10 TRUE FACTS ABOUT THE IGBOS

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10 TRUE FACTS ABOUT THE IGBOS
1. Igbos are republican by nature. As a result, they dislike central,dictatorial leadership, and want sovereignty to rest with the people or their representatives instead of with one man. Hence the statement "Igbo enwee eze" (Igbos have no king). This is probably the reason why they find it difficult to respect their elders and those in authority.
2. A vast majority of Igbos believe in the existence of supernatural beings (God, gods, goddesses, spirit beings etc) that influence their lives on earth. And so they are highly religious and give their children names that mostly bear "chi" (originally meaning "god", but later, upon christianization, "God").
3. Igbos were originally traditional religious worshipers before westernization /christianization influenced them. Hence they have gods/goddesses like Amadioha, Agbara, Agwunsi etc. They also observe several cultural practices such as circumcision, "osu" caste system etc. In addition, many Igbos believe that their ancestry could be traced to their ancestor " Eri " who once lived around Aguleri/Umuleri axis(in the present Anambra State), and who migrated from Israel.
4. Igbos are naturally hardworking, talented and intelligent. However, although these traits could be traced back to their ancestors centuries ago, they became more prominent during and after the Civil War. As a result, they are found in virtually every part of the world doing all manner of things (the good, the bad, and the ugly) in order to overcome the severe challenges originally posed by the Civil War. Hence they believe in "survival of the fittest". This therefore creates the partially true impression that they love money so much and can do anything to get it. Of course they want to survive through any means possible.
5. An average Igbo man would not like to do anything that he will not benefit from. Hence he is ready to help or patronize a person who is from another tribe if he strongly believes that he will more likely gain from the stranger (even to the detriment of his Igbo brother). Eg he is more likely to patronize a Hausa man (than his fellow Igbo) if he believes the Hausa man will give him exactly what he wants (quality, quantity etc).
6. Igbos have so many dialects to the extent that a person who speaks dialect A may not be able to understand another person who speaks dialect B. However they will be able to understand each other when they speak Igbo Izugbe (Central Igbo).
7. Even though an average Igbo man may not like to pay special attention to learning or speaking his language, yet he will pay special attention to his Igbo name. (And that name MUST be meaningful.) This is why over 85% of Igbos bear Igbo names (first name, middle name and /or surname). This is another reason why Igbo names are perhaps the most popular local names in Nigeria.
8. In a bid to help him on his large farms, a typical Igbo ancestor would have a very large family comprising many wives and children. However due to current realities and the influence of Christianity, most Igbo men nowadays seem to have adopted the nuclear family system (one man, one wife, and children).
9. Igbos practice the patriarchal system of family (where the man is the head of the family and sons are of great value). As a result, traditionally, wives and daughters normally have no right of inheritance. But westernization is dealing a heavy blow on this age-long practice.
10. In Igbo land, "ji" (the yam) is regarded as the king of the farm; while the most culturally respected item is "oji " (the colanut).
Do you agree with the above statements? Or is there any of the above numbers that you consider untrue? If yes, mention the number and give your reasons.
Posted by 9ja400.blogspot.com by 11:25pm