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The Igbo people today are known as the ethnic group that has adopted Christianity the most in all of Africa. The Holy Ghost depicted as a dove on a relief in Onitsha. The Igbo people were unaffected by the Islamic jihad waged in Nigeria in the 19th century, but a small minority converted to Islam in the 20th century.
Jun 18, 2024 · Igbo, people living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria who speak Igbo, a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The Igbo may be grouped into the following main cultural divisions: northern, southern, western, eastern or Cross River, and northeastern.
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Pre-colonial life
Pre-colonial Igbo political organization was based on communities, devoid of kings or governing chiefs. The development of a heterarchical society, as opposed to a hetriarchical society, marks Igbo development as sharply divergent from political trends in pre-colonial West Africa. With the exception of Igbo towns such as Onitsha, which had kings called Obis, and places like Nri and Arochukwu, which had priest kings known as Ezes, most Igbo village governments were ruled solely by an assembly...
The Colonial period
The arrival of the British in the 1870s increased encounters between the Igbo and other Nigerians, leading to a deepening sense of a distinct Igbo ethnic identity. 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 Yorubabecame sharper.
Modern history
The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, of July 1967 through January 1970, was a political conflict caused by the attempted secession of the southeastern provinces of Nigeria as the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra. The war became notorious for the starvation in some of the besieged war-bound regions, and the consequent claims of genocidemade by the Igbo people of those regions. As a consequence of the war, Igboland had been severely devastated and many hospitals, schools, an...
The Igbo are a profoundly religious people who believe in a benevolent creator, usually known as Chukwu, who created the visible universe (uwa), and is especially associated with rain, trees and other plants. According to the traditional religionof the Igbo, there is no concept of a gender type such as “man” or “woman” associated with the supreme d...
Traditionally, the Igbo have been subsistence farmers, their main staples being yam, its harvesting is a time for great celebration. Other staples are cassava, and taro. Corn (maize), melons, pumpkins, okra, and beansare also grown. Kinship groups own the land communally and make it available to individuals.
Afigbo, A.E. Igbo Language and Culture. Oxford University Press, 1975.Agawu, V. Kofi. Representing African music: postcolonial notes, queries, positions. New York: Routledge, 2003. ISBN 0415943892Davidson, Basil. West Africa before the colonial era: a history to 1850. London: Longman, 1998. ISBN 0582318521Ember, Carol R., and Melvin Ember. Encyclopedia of sex and gender: men and women in the world's cultures. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2003. ISBN 030647770XAll links retrieved February 24, 2018. 1. Art and Life in Africa Project. Igbo Information. University of Iowa. 2. Widjaja, Michael. Guide to Igboland’s Culture and Language. Igboguide.
May 11, 2024 · Learn about the Igbo tribe, one of Africa's most influential ethnic groups, with over 30 million people in Nigeria and beyond. Discover their rich culture, history, language, festivals, arts, religion, and global impact.
- Igbo People, Tribe. The Igbo people, natively called Ndi Igbo and also spelt as Ibo or Eboe, are the third largest ethnic group in Nigeria. The tribe comes after the second-placed Yoruba ethnic group from the western part of Nigeria and the leading Fulani-Hausa ethnic group from the northern part of the country.
- Politics/Leadership. Although politics play an integral part in the people of Ibo community, their political impact is never really felt in Nigerian politics.
- Igbo Language. The main language spoken by the Igbo people is the Igbo language, natively called Asusu Igbo. The language has approximately 24 million speakers, who are primarily of Igbo descent and live mostly in Nigeria but can also be found in other countries such as Equatorial Guinea where it is recognized as a minority language.
- Religion. The main religion in Igboland is Christianity, with more than half of the population identifying as the Roman Catholics. A huge percentage, in recent times, has also begun to identify with Protestant/Evangelical.
Jul 19, 2023 · The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, with a rich cultural heritage that spans centuries. They are primarily found in the southeastern region of Nigeria, known as...
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Apr 25, 2017 · Learn about the Ibo (Igbo) people, the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, and their origins, traditions, achievements, and struggles. Discover their geographic distribution, religious beliefs, notable figures, and current situation in the face of Boko Haram and other threats.
