafia, Nri-Awka, Aro, Edda, Ezza, Ikwo, Ngwa, Ezzi, Isu, Ishielu, Oratta, Omuma, Ogba, Mbaise, Mgbo, Nkalu, Onitsha, and Enuani ethnic groups. An ethnic group is a group of people who are of the same race, and who share the same cultural tradition, customs, characteristics, and language, and who usually share common ancestry. An Ohafia man has a matrilineal culture while an Ukwuani man's culture is patrilineal. Since they do not share the same culture, they are not members of the same ethnic group. Also, Ika langauge is for the most part hardly intelligible to an Nkalu man, both do not share the same “language”, hence do not belong to the same ethnic group. An Ikwerre man is NOT SYNONYMOUS with an Ezza man. No “Igbo” ethnic group is synomynous with another. There are vivid distinctions between each of them. Similarities do exist, but the differences amongst the various “Igbo” ethnic groups are so distinct that lumping them all as a single ethnic group would be unfair and morally wrong.

What then does Igbo mean if it is not an ethnic group? Igbo is a SOCIAL term that characterizes DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS (related or unrelated) on a LINGUISTIC basis. People tend to assert that Igbo is a socio-political or ethno-cultural expression. It emphatically is NOT. In making this classification language, descent, and origin are insignificant factors. Classifiying an Ikwerre man or an Ukwuani man as an “Igbo” is based strictly on a LINGUISTIC basis, it does not change the ethnicity of either of them. An Ika man remains an Ika man, same for the Ikwerre man. Linguistic categorization is not synomynous with ethnic affiliation. The term “Igbo” has a broader meaning, and it is linguistically correct to call an Ukwuani man an Igbo just as it is correct to say that spanish-speaking and portugese-speaking South Americans are Latinos. Igbo is not a single language but is a FAMILY of various LANGUAGES that share similarity and are mutually intelligible to various degrees. There is therefore no such thing as an “Igbo Nation”. Common identity is what makes a people a nation whether they are linguistically related or not. As long as that common identity does not exist among all the “Igbo” speaking people, there is no united Igbo nation. This fact does not invalidate the truth that Ukwuani, Ika, and Ikwerre languages are Igbo languages, just as English, Dutch, German, etc. are Germanic languages, and Spanish, French, and Italian are Latin languages. The reasons an Ika, Ikwerre, or Ukwuani man gives for not wanting to be identified as “Igbo” are also valid for an Ngwa man, or an Izzi, or Ohafia man. Yet these same people who deny being Igbos will lump all the members of the south east geopolitical zone as “Igbo” as if distinctiveness is their exclusive right? An Oguta man in Imo State speaks the same Ukwuani language that is spoken in Aboh. Oguta man says “I am Igbo”, Aboh man says “I am not Igbo”. An Omor Irabor may not necessarily come from Bini, he may be an Igbanke native. An Upkabi Archibong could as well be from Afikpo or Arochukwu man rather than Oron or Uyo. An Igbanke woman living in Benin City is called “Owie Igbo” (Igbo woman). An Ikwerre man living in Lagos is called “Omo Igbo”. Indeed, that is what they are, Igbo!

Kay Williamson and Roger Blench (2000) asserted that Ikwerre, Ogba, Etchie, Ika, Ukwuani, etc. formed a “language cluster” which he classified as “Igbo Languages” and emphasized that these were not dialects, rather, distinct but related languages. These “Igbo Languages” together with Ekpeye made up what he termed “Igboid” languages. Igboid languages are thus divided into two groups, viz., Ekpeye and “Igbo Languages”. Ekpeye is therefore the only Igboid language that is divergent from the “Igbo languages”. Igboid languages are a sub-group of Niger-Congo language family.

One major reason some Anioma peoples, especially Ika peoples, are often piqued when they are called Igbos is because the term Igbo (Igbon in Ika language) in their languages was “corrupted” to connote a slave. Even in Ukwuani and Enuani language, Igbo when pronounced natively means slave or slave-raider. I believe that the word Igbo was “corrupted” and came to mean a slave because evidence suggests that Igbo did not originally mean “slave” but due to Bini and Aro influence in the slave trade the meaning changed to become slave, slave raider, or slave trader. This occurs frequently in language because language is dynamic. 450 years ago the English word “conversation” meant “way of life” but today the word connotes a different thing. This is also seen in how the word “nigger” originally meant “black” but later took on a negative connotation. That the word Igbo means a slave raider even in communities in the South East is found in the name of a town in Abia State known as Igbere (Igbo-Ere or Igbo-Ereghi) who named themselves so because the “Igbo” (slave raiders) who attacked their town to sell them into slavery were defeated, hence they called themselve “Igbo ereghi anyi” (the slave raiders did not sell us). Olaudah Equiano's “Oye Eboe” (Onye Igbo) in his autobiography suddenly makes sense when you see it in this light. The word Igbo itself has an original meaning apart from “slave” which has been lost. The word originated with the Igbo speaking peoples themselves. It was not a white man who called them “Eboe”. I believe the word predates 9th century A.D. One can find the word in names of places such as Igbo-Akari (Igbanke), Igbo-Ukwu, Ama-Igbo, Igbo-Uzor/Igbo nor n'uzor (Ibusa), Igbo-Giri, and even in names of persons such as Igbokwe. It could be that the term Igbo may have religious significance. I believe Igbo was an ancient name for God. If you compare Chi-Ukwu (Chukwu) to Igbo-Ukwu and Olisakwe to Igbokwe it may make some sense but all this is mere speculation. If indeed the pre-ninth century A.D. Igbo speaking people indeed called the Supreme Being “Igbo” then “Umu Igbo” is a synonym for “Umu Chukwu”. Again, all this is mere conjectiture. Obviously much research needs to be done to explore this angle. I strongly believe that Igbo means God. “Umu Igbo” may mean “the devotees of Igbo the Supreme Being”.

Op, ur subject should be "This is the definition of igbo" nt What is igbo.. What do yu expect anybody to say when yu'v already answered ur question intelligently

Ihe eji abu igbo ehika

I didn't know that many Ukwunzu people regarded themselves as Igbo.

Also Nri-Awka isn't/wasn't an ethnic group. It is more of a modern geo-cultural term used only in academic circles, and doesn't connote the type of ethnic and kinship consciousness that exists for (say) Ezza or Uratta.

I agree largely with you though. But I'm not sure I agree that the linguistic connection is the only thing that defines Igboness. If it were, the branches of the Ibani-Ijo group that speak a variant of Igbo as a first language would be an Igbo 'ethnic group' too. But no serious scholar regards them as Igbo, largely on cultural grounds. This suggests to me that Igbo 'panethnicity' or 'meta-ethnicity' could have some cultural basis, which is extremely hard to define given the great bewildering cultural heterogeneity of the Igbo-speaking area.

So far, I have identified two cultural 'emblems' which I think are pan-Igbo.

1. The Ofo/Ovo/Ovbo/Owho as a rituo-political symbol.
2. Ajoku/Njoku/Ifejioku etc as the divinity of yams.

(I didn't include some more apparent ones such as the four-day week because we share those with our neighbours and it isn't clear yet whether it is a common legacy we share with our neighbours or a borrowed heritage, and because some peripheral Igbo groups such as the Izii have a different market/week system)

There could be others.

But, yea, linguistic affinity remains by far the most important single criterion for 'Igboness'.



PS: Your theory on the semantic history of the word 'Igbo' is...well, debatable.

the term IGBO meant the ancient ones.this is from the root terminology GBOO which is used to describe how primeval something is
put succinctly, the Igbos can be called NDI GBOO which means the ancient ones

Igbo is a nation. What you wrote here of Ndiigbo diversity can be written of all other Nations of the world.

Things that hold us together are the basic things, like respect to the Earth goddess, Ala/Ali/Ani/Ana. the use of basic words like Bia for come, Mili/miri/mini/mmunyi for water, use of " Eze" for kings, use of Ndu for life and Onwu for death, these all can't be a co incidence.

seadog2000:
What makes one an Igbo? Ancestry? Origin? Culture/language? Or belief? The Nkwunzu people of Aniocha North LGA are mainly of Yoroboid ancestry. But today, due to assimilation, many regard themselves as Igbos. An Ika and Ukwuani man will vehemently reject being called an Igbo on the basis of cultural similarity with the Binis, but an Ohafia man whose culture and language reflects that of the Ibibios and an Mgbo man from Ebonyi whose culture and language reflects that of the Yakur ethnic group in Cross Rivers State identify themselves as Igbos. The question then is, what is Igbo?

It would be a folly of epic proportion to say that Igbo is an ethnic group. Igbo is NOT an ethnic group. There is no Igbo ethnic group; what exist are Ohuhu, Etche, Ikwerre, Ika, Ukwuani, Ohafia, Nri-Awka, Aro, Edda, Ezza, Ikwo, Ngwa, Ezzi, Isu, Ishielu, Oratta, Omuma, Ogba, Mbaise, Mgbo, Nkalu, Onitsha, and Enuani ethnic groups. An ethnic group is a group of people who are of the same race, and who share the same cultural tradition, customs, characteristics, and language, and who usually share common ancestry. An Ohafia man has a matrilineal culture while an Ukwuani man's culture is patrilineal. Since they do not share the same culture, they are not members of the same ethnic group. Also, Ika langauge is for the most part hardly intelligible to an Nkalu man, both do not share the same “language”, hence do not belong to the same ethnic group. An Ikwerre man is NOT SYNONYMOUS with an Ezza man. No “Igbo” ethnic group is synomynous with another. There are vivid distinctions between each of them. Similarities do exist, but the differences amongst the various “Igbo” ethnic groups are so distinct that lumping them all as a single ethnic group would be unfair and morally wrong.

What then does Igbo mean if it is not an ethnic group? Igbo is a SOCIAL term that characterizes DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS (related or unrelated) on a LINGUISTIC basis. People tend to assert that Igbo is a socio-political or ethno-cultural expression. It emphatically is NOT. In making this classification language, descent, and origin are insignificant factors. Classifiying an Ikwerre man or an Ukwuani man as an “Igbo” is based strictly on a LINGUISTIC basis, it does not change the ethnicity of either of them. An Ika man remains an Ika man, same for the Ikwerre man. Linguistic categorization is not synomynous with ethnic affiliation. The term “Igbo” has a broader meaning, and it is linguistically correct to call an Ukwuani man an Igbo just as it is correct to say that spanish-speaking and portugese-speaking South Americans are Latinos. Igbo is not a single language but is a FAMILY of various LANGUAGES that share similarity and are mutually intelligible to various degrees. There is therefore no such thing as an “Igbo Nation”. Common identity is what makes a people a nation whether they are linguistically related or not. As long as that common identity does not exist among all the “Igbo” speaking people, there is no united Igbo nation. This fact does not invalidate the truth that Ukwuani, Ika, and Ikwerre languages are Igbo languages, just as English, Dutch, German, etc. are Germanic languages, and Spanish, French, and Italian are Latin languages. The reasons an Ika, Ikwerre, or Ukwuani man gives for not wanting to be identified as “Igbo” are also valid for an Ngwa man, or an Izzi, or Ohafia man. Yet these same people who deny being Igbos will lump all the members of the south east geopolitical zone as “Igbo” as if distinctiveness is their exclusive right? An Oguta man in Imo State speaks the same Ukwuani language that is spoken in Aboh. Oguta man says “I am Igbo”, Aboh man says “I am not Igbo”. An Omor Irabor may not necessarily come from Bini, he may be an Igbanke native. An Upkabi Archibong could as well be from Afikpo or Arochukwu man rather than Oron or Uyo. An Igbanke woman living in Benin City is called “Owie Igbo” (Igbo woman). An Ikwerre man living in Lagos is called “Omo Igbo”. Indeed, that is what they are, Igbo!

Kay Williamson and Roger Blench (2000) asserted that Ikwerre, Ogba, Etchie, Ika, Ukwuani, etc. formed a “language cluster” which he classified as “Igbo Languages” and emphasized that these were not dialects, rather, distinct but related languages. These “Igbo Languages” together with Ekpeye made up what he termed “Igboid” languages. Igboid languages are thus divided into two groups, viz., Ekpeye and “Igbo Languages”. Ekpeye is therefore the only Igboid language that is divergent from the “Igbo languages”. Igboid languages are a sub-group of Niger-Congo language family.

One major reason some Anioma peoples, especially Ika peoples, are often piqued when they are called Igbos is because the term Igbo (Igbon in Ika language) in their languages was “corrupted” to connote a slave. Even in Ukwuani and Enuani language, Igbo when pronounced natively means slave or slave-raider. I believe that the word Igbo was “corrupted” and came to mean a slave because evidence suggests that Igbo did not originally mean “slave” but due to Bini and Aro influence in the slave trade the meaning changed to become slave, slave raider, or slave trader. This occurs frequently in language because language is dynamic. 450 years ago the English word “conversation” meant “way of life” but today the word connotes a different thing. This is also seen in how the word “nigger” originally meant “black” but later took on a negative connotation. That the word Igbo means a slave raider even in communities in the South East is found in the name of a town in Abia State known as Igbere (Igbo-Ere or Igbo-Ereghi) who named themselves so because the “Igbo” (slave raiders) who attacked their town to sell them into slavery were defeated, hence they called themselve “Igbo ereghi anyi” (the slave raiders did not sell us). Olaudah Equiano's “Oye Eboe” (Onye Igbo) in his autobiography suddenly makes sense when you see it in this light. The word Igbo itself has an original meaning apart from “slave” which has been lost. The word originated with the Igbo speaking peoples themselves. It was not a white man who called them “Eboe”. I believe the word predates 9th century A.D. One can find the word in names of places such as Igbo-Akari (Igbanke), Igbo-Ukwu, Ama-Igbo, Igbo-Uzor/Igbo nor n'uzor (Ibusa), Igbo-Giri, and even in names of persons such as Igbokwe. It could be that the term Igbo may have religious significance. I believe Igbo was an ancient name for God. If you compare Chi-Ukwu (Chukwu) to Igbo-Ukwu and Olisakwe to Igbokwe it may make some sense but all this is mere speculation. If indeed the pre-ninth century A.D. Igbo speaking people indeed called the Supreme Being “Igbo” then “Umu Igbo” is a synonym for “Umu Chukwu”. Again, all this is mere conjectiture. Obviously much research needs to be done to explore this angle. I strongly believe that Igbo means God. “Umu Igbo” may mean “the devotees of Igbo the Supreme Being”.

Interesting piece. Very very interesting piece.

Why is it that we have to repeat this discussion over and over again? It seems like every two months or so, someone wants to raise this sort of topic as if to say new and revealing information has been discovered. C'mon people, nothing has changed.

Igbo remains an ethno-linguistic categorization, with the primary emphasis on linguistics. Secondary emphasis is on relatable and really generalized socio-cultural features which follow or accompany the linguistics. Identity or self-identification is not a criteria, neither is ancestral kinship. Self-determination does not affect the categorization. If your people are of the ethno-linguistic region of Igbo-speaking communities, then you are, by default, categorized as an Igbo, irrespective of how you identify. It is that simple.

Very educative piece

I didn't know that many Ukwunzu people regarded themselves as Igbo.

Also Nri-Awka isn't/wasn't an ethnic group. It is more of a modern geo-cultural term used only in academic circles, and doesn't connote the type of ethnic and kinship consciousness that exists for (say) Ezza or Uratta.

I agree largely with you though. But I'm not sure I agree that the linguistic connection is the only thing that defines Igboness. If it were, the branches of the Ibani-Ijo group that speak a variant of Igbo as a first language would be an Igbo 'ethnic group' too. But no serious scholar regards them as Igbo, largely on cultural grounds. This suggests to me that Igbo 'panethnicity' or 'meta-ethnicity' could have some cultural basis, which is extremely hard to define given the great bewildering cultural heterogeneity of the Igbo-speaking area.

So far, I have identified two cultural 'emblems' which I think are pan-Igbo.

1. The Ofo/Ovo/Ovbo/Owho as a rituo-political symbol.
2. Ajoku/Njoku/Ifejioku etc as the divinity of yams.

(I didn't include some more apparent ones such as the four-day week because we share those with our neighbours and it isn't clear yet whether it is a common legacy we share with our neighbours or a borrowed heritage, and because some peripheral Igbo groups such as the Izii have a different market/week system)

There could be others.

But, yea, linguistic affinity remains by far the most important single criterion for 'Igboness'.



PS: Your theory on the semantic history of the word 'Igbo' is...well, debatable.

The four market days were originally shrines in Anambra. That's why we say eke bia taa orji , oye taa orji , ana taa orji etc. Lack of written record has undermined our history