PRONUNCIATION: EE-bo
ALTERNATE NAMES: Ibo
LOCATION: Southern Nigeria (Igboland)
POPULATION: 5.5 million
LANGUAGE: Igbo (Kwa subfamily of the Niger -
Congo language family)
RELIGION: Tribal religion
1 • INTRODUCTION
The Igbo are the second largest group of
people living in southern Nigeria. They are
socially and culturally diverse, consisting of
many subgroups. Although they live in
scattered groups of villages, they all speak one
language.
The Igbo have no common traditional story of
their origins. Historians have proposed two
major theories of Igbo origins. One claims the
existence of a core area, or "nuclear
Igboland." The other claims that the Igbo are
descended from waves of immigrants from
the north and the west who arrived in the
fourteenth or fifteenth century. Three of these
are the Nri, Nzam, and Anam.
European contact with the Igbo began with
the arrival of the Portuguese in the mid-
fifteenth century. At first the Europeans
confined themselves to slave trade on the
Niger Coast. At this point, the main item of
commerce provided by the Igbo was slaves,
many of whom were sent to the New World.
After the abolition of the slave trade in 1807,
British companies pushed beyond the coastal
areas and aggressively pursued control of the
interior. The Protectorate of Southern Nigeria,
created in 1900, included Igboland. Until
1960, Nigeria remained a British colony, and
the Igbo were British subjects. On October 1,
1960, Nigeria became an independent nation
structured as a federation of states.
2 • LOCATION
Igboland is located in southeastern Nigeria,
with a total land area of about 15,800 square
miles (about 41,000 square kilometers). The
Igbo country has four distinct areas. The low-
lying deltas and riberbank areas are heavily
inundated during the rainy season, and are
very fertile. The central belt is a rather high
plain. The Udi highlands are the only coal-
mining area in West Africa.
It is difficult to obtain accurate census figures
for either the Igbo or for Nigeria as a whole.
The Igbo population is estimated to be
between 5 and 6 million.
3 • LANGUAGE
The Igbo language belongs to the Niger-Congo
language family. It is part of the Kwa
subfamily. A complicated system of high and
low tones indicates differences in meaning
and grammatical relationships. There are a
wide range of dialects.
Here are a few Igbo expressions:
English Igbo
Hello, how are you? Keku ka imelo?
What is your name? Kedu ahagi?
Thank you Ndewo
4 • FOLKLORE
The Igbo have a system of folk beliefs that
explains how everything in the world came
into being. It explains what functions the
heavenly and earthly bodies have and offers
guidance on how to behave toward gods,
spirits, and one's ancestors.
The Igbo believe the world is peopled by
invisible and visible forces: by the living, the
dead, and those yet to be born. Reincarnation
is seen as a bridge between the living and the
dead.
5 • RELIGION
The major beliefs of the Igbo religion are
shared by all Igbo-speaking people. However,
many of its practices are locally organized,
with the most effective unit of religious
worship being the extended family. Periodic
rituals and ceremonies may activate the
lineage (larger kinship unit) or the village,
which is the widest political community.
The Igbo believe in a supreme god who keeps
watch over his creatures from a distance. He
seldom interferes in the affairs of human
beings. No sacrifices are made directly to
him. However, he is seen as the ultimate
receiver of sacrifices made to the minor gods.
To distinguish him from the minor gods he is
called Chukwu—the great or the high god. As
the creator of everything, he is called Chukwu
Abiama.
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. These
minor gods include Ala, the earth goddess.
She is associated with fertility, both of human
beings and of the land. Anyanwu is the sun
god who makes crops and trees grow. Igwe is
the sky god, the source of rain.
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).
The Igbo attitude toward their deities and
spirits is not one of fear but one of
friendship.
6 • MAJOR HOLIDAYS
The Igbo celebrate the major national holidays
of Nigeria, including New Year's Day (January
1), Easter (March or April), Nigerian
Independence Day (October 1), and Christmas
(December 24 to 26).
In addition, each town has its own local
festivals. Those in the spring or summer are
held to welcome the new agricultural cycle. In
the fall, harvest festivals are held to mark the
end of the cycle.
7 • RITES OF PASSAGE
Circumcision takes place about eight days
after the birth of a boy. At this time the
umbilical cord is buried at the foot of a tree
selected by the child's mother.
The name-giving ceremony is a formal
occasion celebrated by feasting and drinking.
A wide variety of names may be chosen. The
name may be based on anything from the
child's birthmarks to the opinion of the
diviner, or seer. The name Nwanyimeole
—"What can a woman do?"—means that a
father desires a male child. Onwubiko —"May
death forgive"—expresses the fact that parents
have lost many of their children and pray that
this child may survive.
The process of marrying a young Igbo woman
is a long, elaborate one. It is rarely
accomplished in less than a year and often
takes several years. 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.
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.
8 • RELATIONSHIPS
Two criteria shape interpersonal relations:
age and gender. Respect is given to males,
and to older persons. Children are always
required to offer the first greeting to their
elders.
Social status is based on wealth, regardless of
occupation. The Igbo distinguish between
obgenye or mbi (the poor), dinkpa (the
moderately prosperous), and nnukwu madu or
ogaranya (the rich).
9 • LIVING CONDITIONS
Village life has changed considerably since the
discovery of oil in Nigeria. Houses, which
used to have mud walls and thatched roofs,
are now constructed of cement blocks with
corrugated iron roofs. Electricity has been
introduced; television sets and radios are now
commonplace. Villages have running water,
although it is not connected to every house.
10 • FAMILY LIFE
Under the practice of polygyny, many Igbo
men have more than one wife. A successful
man marries as many wives as he can
support. This involves providing farm plots to
help the women and their dependents make a
living. The polygynous family is made up of a
man and his wives and all their children.
Beyond that unit is the extended family,
consisting of all the sons in a family and their
parents, wives, and unmarried daughters. The
extended family may have anywhere from
five to thirty members. Ideally, all of the
members of the extended family live in one
large compound.
The Igbo family has changed in recent years.
Christian marriage and civil marriage are
important innovations. Among Igbo
professional people, the trend is toward the
nuclear family with its own residence.
11 • CLOTHING
The everyday clothing in urban areas is not
different from that of Westerners. Traditional
clothing is still worn on important occasions
in the cities and every day in rural areas. For
everyday wear men wear a cotton wrap
(robe), a shirt, and sandals. For formal
occasions they wear a long shirt, often
decorated with tucks and embroidery, over a
dressy wrap, shoes, and a hat. Women wear
wraps for both informal and formal
occasions. The everyday wrapper is made
from inexpensive cotton, dyed locally. For
formal wear, the wrapper is either woven or
batikdyed, and often imported.
The blouse for formal wear is made of lace or
embroidered. Women also wear a head tie, a
rectangular piece of cloth that can be worn a
number of different ways. The Igbo
traditional dress is a danshiki , a long, loose-
fitting top. Formerly Igbo women added
pieces of cloth to show their marital status
and number of children.
12 • FOOD
The yam is the staple food of the Igbo.
Traditionally, the yam was the food of choice
for ceremonial occasions. Nowadays it has
been replaced by rice. Other starchy foods
include 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. The following recipe is very popular.
13 • EDUCATION
Since gaining independence from Britain in
1960, Nigeria has set a priority on education.
Universal primary education is the norm in
southern Nigeria, where the Igbo live.
Secondary education has also developed
rapidly.
14 • CULTURAL HERITAGE
The Igbo have number of wind and stringed
musical instruments. The ugene is a whistle
made of baked clay, round in form, and about
the size of a billiard ball. Probably the most
interesting of the Igbo instruments is the
ubaw-akwala, a sort of guitar. It has a
triangular body formed by three pieces of soft
wood sewn together. It is played by strolling
singers in the evenings. Igbo singers
improvise as the song proceeds and show
great skill in fitting words to the song's
rhythm and tune.
Recipe
Shrimp Jollof Rice
Ingredients
1 pound of shrimp, cooked, shelled, and
deveined
2 or 3 fresh tomatoes, or 1 8-ounce can whole
tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons peanut oil
1 cup white rice cooked in chicken broth
according to directions on the package
Directions
1. Heat the peanut oil in a large kettle.
2. Add the tomato, peppers, onion, and cook for
about 3 minutes until the onions and peppers
are softened.
3. Add the tomato paste, about 2 cups of water,
and the red pepper flakes and black pepper.
Simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. While this is simmering, cook the rice in
another pot according to package directions.
5. Add the shrimp and simmer about 5 minutes
longer.
6. Combine the shrimp sauce with the rice, and
pour mixture into an ovenproof dish and
cover.
7. Place in an oven set at 250° F . Bake until the
liquid is absorbed completely.
8. Stir to loosen the rice grains and serve.
The flavors improve if this dish is made
several hours in advance and allowed to rest
in the oven with the door ajar.
Dancing is a great Igbo pastime, practiced by
everybody. There are special dances for boys,
girls, men, women, and mixed groups. Group
dancing is associated with religious
observances and festivals.
15 • EMPLOYMENT
The traditional Igbo economy depends on
root-crop farming. Yams, cassava and taro
are the chief root crops. There is a division of
labor according to gender. Men clear the bush
and plant the yams with the help of the
women and the children. Following the
planting of yams, plots are allocated to the
women individually. Each woman plants
other crops in the spaces between the yams
and also on the slopes of hills.
Trading is an old occupation among the Igbo.
The marketplace has become an important
source of livelihood. An increasing number of
Igbo are now engaged in wage labor. Growing
cities, expanding road construction, new
industries, and oil exploration are creating
many job opportunities.
16 • SPORTS
Wrestling is the most popular sport among
boys and young men, with great annual
contests in every part of Igbo country.
The other popular sport is soccer.
Traditionally played only by boys, it has been
introduced to girls through the school system.
17 • RECREATION
Traditional entertainment includes
storytelling, rituals, dancing, and music
making. Modern forms of entertainment
include watching television and going to
movies and discos. Most households own
radios, and there are several television sets in
each village. The Igbo enjoy games, including
card games and checkers. Among the younger
people American youth culture is popular.
Most enjoy listening to rap and rock music.
18 • CRAFTS AND HOBBIES
The Igbo practice a number of crafts, some
performed by men only and some by women.
Carving is a skilled occupation practiced only
by men. They produce doors and panels for
houses, as well as stools, dancing masks, and
boxes. Another valued craft is that of the
blacksmith.
Women's crafts include pottery making,
spinning, weaving, basketry, and grass
plaiting.
19 • SOCIAL PROBLEMS
The Igbo have been seriously affected by
national problems ranging from civil war to
military coups.
The crime rate in Nigeria is high. The problem
is worst in larger urban centers, but rural
areas are also affected. The crime wave was
aggravated by the worsening economic
conditions of the 1980s. Drug-related crime
emerged as a major problem. Igboland has so
far escaped the worst of this, although
marijuana use among young people has been
reported.
20 • BIBLIOGRAPHY
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York:
Knopf, 1995.
Njoku, John E. Eberegbulam. The Igbos of
Nigeria: Ancient Rites, Changes, and Survival.
Lewiston, N.Y.: E. Mellen Press, 1990.
Ogbaa, Kalu. Igbo . Heritage Library of
African Peoples. New York: Rosen Publishing
Group, 1995.
WEBSITE
Igbo Homepage. [Online] Available http://
www.lioness.cm.utexas.edu/igbo , 1998.

Certified igbo man,,,
Ndigbo kwenu !!!!!!!!!







But OP add pictures so that e go make sense wella .....

5.5 million?

Don't you know it is very dificult to read through a copy and paste post