http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people
http://www.gateway-africa.com/tribe/igbo_tribe.html
http://www.ethnographica.com/pages/Igbo36.php?project_id=36
The Ibo people are an from an African tribe in Nigeria. They are also commonly known as the Igbo tribe. In Things Fall Apart, Okonwko is a member of the Ibo tribe. They are a very interesting tribe and this blog will look at religion, culture, history, food, gender roles, and other aspects common to the tribe.
The first thing that needs to be covered is the geography of the tribe. They are from Nigeria and live in the Delta and River states.
Traditional Religion: The Ibo people believe the creator of the earth and everything on the earth is Chineke. This god made everyone born with Chi, a unique guardian principle that determines a persons fate. The Ibo also believe in other deities that are not as powerful. The Ala spirit is the god of the Earth who is the guardian spirit of living creatures. Other deities that are important in their religion are Anyanwu (sun), Igwekaala (sky) and Amadioha (god of thunder and lightning). Many other gods are worshiped, but another very important god is Njoku or Ajoku because this is the god who is the guardian of the yam. Each god has their own priest in each town and this is how the people pray to the gods. Some Ibo still practice this religion, but many have been converted to Christianity. Most Christian Ibo are Roman Catholic or Anglicans.
An interesting fact that is unrelated to History is the Ibos have an indigenous ancient calendar in which a week has four days. A month consisted of seven weeks, and thirteen months made a year. In the last month, an extra day is added. This calendar is still in use in villages and towns to determine the market days.
History: The Ibo people have been in Africa for thousands of years. They seemed to have settled in their current spots a few thousand years ago. There is no certain evidence that shows where the Ibo tribes originated, but some think they came from Egypt or the area around Egypt.
During the pre-colonial times the Portuguese were the first to meet the Ibo tribe and colonize areas around them. During this time the Ibos government system was primarily a republican assembly of common people from the tribe.
In the Colonial period around 1870 the British colonized the area. They spread Christianity and the Ibos were bery accepting of the religion. The colonization brought together the tribes in many ways because it lessened the differences they all used to have.
In 1966 a civil war was started in Nigeria and it lasted until 1970. During this war a genocide of the Ibo people occured. Millions of Ibos and other Nigerians died in the genocide of the war, and even after the wars end, the Ibo still faced discrimination in parts of Nigeria. To this day some Ibos have trouble finding work because of the effects of the civil war.
Language: The Ibo have their own language that they use. It has many different dialects. It is also influenced by English and takes the word "blue" from English vocabulary and turns it into "blu" in the Ibo vocabulary. The language is a tonal language and the way the words are pronounced is very important.
Food: When looking at the food the Ibo eat, all a person has to do is look at their environment. They live in the Niger River Delta where fish are easily found. Fish is one of their primary diets other than yams. The Ibo also grow yams and are farmers.
Culture: The Ibo also have a unique culture. They produce artwork and make masks. The masks are used in ceremonies and as a form of entertainment. Ibo masks are very intricate and look like the mask below.
http://www.gateway-africa.com/tribe/igbo_tribe.html
http://www.ethnographica.com/pages/Igbo36.php?project_id=36
The Ibo people are an from an African tribe in Nigeria. They are also commonly known as the Igbo tribe. In Things Fall Apart, Okonwko is a member of the Ibo tribe. They are a very interesting tribe and this blog will look at religion, culture, history, food, gender roles, and other aspects common to the tribe.
The first thing that needs to be covered is the geography of the tribe. They are from Nigeria and live in the Delta and River states.
Traditional Religion: The Ibo people believe the creator of the earth and everything on the earth is Chineke. This god made everyone born with Chi, a unique guardian principle that determines a persons fate. The Ibo also believe in other deities that are not as powerful. The Ala spirit is the god of the Earth who is the guardian spirit of living creatures. Other deities that are important in their religion are Anyanwu (sun), Igwekaala (sky) and Amadioha (god of thunder and lightning). Many other gods are worshiped, but another very important god is Njoku or Ajoku because this is the god who is the guardian of the yam. Each god has their own priest in each town and this is how the people pray to the gods. Some Ibo still practice this religion, but many have been converted to Christianity. Most Christian Ibo are Roman Catholic or Anglicans.
An interesting fact that is unrelated to History is the Ibos have an indigenous ancient calendar in which a week has four days. A month consisted of seven weeks, and thirteen months made a year. In the last month, an extra day is added. This calendar is still in use in villages and towns to determine the market days.
History: The Ibo people have been in Africa for thousands of years. They seemed to have settled in their current spots a few thousand years ago. There is no certain evidence that shows where the Ibo tribes originated, but some think they came from Egypt or the area around Egypt.
During the pre-colonial times the Portuguese were the first to meet the Ibo tribe and colonize areas around them. During this time the Ibos government system was primarily a republican assembly of common people from the tribe.
In the Colonial period around 1870 the British colonized the area. They spread Christianity and the Ibos were bery accepting of the religion. The colonization brought together the tribes in many ways because it lessened the differences they all used to have.
In 1966 a civil war was started in Nigeria and it lasted until 1970. During this war a genocide of the Ibo people occured. Millions of Ibos and other Nigerians died in the genocide of the war, and even after the wars end, the Ibo still faced discrimination in parts of Nigeria. To this day some Ibos have trouble finding work because of the effects of the civil war.
Language: The Ibo have their own language that they use. It has many different dialects. It is also influenced by English and takes the word "blue" from English vocabulary and turns it into "blu" in the Ibo vocabulary. The language is a tonal language and the way the words are pronounced is very important.
Food: When looking at the food the Ibo eat, all a person has to do is look at their environment. They live in the Niger River Delta where fish are easily found. Fish is one of their primary diets other than yams. The Ibo also grow yams and are farmers.
Culture: The Ibo also have a unique culture. They produce artwork and make masks. The masks are used in ceremonies and as a form of entertainment. Ibo masks are very intricate and look like the mask below.
The Ibo tribe is very intersting. They have been through hard times in recent history and have been around for a long time. It is a good thing for people to learn about tribes such as the Igbo because it gives you a new look on other peoples culture and other people from other countrie in general.
2 comments:
Hi, got interested in knowing these people because of the movie "Tears of the sun" starred by Bruce Willis. It really touched my heart. That's why I took time in searching their history.
We the ibos are very hardworking and business minded.it is widely believed that any place an ibo man is not found it's not a good place.
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