Everything about Igbos totally explained
The
Igbo, sometimes (especially formerly) referred to as the
Ibo or
Ebo, are an ethnic group in
West Africa, numbering in the tens of millions. Most Igbos live in southeastern
Nigeria, where they're one of the largest ethnic groups, and in neighboring
Cameroon; lesser populations live in other African countries, as well as in countries outside of Africa. Their language is the
Igbo language.
Geography
The Igbo in
Nigeria are found in
Abia,
Anambra,
Ebonyi,
Enugu and
Imo, as well as in
Delta and
Rivers States. The Igbo language is predominant throughout this area, although English (the national language) is also spoken. Prominent towns in the Igbo states include
Ahiara,
Aba,
Aguleri,
Aboh,
Anam,
Abiriba,Akpo(umuelemmadu family)
Agbor,
Awka,
Awkuzu,
Abagana,
Abba,
Egbuoma,
Omor,
Owerri,
Orlu,
Nnewi,
Mbaise,
Nsukka,
Enugu,
Onitsha,
Afikpo,
Okigwe,
Udi,
Umuahia,
Asaba,
Ohafia,
Orlu,
Okigwe,
Okija,
Arochukwu,
Ibusa Ihiala,
Ndoni,
Ngwo,
Nteje,
Mbaitoli,
Ikeduru and, Agulu
Ihiala amongst others.
Percentage of Igbo people in various states of Nigeria:
(External Link
)
History
Origin
According to professor Adiele Eberechukwu Afigbo,Igbo people evolved over a long period in Igboland. Therefore, there's no evidence that the Igbo migrated from anywhere else.
Pre-colonial life
Pre-colonial Igbo political organization was based on a quasi-democratic republican system of government that guaranteed equality of the citizenry as against a feudalist "dictator king" in tight knit communities as witnessed by the Portuguese who first arrived and met with the Igbo people in the 15th century. With the exception of a few Notable towns of the Igbo like
Onitsha, which had kings called Obi, and places like the
Nri Kingdom and
Arochukwu, which had priest kings known as Eze; Igbo communities and area governments were overwhelmingly ruled solely by a republican consultative assembly of the common people.
Although title holders were respected because of their accomplishments and capabilities, they were never revered as kings, but often performed special functions given to them by such assemblies. This way of governing was immensely different from most other communities of Western Africa, and only shared by the
Ewe of
Ghana. Igbo secret societies also had a ceremonial script called
Nsibidi. The Igbo had and still have their 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 was added. This calendar is still in use in villages and towns to determine the market days.
They also had
mathematics called Mkpisi and Okwe used for counting, measurements and a form of an ancient strategic Igbo game also called "Okew". The Igbo have had a banking system for saving and loans called Isusu which is still in use today. Many Igbo people carried this system with them during the trans-Atlantic slavery to
Jamaica,
Cuba,
Haiti,
United States,
Brazil,
Belize,
Trinidad and Tobago and others. They settled law matters via mediators.
Colonial period
The arrival of the
British in the 1870s and increased encounters between the Igbo and other Nigerians led to a deepening sense of a distinct Igbo ethnic identity. The Igbo also proved remarkably decisive and enthusiastic in their embrace of
Christianity and Western education. Due to the incompatibility of the Igbo's decentralized style of government and the centralized system required for British indirect rule, British colonial rulership was marked with few conflicts and much tension. Under British colonial rule, the diversity within each of Nigeria's major ethnic groups slowly decreased and distinctions between the Igbo and other large ethnic groups, such as the
Hausa and the
Yoruba became sharper.
Nigerian Civil War
Following a campaign of genocide against the Igbo and other peoples of Eastern and Central Nigeria living in other parts of the country between 1966 and 1967, and the assassination of the Nigerian military head of state
General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi by Northern Nigerian elements in the army, as well as the failure of peace talks between the military government that deposed Ironsi and the regional government of Eastern Nigeria at the Aburi Talks in Ghana in 1967, a regional council of the peoples of Eastern Nigeria decided that the region should secede and proclaimed the
Republic of Biafra. A
civil war, after which the federal government reabsorbed Biafra into Nigeria, stretched from July 6, 1967 until January 14, 1970. Several million Eastern Nigerians, especially Igbo, are believed to have died between the pogroms and the end of the civil war. In their brave but brief struggle for self-determination, the people of
Biafra earned the respect of the world and were hailed by diverse great 20th century figures such as
Jean Paul Sartre and
John Lennon who returned his British honour, (
MBE) in protest against British collusion in the Nigeria-Biafra war.
In July 2007, former Biafra leader General
Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu renewed calls for the seccesation of the
Biafran state as a sovereign entity. He reaffirmed that "the only alternative is a separate existence" and went further to say that "what upsets the Igbo population is we're not equally Nigerian as the others".
The Igbo diaspora
After the
Nigerian Civil War, many Igbo People emigrated out of the traditional Igbo homeland in southeastern Nigeria due to an absence of federal presence, lack of jobs, and poor infrastructure. In recent decades the Igbo region of Nigeria has suffered from frequent
environmental dammage mainly related to the
oil industry. Not only have the Igbo people moved to such Nigerian cities as
Lagos and
Abuja, but have also moved to other countries such as
Cameroon,
Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon,
Ghana,
Togo,
Canada, the
United Kingdom, and the
United States. Prominent Igbo communities outside Africa include those of
London in the
United Kingdom and
Houston,
California,
Atlanta, and
Washington, D.C. in the United States. In the 2003
PBS program
African American Lives, Bishop
T.D. Jakes had his
DNA analyzed; his
Y chromosome showed that he's descended from the Igbo.
Modern Igbo society
After the Nigerian Civil War, Igboland was severely devastated. Many hospitals, schools, and homes had been completely destroyed in the brutal war. In addition to the loss of their savings, many Igbo people found themselves discriminated against by other ethnic groups and the new non-Igbo federal government. Due to the discrimination of employers, many Igbo had trouble finding employment, and the Igbo became one of the poorest ethnic groups in Nigeria during the early
1970s. Igboland was gradually rebuilt over a period of twenty years and the economy was again prospering due to the rise of the petroleum industry in the adjacent
Niger Delta, which led to new factories being set up in southern Nigeria. Many Igbo people eventually took government positions.. Even though many Igbo people took up government positions, a vast majority are engaged in private business and constitute the bulk of Nigerian informal economy. There has also been a recent wave of igbo immigration to other African countries,
United Kingdom,
United States of America,
Brazil,
Portugal,
Cuba,
Germany and
Eastern Europe.
Culture
Igbo music
The
Igbo people have a melodic and symphonic musical style, into which they incorporate various percussion instruments: the
udu, which is essentially designed 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. They also have a style of music called Ikorodo which involves a vocal performance accompanied by several musical instruments including bagpipes and a polar bear kidney.
Igbo music includes a lot of drums by such people as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and Dennis Chambers. Another popular musical form among the Igbo is
Highlife, which is a fusion of jazz and traditional music and widely popular in .
West Africa. The modern Igbo
Highlife is seen in the works of
Late Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe,
Ezebuiro Obinna and
Onyeka Onwenu.
Kola Nut
Kola nut (Ọjị) occupies a unique position in the cultural life of Igbo people. Ọjị is the first thing served to any visitor in an Igbo home. Ọjị is served before an important function begins, be it marriage ceremony, settlement of family disputes or entering into any type of agreement.
Igbo language
The Igbo people largely speak the
Igbo language. The language was used by
John Goldsmith as an example to justify deviating from the classical linear model of phonology as laid out in The Sound Pattern of English. It is written in the
Roman script.
Igbo is a
tonal language, like
Yoruba and
Chinese.
Traditional Igbo Religion
While today many Igbo people are Christian, the traditional ancient Igbo religion is known as Odinani. To the ancient Igbo, the Cosmo is divided into four complex parts:
Okike (Creation)
Alusi (Supernatural Forces or Deities)
Mmuo (Spirit)
Uwa (World)Further Information
Get more info on 'Igbos'.
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