The Igbo, sometimes referred to (usually formerly) as the Ibo or Eboe, are an ethnic group in West Africa, numbering in the tens of millions. Most Igbos live in southeastern Nigeria, where they are one of the largest ethnic groups in the country. They also live in neighboring Cameroon; lesser populations live in other African countries, as well as in countries outside of Africa. This is due to migration and also to the effects of the Atlantic slave trade, but the numbers of Igbo abroad due to the slave trade is unknown. Their language is the Igbo language which includes hundreds of different dialects and Igboid languages. The Igbo are well known for being one of the only African groups, traditionally, without a central leader.

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, Oguta, Awka, Port Harcourt, Akpo (Umuelemmadu family) Agbor, Awkuzu, Abagana, Abba, Egbuoma, Omor, Owerri, Orlu, Nnewi, Mbaise,Mbaitoli, Nsukka, NAWGU Enugu, Onitsha, abakaliki/Afikpo, Okigwe, Udi, Umuahia, Asaba, Ohafia, Okigwe, Okija, Arochukwu, Ibusa Ihiala, Ndoni, Ngwo, Nteje, Mbaitoli, Ikeduru and, Agulu Ihiala amongst others.

Percentage of Igbo people in various states of Nigeria:

• Imo (96%)
• Abia (95%)
• Enugu (95%)
• Ebonyi (92%)
• Anambra (90%)
• Rivers (65%)
• Delta (55%)

History

Origin

According to several sources, Igbo people evolved over a long period of 4000 BC to 500 AD in Igboland through waves of migrations. There is evidence that the ancestors of Igbo and most of their neighbors were the proto-Kwa group. This ancient group came from the African Great Lakes and Mountains of the moon of East/Central Africa and settled at the old Sahara grasslands. It was the desertification of the Sahara that forced some of the Kwa people to migrate further down to the north of the Niger Benue confluence and founded Nok. Elements of the Kwa people migrated South of the Niger Benue confluence and later became the Igala, Idoma, Yoruba, Igbo, and possibly the Tiv peoples. The Kwa people's first area of settlement in Igboland was the Nsukka-Afikpo-Awka-Orlu uplands over a 5000 year period. Elements from the Orlu area migrated south, east, and northeast while elements from the Awka area migrated westwards across the Niger river.

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-Biafran War

A campaign of genocide against the Igbo and other peoples of Eastern and Central Nigeria living in other parts of the country took place between 1966 and 1967. There was also the assassination of the Nigerian military head of state General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi by Northern Nigerian elements in the army. This was followed by 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. This all led to a regional council of the peoples of Eastern Nigeria deciding that the region should secede and proclaim the Republic of Biafra. A 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 brief struggle for self-determination, the people of Biafra earned the respect of 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 secession 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 are not equally Nigerian as the others".

Modern Igbo society

After the Nigerian-Biafran War, Igboland was 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. They where even (and somewhat still are) discriminated against by closely related ethnic groups and Igboid speaking groups such as the Ika. This is partly because of the stigma that came with either being or associating with Igbo people.

Due to the discrimination, many Igbo had trouble finding employment, and the Igbo became one of the poorest ethnic groups in Nigeria during the early 70s. 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 region. This led to new factories being set up in southern Nigeria. Many Igbo people eventually took government positions.. Even though this happened, a vast majority were engaged in private business and constituted and still constitute the bulk of Nigerian informal economy. Recently, there has also been a wave of Igbo immigration to other African countries, Europe, and the Americas.

The Igbo Abroad

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 damage 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.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

The transatlantic slave trade that took place between the 16th century till the late 19th Century, in some areas of the Americas, affected the Igbo heavily. The Bight of Biafra was the area named by the European sailors where most Igbo where taken from. Major trade ports for goods and slaves included Bonny and Calabar town. The Bight of Biafra is now modern day southeastern Nigeria (in which includes Igbo Land), Western Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and parts of Northern Gabon. Slaves were either stolen from the shore or, with African slave traders who knew the area better than Europeans, gotten from the mainland. They were also sold by fellow Africans to European slave traders to be taken to the Americas and Europe. The Aro Confederacy was formed and got its wealth from the Atlantic slave trade. The Bight of Biafra was the third area where the most slaves where gotten from with 14.6% from the year 1650 to 1900.

Contrary to belief, European slave traders knew the types of African slaves plantation owners wanted, this led to the slavers and captains of slave boats targeting certain ethnic groups. This consequently led to ethnic groups being fairly saturated in certain areas of the Americas. The Igbo where dispersed to colonies such as Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, United States, Brazil, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago among others. Elements of Igbo culture can still be found in these places. For example, in Jamaican Patois the Igbo word 'unu', meaning 'you' plural, is still used. In the United Sates the Igbo where found common in the state of Virginia. Other ethnic groups related to the Igbo usually identified themselves as Igbo.

In the 2003 PBS program African American Lives, Bishop T.D. Jakes had his DNA analyzed; his Y chromosome showed that he is descended from the Igbo, Bishop Jakes is from the state of West Virginia. Actor Forest Whitaker also traced his genealogy back to the Igbo people.

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.

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 Dr Sir Warrior, Oliver De Coque, Bright Chimezie, and Chief Osita Osadebe, who are the four greatest Igbo Highlife Musicians of the twentieth century.

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.

Igbo Art

Igbo Art is known for various types of masquerade masks and outfits symbolising people animals or certain events. Igbo art is also known for it's bronze castings found in the town of Igbo Ukwu.

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)

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.

Notes

References

• Afigbo, Adiele (1972). "Ropes of Sand. Studies in Igbo History and Culture". Longman, London, ISBN 0-19575-528-6
• Agawu, Kofi (2003). African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions. Routledge.
• Forde, Cyril Daryll and Jones, G. I. (1950) The Ibo and Ibibio-Speaking Peoples of South-Eastern Nigeria International African Institute by Oxford University Press, London.
• Mushanga, Tibamanya mwene (2001). "Social and Political Aspects of Violence in Africa". Social Problems in Africa: New Visions. Praeger/Greenwood.
• Njoku, John Eberegbulam (1990) The Igbos of Nigeria: Ancient Rites, Changes, and Survival E. Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY, ISBN 0-88946-173-2.
• Okafor, Clement (2004). "Igbo Cosmology and the Parameters of Individual Accomplishments in Things Fall Apart". Emerging Perspectives on Chinua Achebe. Volume 1: Omenka the Master Artist: Critical Perspectives on Achebe's Fiction.
• Okpala, Benneth (2003). Toasting the Bride: Memoirs of Milestones to Manhood, 2nd ed. Trafford Publishing.
• Smith, David Jordan (2004). "Igbo". Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World's Cultures. Volume I: Topics and Cultures A–K. Springer.
• Smock, Audrey C. (1971) Ibo Politics: The Role Of Ethnic Unions In Eastern Nigeria Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, ISBN 0-674-44025-0.
• Uchendu, Victor Chikezie (1965) The Igbo Of Southeast Nigeria Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.

External links

• Igboguide.org - An insight guide to Igboland’s Culture and Language
• Igbonet- A Network of the Igbo Diaspora
• World Igbo Congress Foundation

See also