Igbo (ethnic group)

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Ethnic groups in Nigeria

The Igbo , obsolete Ibo , are an African ethnic group of over 30 million people in Nigeria , who mainly live in the savannah- interrupted tropical rainforest east of the Niger lower reaches. The designation of the ethnic group as well as the language is pronounced by its speakers [ íɓò ]. However, the correct spelling is Igbo. See: Pannigerian alphabet .

language

The Igbo language belongs to the Igboid family and enjoys the status of a national language in Nigeria - alongside Hausa and Yoruba .

Traditional society

Most Igbo groups lived, like their neighbors, in egalitarian , largely democratic social structures: in autonomous settlements without central authorities, each extended family as an independent unit under the leadership of an elder. The affairs of the village community were decided by a council of elders made up of both men and women.

religion

Most Igbo are Christians, but there are also traditional belief systems. An ancestral cult is also of particular importance . Mask dancers, who are grouped together in special secret societies , perform at funerals and celebrations . A few thousand Igbo also consider themselves Jews .

art

The art of the Igbo (e.g. large clay figures on shrines and altars as well as figural and abstract masks) is mostly in a religious context . In 1938 and 1964 numerous bronze tools and the burial chamber of a high-ranking figure were discovered in the north of the Igbo region (in Igbo-Ukwu ) . The richly decorated, superbly crafted bronzes are cast using the lost wax technique . If the dating to the 9th / 10th Century is correct, it is the oldest evidence of the processing of copper and its alloys in West Africa .

Traditional economy

The cultivation of yams and manioc served as the basis of food , which was often supplemented by extensive fishing .

history

The Igbo and their neighbors suffered greatly from the slave traders until the 19th century . By 1900 the British colonial administration prevailed in the whole area. Today the Igbo, along with the Yoruba and Hausa, are one of the leading groups in Nigeria after their attempt to found their own state ( Biafra ) failed after years of bloody fighting against the Nigerian central government. ( Biafra War 1967-1970).

literature

  • Chinua Achebe : Things Fall Apart. Anchor Books, 1959. German edition: Everything disintegrates. Fischer , Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-10-000540-3 .
  • Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie : Half of a Yellow Sun. London 2006. German edition: Half the sun. Luchterhand, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-630-87247-6
  • Simeon Onyewueke Eboh: An African Concept of Law and Order. A Case Study of Igbo traditional Society. IKO, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-88939-695-X .
  • Chidi Leonard Ilechukwu: Igbo - Idigenous Economy and the Search for Sustainable Development in Post Colonial African Society. Cidjap Press, Enugu, Nigeria 2008, ISBN 978-978-087-181-9 .
  • Obiora F. Ike: Africa on its own behalf. Wisdom, culture and life of the Igbo. Publishing house for intercultural communication, Frankfurt am Main 2003, ISBN 3-88939-691-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. Lambert U. Ejiofor: Dynamics of Igbo Democracy: A behavioral analysis of Igbo politics in Aguinyi Clan. Ibadan 1981, ISBN 0-19-575526-X , pp. 34-85.

Web links

Commons : Igbo  - collection of images, videos and audio files