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Igbo
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Nigeria

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Rites of
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Vocab

Standards

1) The student will be able to correctly identify

and define 5 chosen vocab words related to the
field trip.
2) The student will be able to cite at least 4
cultural or historical facts learned from this
field trip in an essay about Things Fall Apart.

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Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

This PowerPoint will take you on a virtual field trip to discover the
Igbo people of Nigeria and their culture.
Click the arrows on the bar at the bottom of the screen to go
forward and back.
Be sure to visit every slide in the PowerPoint. If you miss something,
use the left arrow to go back.
Clicking on the blue underlined links at the bottom of each screen
will take you the matching slide; click these in case you skip a
section.
The slides contain links to web pages, videos, and other media that
take you out of the PowerPoint. All these links are in blue and
underlined; click on each to dig deeper into Igbo culture.
Info

Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

The origin of the Igbo people is largely speculative. Traditions of creation

trace their origins to particular ancestral founders, after whom villages
generally take their names. They further suggest that there exists a core
area of IgbolandOwerri, Orlu, Awka, Okigweto which waves of people
coming from the north and west migrated and settled starting as early as
the 9th century. From this area, Igbos then spread out in all directions.
Learn More

Nigeria's Igbo Jews: 'Lost tribe' of

Israel? CNN Article

After the Nigerian Civil War, many Igbo

emigrated out of the traditional Igbo
homeland in southeastern Nigeria due to
a growing population, decreasing land,
and poor infrastructure. Learn More

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Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

Igbo people are among the largest single ethnic groups in

Africa . They are based mostly in southeastern Nigeria
constituting about 25% of the population of the country.
Administratively, Igbo people make up 100% of the five
states of the southeast zone comprising Abia, Anambra,
Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. The contiguous states of Delta and
Rivers in the south south zone also have very significant
Igbo populations.
Prominent cities/parts in the Igbo country include Aba,
Awka, Owerri, Orlu, Nnewi, Mbaise, Nsukka, Enugu,
Onitsha, Afikpo, Okigwe, Umuahia, Asaba, amongst others.
Igbo land is bothered in the east by Akwa Ibom and Cross
River States, in the North by Benue and Kogi States, in the
West by Edo and Delta States and in the South by Rivers and
Bayelsia States.

Click Here to see a breakdown

of all the Igbo states in Nigeria
Info

Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Source: WICfoundationinc.org (World Igbo Congress)

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

Introduction
To The Igbo
Language

Click Here for a video of a

traditional Igbo wedding

Food
(Jollof
Rice w/
Chicken)

Visit Ibo Art Gallery

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Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

Religious Beliefs. Although many Igbo people are now Christians, traditional Igbo religious practices still abound. The traditional Igbo religion
includes an uncontested general reverence for Ala or Ana, the earth goddess, and beliefs and rituals related to numerous other male and female
deities, spirits, and ancestors, who protect their living descendants. Revelation of the will of certain deities is sought through oracles and
divination. The claim that the Igbo acknowledge a creator God or Supreme Being, Chukwu or Chineka, is, however, contested. Some see it as
historical within the context of centralized political formations, borrowings from Islam and Christianity, and the invention of sky (Igwe) gods. The
primordial earth goddess and other deified spirits have shrines and temples of worship and affect the living in very real and direct ways, but
there are none dedicated to Chukwu. Ala encapsulates both politics and religion in Igbo society by fusing together space, custom, and ethics
(omenala); some refer to Ala as the constitutional deity of the Igbo.
The Igbo concept of personhood and the dialectic between individual choice/freedom and destiny or fate is embodied in the notion of chi,
variously interpreted as spirit double, guardian angel, personal deity, personality soul, or divine nature. Igbo have varied accounts of myths of
origin because there are many gods and goddesses. According to one Igbo worldview, Chukwu created the visible universe, uwa. The universe is
divided into two levels: the natural level, uwa, or human world, and the spiritual level of spirits, which include Anyanwu, the sun; Igwe, the sky;
Andala (or Ana), the earth; women's water spirits/goddesses, and forest spirits. Through taboos, the Igbo forge a mediatory category of relations
with nature and certain animals such as pythons, crocodiles, tigers, tortoises, and fish.
Religious Practitioners. There are two different kinds of priests: the hereditary lineage priests and priests who are chosen by particular deities
for their service. Diviners and prieststhose empowered with ofo, the symbol of authority, truth, and justiceinterpret the wishes of the
spirits, who bless and favor devotees as well as punish social offenders and those who unwittingly infringe their privileges, and placate the spirits
with ceremonial sacrifices.
Death and Afterlife. The living, the dead, and the unborn form part of a continuum. Enshrined ancestors are those who lived their lives well and
died in a socially acceptable manner (i.e., were given the proper burial rites). These ancestors live in one of the worlds of the dead that mirrors
the world of the living. The living pay tribute to their ancestors by honoring them through sacrifices.
Source: Amadiume, Ifi. "Igbo." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 20 Nov. 2014

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Igbo
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Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

The Rite of Passage experience, also known as coming of age, is a celebration of change in status for an Igbo youth. Coming of
age is the ceremonial occasion that marks the time when a young person is recognized as an adult in the Igbo community and is
responsible for performing, participating, and contributing to the community. The ceremony is intended to showcase young
people (teenagers) to the entire community as they advance from one level of life and responsibility to the next. The rite of
passage has different names in the Igbo language including: mbanye ebe, ahia ebe, ime ebe, mputa ezi, ime ezi, ino nzuzu and so
on. The traditional rite of passage for young boys is known as: ima mmuo, iba ekpe, ida mmiri, ikpu ulo and so on. The traditional
rite for girls has fallen out of practice due to misconceptions of education, civilization, and Christianity.
While the day of the ceremony is important and memorable, the preceding periods of preparation are just as enlightening and
vital. Traditionally in Igbo land, on the night before this public event, the young girls (the celebrants) would gather to learn private
lessons of life from older women. In this gathering, young ladies learn personal grooming, among other values. Their hair would be
plaited and their body polished with ufie (red cam wood) and adorned with uli designs. Songs, storytelling, and dancing would
permeate the night. Mothers would layout the facts of life and what it meant to be beautiful.
On the day of the festivities, mothers would cook and send the young girls off for a day of fun at the designated Village Square.
Here, the girls would dance, wrestle, trade tips, share meals, and simply have a great time. Meanwhile, eligible bachelors would
watch from the periphery. At the end of the day, the initiates would head home. Soon after, marriage would be in order.
On the night before this years Coming of Age initiation, the male initiates spent the night with the Otu Umunne fathers at a
designated location, while the female initiates did the same with the Otu Umunne mothers at a chosen place. The young people
learned through empowerment instead of through fear what the Igbo community would expect from them, which includes
teamwork, leadership, values, and responsibilities. They understand that they are to make sound moral decisions; they are free to
pursue their dreams; and that they have been endowed with a wonderful heritage.
Source: Contributed by Mrs. Queen Nneka Agu, Mrs. Chi Ezekwueche & Mrs. Ego Ndukwe
on behalf of the Otu Umunne Members, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.; Edited by Dele Chinwe Ukwu

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Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

Info

Igbo
History

Nigeria

Ibo/Igbo
Primordial
Diaspora
Placate
Periphery
Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards

Standards:
RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from
outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
L.9-10.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
grades 910 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Additional Resources:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1670_Ogilby_Map_of_West_Africa_%28_Gold_Coast,_Slave_Coast,_Ivory_Coast_%2
9_-_Geographicus_-_Guinea-ogilby-1670.jpg
http://www.generationaldynamics.com/ww2010/g110223.gif
http://www.weddingfeferity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/igbo-wedding-traditional-nigerian_0034.jpg
http://yalepress.yale.edu/images/full13/9780300073072.jpg
http://igbocybershrine.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/48178-ikperikpe2bogu.jpg
http://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/media/index?People=43&MediaType=Image&action_=Use+Filter

Info

Igbo
History

Nigeria

Culture

Beliefs

Rites of
Passage

Vocab

Standards