Traditions and culture of Igbo Tribe

The locals have common tribal traditions-worshipping of gods, sacrifices, communal living, war and magic. Leadership is based on a man’s personal worth and his contribution to the tribe. In this book, Okonkwo stand out as great leader of the tribe. Tribesmen respect Okonkwo for his many achievements. Lifestyle is stylized from its ritual speech to the actions performed for certain ceremonies. Most of the interactions occur in an attempt to show respect to another man, a spirit or a god. Knowing one’s role in the society is very important in determining these customs.

Men and WomenThe role of women is an important factor. When a man want to marry a woman ,he has to pay for the bride price to her relatives if they accepted him. Each day the wives had to prepare their own dishes for their husbands and would have to obey them for no other reason. They could not question their husbands because it’s against their cultural traditions. When a child was born, it belong to its father instead of the mothers because the father is the head of the family.

- Polygamy

Agriculture

In the village of Umuofia, Yams are the main nourishment through every meal and they call these yams “ king of the crops” especially considering all other crops planted around them are women crops. Yam stand for manliness and he who could feed his family on yams from one harvest to another was a very great man. People use the yam for every traditional celebration and use kola nuts to offer the chi. these foods are sometimes relate to or are involved with their religion or ancestral spirits. Festivals for these certain food like the New Yam Festival. During which old yams are tossed out and fresh Yams are eaten and celebrated for New Year like Yam foo-foo

Umuofia and Wrestling

Impressions of Umuofia

- Male dominated- Work is agricultural- People help each other- Not much entertainment except for music- Get a lot of advice from the oracle- Believes strongly in Gods

Good Bad- he egwugwu represent the ancestral spirits of

the villagers, and they have the power to make important decisions or to resolve conflict in the tribe. Everyone listens to them and respects them because their society is oriented in such a way that one must pay respect to one’s ancestors.

- Chi a personal God sprit that determine one’s luck.

- - One of Mbaino’s villagers has murdered the daughter of one of Umuofia’s villagers, so there is the possibility of war between the two villages. So the villagers of Umuofia want to settle the dispute as peacefully as possible, and settle for a sacrifice of a virgin and a young boy.