The Igbo people make up a very unique and interesting civilization. Women have power and there is a democratic system that is one of the best in the world. Here, the people are collectively referred to as Ndi Igbo and where they live is called Ala Igbo or Igboland. This amazing group of people are located in southeast Nigeria and is thought to be one of the densest areas in all of West Africa. There are an estimated 32 million people living in less than 16,000 square miles of land and “up to 400 persons per square mile” (Amadiume). To put that into perspective, the U.S. has an average population density of 87.4 persons per square mile.The Igbo people speak the language of Igbo which is different than most languages because it is spoken with …show more content…
One thing that they have adapted over the years is to trade with outsiders. Their main cash crops are palm products of which include palm oil and also palm kernels. They also “farm crops such as yams, cassava, and taro, cocoyams, plantains, maize, melons, okra, pumpkins, peppers, gourds, and beans” (Encyclopedia Britannica) however those are mostly traded within Igboland. Women have quite a bit of in Igboland and are influential in local politics. However, for most women a huge part of social and economic function is trading. Women make mats, pottery and weave cloth and then sell them for money or other products their family is in need of. Trading is the way of the modern Igbo member, however the traditional Igbo members subsistence farm, rely on their own crops and products in order to live. Almost all Igbo people used to subsistence farm but because of the footprints left behind by the British, the Igbo have again …show more content…
Little known, but hundreds of thousands of Igbo people were exported to the America’s to work as slaves during the Atlantic Slave trade in the 17th and 18th centuries. Since dense populations of Igbo people lived near the NIgerian coast they were easy targets for the Europeans. In 1807 the Slave Trade Act was passed helping in stopping the transportation of enslaved Africans, including Igbo people, to the Americas. There were finally free from the horror of slave trade but not completely free from Europeans. Soon after in 1830, European Explorers find the Igbo when exploring Nigeria, but they would not stay because it wasn’t long until Malaria had scared the white men back to Europe. Later in 1880, England came to take over Southern Nigeria and by 1906 they had complete control of not just southern Nigeria but Igboland but not before the Aro confederacy (a political union formed by the Igbo) had casualties to almost all of its 7,500 members during the Anglo-Aro war. in 1914 northern and southern Nigeria would come together to form a unified Nigeria. It would not be until 1960 that Nigeria and the Igbo people would gain independence from
The role of men in the Igbo culture is to provide food. Meanwhile, women are given easier tasks as to just serve the men. Work is shared equally in American culture.
While reading the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, there were big differences within the roles of men and women in the Igbo culture, but now there are even bigger differences between them and how they used to be. Both women and men are important in the Igbo culture, mainly because each gender has a specific value. Women in their culture have always been seen as caregivers and nurturing to children. They are expected to cook and clean, and they are expected to plan parties and feasts because their husband asks them to. Men, however, primarily have to farm, hunt, fight as warriors, and run the household with a strong hand; the Igbo culture even allows men to beat their wives if they
Growing up a Nigerian teenager can at times be a struggle. Differences between the Igbo and American culture can pose problems between Igbo parents and their children. It would be great for Igbo parents to embrace the difference between Igbo and American culture, as well as grant freedom and expression to the children that they raise.
A uncivilized place or society is somewhere that the rules are unfair. And a place that the way of life is biased over one gender or race over another. Or bad events or acts that have happen or is happening to the the people in the society. The Igbo society can be classified as an uncivilized because of their way of life.the uncivilized way of life is from the gender roles that take place, the unfair government trial system, and the evil beliefs that the society has.
Nigerian Ibo culture in the village of Umoufia. Like the Ibo, many other nations are strongly rooted to
During post colonial times men and women in the Igbo society had several different roles in the household, the tribe, and in the fields. The male and female roles in the Igbo tribe are determined by many different things throughout the tribe. Genders help determine what that person will be doing. Men and women both have very important roles in the household, tribe, and fields. The women in the Igbo tribe are more in charge of the children, the cooking and the cleaning and the males are in charge of the fields and taking care of the family. The males are the more incharge gender within the tribe and the women must obey everything that the male wants.
In many countries there are distinctive gender roles. For almost every culture there are male and female “traits and roles”. Men are usually seen as masculine and completes all the hard work. On the other hand, women are seen as fragile and meant to stay home and tend to the children. An example of this is in Indian culture. Although women are working alongside men in today’s society they are still looked down upon. Women who are well educated suffer from a social stigma. Women are not appreciated for the things they do. Gender roles in Igbo culture share some differences and similarities with cultures around the world. The Igbo people hail from Nigeria, they have a very rich culture and history. Things Fall Apart is a wonderful novel created
Religion and the Igbo People The Igbo are a profoundly religious people who believe in a benevolent creator, usually known as Chukwu, who created the visible universe (uwa). Opposing this force for good is agbara, meaning spirit or supernatural being. In some situations people are referred to as agbara in describing an almost impossible feat performed by them. In a common phrase the igbo people will say Bekee wu agbara.
The novel Things fall apart depicts the cultural battle between the Igbo and the British: one was trying to keep its tradition, and one wanted to change those traditions by replacing them with a new religion. Finally, the British won because of they could figure out the falsehood in the indigenous people’s degenerate customs and attack it. Nothing in this world is perfect, and it is hard for a culture to be perfect. However, if a culture wants to develop and thrive, it should respect the value of its entire people. That was the reason why the Igbo culture was destroyed, because of its conservativeness, gender differentiation and superstitiously killing of the innocent.
As with most primitive societies, the Igbo was ruled by a few elite, all of which were male. Those able to obtain power in the village are male,
To start with, the advantages of the Igbo social structure included a balanced society, equality, distribution of labor, a surplus of food, separate huts, a collective society, and some form of government. A centralized society was achieved through the Igbo social structure. This structure served the purpose to impose the same religion upon the people to enforce a common belief. By organizing the society, the people could follow the idea of “unity” to prevent any conflicts or disagreements within the community. Along with a unified society, some kind of equal status came as a result of the social structure that has been established within the clan. Although the social hierarchy did not promote equal status between men and women, it did, to some extent, promote equality within the division of labor among the people. It relieved the pressure of stress, which may have been bestowed up...
While the outside world considered Nigeria to be a united and monolithic entity, even the British colonial administration was wary of the reality of Nigerian politics; the nation was not so much a “country” as it was more than three hundred different groups coalesced into one.4 5 These tribes were divided between three main spheres of influence: the Yoruba, the Igbo, and the Hausa. Historically, their interests were often opposed, and their cultures did not come into regular contact with one another until the British occupation. In spite of the differences British administration a...
For the most part, the Igbo culture is one in which masculinity is respected and wanted among the clansmen, proving that it is a very medieval and unprogressive culture in terms of gender fairness. A prominent example is when Okonkwo's father Unoka goes to the Oracle and asks why his crops do not grow, and the Oracle priestess screams in response, "You, Unoka, are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe. When your neighbors go out with their ax to cut down virgin forests, you sow your yams on exhausted farms that take no labor to clear. They cross seven rivers to make their farms; you stay at home and offer... ... middle of paper ... ...
http://moodle.oakland.k12.mi.us/internationalacademy/pluginfile.php?file=%2F68302%2Fmod _ folder%2Fcontent%2F0%2FAfrica%20Essay%2FAchebe%20Interview%20An%20African%2 20Voice.docx&forcedownload=1>. Arinze, Francis A., and Kalu Ogbu. The "Igbo Religion" www.ic.galegroup.com.
Changes affected every area of life, from language to religion, customs and education. Even English governmental system replaced traditional one in order to change prevailing laws. Some among Igbo community realised that losing their traditions for something new is unacceptable and threatens not only their culture but also themselves. The Igbos fought in order to protect community, however changes were unavoidable. Those who converted to Christianity as firsts were outcasts looking for hope in the newness, like women who gave birth to the twins few times.