What Is Igbo Culture

Assimilation transpires in Things Fall Apart. The definition of assimilation is the process where a minority group gradually adopts the customs and attitudes of a dominant culture. Since the Igbo are a tribal society the most important factor is the harmony of the members of the tribe and their complete compliance to the ruling of their elders. They must also be compliant to the gods and goddesses. Later on compliance becomes absent when some of the members of the tribe accept distinct morals brought to them by the missionaries. Once these missionaries came they tried to change some of the tribe members over to their religion and while this was taking place the old members were curious of the loyalty of the other

The Igbo people’s language is saturated with proverbs which allows the language to sustain a sophisticated way of communication. This shows they should be considered to be a civilized culture because the use of proverbs mean their language is advanced enough to be able to support the usage of metaphors and figurative talk. For example, Achebe states, “Okoye said the next half a dozen sentences in proverbs. Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (Achebe 10). This shows that the Igbo people stress the use of proverbs, a complex use of their language, to express their ideas and to communicate with others. Another example is when Okonkwo was justifying his role in killing Ikemefuna to Obierika. Okonkwo says, “The Earth cannot punish me for obeying her messenger, A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam, which its mother puts into its palm.” (Achebe 64). This shows that Igbo’s use of complex proverbs and language allow for the people to prove their points and their arguments. This shows the culture is civilized because the Igbo language is used in it’s complexity to explain points of views and argument effectively, which is a sophisticated part of day to day communication. The use of language in the Ibo culture allows for the people to communicate and express their ideas in complex ways,

The Igbo people portray they are civil by having gender roles and a justice system, but they also could be mistakenly considered uncivilized because of their unjustified religious superstitions. In order for a society to be civil they need to have civilized characteristics; this includes being financially independent, organized, concerned with citizens needs. The Igbo people have one bad characteristic that could make a person think they are a uncivilized group, but no society is perfect. The Ibo society runs smoothly and efficiently making the Ibo culture

The most populous country in Africa with a population of more than 160 million people is Nigeria. Nigeria is home to more than 300 tribes, one of the largest tribes being the Igbo tribe. In the novel Things Fall Apart the igbo culture partly consists of the practice of Polygyny and father-son inheritance. The Igbo tribe are still considered to be harmonious to land through festivals and are famous for their culture around Yams.

Thousands of years ago there was a tribe filled with people known as the Ibo, now known as the Igbo. The Igbo were one of the first tribes to really be able to thrive and have order in their villages. Igboland is now one of the most populated countries in Nigeria. Though Igboland is now one of the most populated countries, it has managed to keep its historical charm. Igboland is now a very well thriving country, but it is still facing many hardships regarding their political system.

Like many other tradition societies, Igbo held men higher than woman on the social ladder. Men can take titles while women can not. Women even have no say in the village council nor they can grow king crop Yam.

For the Igbo tribe, their language not only consisted of everyday dialogue, but it also included oral stories. These stories have been passed down from one generation to the next. In Nigeria, the Igbo language is spoken by eighteen million people. This language is one of the largest spoken in West Africa. The popularity of the Igbo language can be contributed to the fact that historians believe the language first originated around the ninth century.

The Igbo community is developed because they have fair ideology practice. For example, when Okonkwo shot his gun on accident and hit Ezeudu's son who’s father the clan was burying it says “The only course of action was to flee from

Religion in Pre and Post Colonial Igbo Culture Throughout Africa there are many diverse cultures that all have their own religions. The Igbo people are a tribe in Africa that had been affected by colonialism. From the Igbo perspective, the colonization of Nigeria had negative effects on the Igbo community and their religious culture due to the diffusion of Christianity, mainly brought about by missionaries.

“These men must be mad, they said to themselves. How else could they say that Ani and Amadiora were harmless” (Achebe 146)? Even in the face of change, the Igbo held on to their religion and kept faith in their gods. Similarly, when the stories of Europeans were being passed from village to village, relations with them were rare, wary and considered foolish, shown on page 140 of Things Fall Apart, “‘Never kill a man who says nothing. Those men of Abame were fools’”.

The Igbo are one of Nigeria’s largest ethnic groups. They are mainly found in the area of southeastern Nigeria and have a population of around 20 to 50 million people. It was created when. The Igbo’s religion “Odinani” is a vehicle, used by all of the people who practice it, to help better understand their world called “Uwa” (princeton.edu). Chukwu is the Almighty God of the Igbo religion. The Igbo people think that all things come from Chukwu. They think he controls everything on earth and the wind. He is the supreme deity and most powerful deity, as he encompasses everything in space. He is also the source of all of the other deities since he assigns them all their different tasks. These other spirits and forces exist in other parts of Igbo peoples’ beliefs and folklore (princeton.edu). Added to all of the other Igbo religious spirits and forces, the Igbo also have certain religious ceremonies and traditions, have certain sacred places, and they faced problems just like any other religion

Religion in Igbo society led to many deaths. The Igbo believed that if they did what the gods asked they would be rewarded with continuing good fortune within the community. The death of babies, young men, the sick and even causing a man to take his own life are all rooted in Igbo life. In showing respect to their gods the Igbo society took the lives of many innocent being.

Traditions and customs serve importance here because if you hold a position of a women in the tribe you have specifics mannerism to men like Okonkwo. Rules on how to address one another, gods and spirits are all different and hold meaning in the culture and symbolizes identity amongst tribe members. On the other hand, the British christians require an interpreter who is not from the Umuofia clan and has translated words that are not to clear to the native people. Furthermore, the schools which are built in the African land are also a factor to the receding rich Igbo language. These schools with christian missionaries that institute english customs and values bring despair to the traditions of the Igbo people and this is clearly shown in Okonkwo and his friends reaction to the British people. As a result of the colonization the language of both native people are lost in meaning and significance. A overbearing power instituting its own language upon another's is demeaning in many ways. When one takes another languages for granted important history can be lost. Important concepts and essence is lost in the

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.

When I came to realize that the Igbo people aren't that much different from us, I looked for further examples that supported my belief. For examples, at the first reading of the ritual of breaking the kola nut and drinking palm wine, during the visit of a guest or during a festive occasion, I was intrigued but then understood its principle by relating it back to our culture. Do we not have similar customs, of asking a friend whom we haven't seen in a while if she would like to "go out and get a beer," of when we go to a party to bring some "party favors" to share with people? There are other examples of positive similarities, but I then decided to focus on the faults we have in common with the Igbo.