Igbo Religious Traditions
Ryleigh Winstock
The Igbo people, also known as Ibo, are an ethnic group that inhabits south-central and south-eastern Nigeria and some parts of Equatorial Guinea. The Ibo people are known to speak a distinctive language known as Igbo. Igbo is a language originating off of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family (Brittanica, 1), and is the principal native language of the Ibo people. Igbo people are unique for not only their language but also for their traditional religious beliefs and values. Ibo culture is a sublime heritage, where the act of marriage is a sacred celebration to the Igbo people, where tradition must reside.
Before European colonization, the people of Ibo culture did not live in unison but they lived in self-governing environments. It wasn’t until the mid 20th century that the people involved in this multi-ethnic group developed a strong passion for their culture and began to live and practice collectively as one (Brittanica, 2). The Igbo culture is respected and praised widely because of their eccentric style, art, cuisine, but their religious beliefs are what draws the most attention to them.
The Igbo people express a variety of religious traditions, most of which are accustom to traditional African culture. They believe in one creator, called ‘Chineke’ or ‘Chukwu’, which translates to “God who creates(Bear,1).” Traditional Igbo religion has many similarities to modern-day Christianity, which is why many Ibo people have adjusted and are now practicing Christians. With the similarities being the belief in one god, the belief in a divine affinity with our ancestors, and other important values. It is the tradition of holy matrimony that many people praise and respect.
Marriage under the Igbo tradition does not just involve a husband and a wife, but this ceremony is an all-inclusive venue of extended family. The process of getting married as an Igbo person first and foremost involves the groom asking his potential partner to marry him (Adeboyejo, 2). Which is a pretty common thing to do as the first step of matrimony. Secondly, the groom gets permission and a blessing from the bride’s father, which is not out of the ordinary. Most people tend to ask permission before proposing, that is at least in America. Following this conversation, a celebration is had where the father welcomes the guests, and invites his daughter and asks for her confirmation that she is accepting of the proposal. After this acceptance, the fathers of both the bride and groom continue to negotiate a price for the bride, also known as (Ika-Akalika) (Igbo, 2). Now, this settlement is not simply referring to a money price for the bride, but assets, food, wine, chicken, etc. can be included in the payment. (Widjaja,3). This entire process typically lasts for a few days before a settlement is reached, but once an agreement is put into place a traditional ceremony is held.
In the novel, Things Fall Apart written by Chinua Achebe, the main protagonist Okonkwo who was a leader of the Igbo community, practiced this religion and praised it with all he had. Marriage into an Igbo family comes with many different customs and traditions, and because of how sacred this matrimony is, when Okonkwo accused his wife of negligence and abused her during the Week of Peace he lost respect from the whole community. Tradition and respect are a huge part of the Igbo religion, and when Okonkwo deliberately defies all the values that Ibo people rely upon he destroys his relationship with many. The culture of the Igbo people is enticing, Chinua Achebe does an incredible job displaying the traditions and expectations of a man in Igbo culture. Marriage is a sacrifice and the people of Igbo religion are loyal and commend the values surrounding the culture.
Works Cited:
Adeboyejo, Adejoke. “An Introduction to Nigeria’s Igbo People.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 22 May 2018, theculturetrip.com/africa/nigeria/articles/an-introduction-to-nigerias-igbo-people/.
Bear, Ulli. “.” World Eras. . Encyclopedia.com. 11 Aug. 2020 .” Encyclopedia.com, Encyclopedia.com, 16 Sept. 2020, www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/deities-igbo-religion.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Igbo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 22 May 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Igbo.
“Igbo – Art & Life in Africa – The University of Iowa Museum of Art.” Art & Life in Africa – The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Igbo.
Widjaja, Michael. “Igbo Family Ceremonies and Traditions.” Igboguide.org, www.igboguide.org/HT-chapter11.htm.
Image of a traditional wedding ceremony Igbo Style
Great post! I liked how you connected parts of the Igbo community with ours, such as the steps for marriage. The groom usually asks the woman to marry him and sometimes gets permission from the woman’s father. We see similarities in cultures and also major differences, such as price for the woman. I think a lot of cultures are tied together for similar aspects and cultures get ideas from other cultures. At times, it is like a chain reaction, as one way of looking at it.
As I read Things Fall Apart, I was amazed how strictly the Igbo people followed their religious beliefs. Disobeying the God’s would have been considered an unforgivable act that brought shame on the entire tribe. Individuals and their families could expect to be punished for disobeying oracles and the orders of village elders. The event that struck me the most while reading was the death of Ikemefuna at the hands of the elders and ultimately Okonkwo. The boy trusted Okonkwo so much he considered him his father. I understand that people want to follow their beliefs and freely worship but this seemed rather taboo. Okonkwo was clearly shaken by the event and felt enormous guilt despite having complied with the elder’s instructions. It its challenging to understand another groups way of life, especially when innocent people are being hurt. The lighter aspects of this story felt familiar while the darker ones were much harder to swallow.
I enjoyed reading your presentation!
In Things Fall Apart, Achebe went into a lot of detail when talking about the marriage ceremonies, so it was interesting to read how seriously they took it. In addition to it just seeming wrong, it makes sense why the community responded the way they did when Okonkwo beat his wife during the Week of Peace.
Also, it was interesting to read the similarities you found between the Igbo religion and Christianity, since in the novel they discuss how both religions have a “main” creator, but the Igbo man talks about the importance of the other gods they believe in.
I really enjoyed the decision to elaborate on the Igbo lifestyle to help provide a more clear understanding of their way of life and what defines them as people. You specified that religion and language set the Igbo from others. Translating their God’s name was a fun idea because it allows for me to get a feel for the Igbo dictation. Finally, I found the entire processes of the Igbo marriage ceremony to be fascinating! I had fun reading this.
Great post! I think it is very important to have some solid background information before reading any novel. This post has definitely enabled me to more fully understand the plot of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Specifically, learning about the main values and cornerstones of life in an Igbo community have helped me understand characters’ motivations throughout the novel. Despite the sometimes baffling and brute nature of his actions, Okonkwo simply wishes to be respected by all, ultimately leading him to act in extreme ways.
This was a very interesting post. Its helpful to see how cultures overlap in order to remind yourself that we aren’t too different afterall. Going into the reading understanding more about the culture and its values was very helpful in order to not miss out on key parts of the reading and actually understand their importance.
Very good presentation! In my own research for this week, I learned about some of these same ideas, such as their original religion, language, and traditions. It was interesting to learn here about specific traditions, such as the large ceremony. I like how the book incorporates the importance of marriage in their culture, with this big conflict of Okonkwo and his wife.
Thank you for your comment, I was so fascinated by the similarities that Igbo Cultures and Christianity have. Unfortunately I focused more on the Religious tradition of holy matrimony, but I would love to read more on how similar these traditions are to one another. I agree with your comment that the book incorporated a lot about culture and marriage which is why I was so upset while reading about Okonkwo and his wife.
I really enjoyed reading your post! I think it is very interesting that the Igbo people have a similar religion to modern day christianity, and now they are practicing christians. I think the Igbo culture having tradition and respect as a big part of their religion shows how they are connecting to modern day christianity. We don’t think about how other cultures can be like your very own. This reading shows us that cultures can be similar in ways, but they can also have their differences. Great job!
Thanks for highlighting the plot of Things Fall Apart. Understanding the Igbo people is very important before reading the novel. The background presentation prepares readers to understand what we are about to read, the language, actions and symbols. The Igbo had their religion of faith. This has to be recognized as that was part of their culture. The introduction of Christianity to some may have done more harm than good to the people of Umuofia.
The background your provided of the Igbo’s religion is astounding and very insightful. Without this information, I think it can be very difficult to truly understanding the full meaning of the book. This background seems almost essential before diving into the text. I think one of the most interesting aspects is the similarities and how many people are now practicing Christians. I would love to know more of how this came to be and wonder what aspects it adds to the text, if any. Understanding how important marriage is to their culture is another key component to fully understand the book.
Nice post! I liked the part where you mentioned that when Okonkwo accused his wife of negligence and abused her during the Week of Peace he lost respect from the whole community. I feel like that applies in today’s world, we lose respect when someone does something that goes against our religion.