20 Facts About Igbos No One Would Ever Tell You!

1. The Igbos believe in the existence of a God whom they call Chukwu (chineke, chi okike – God of creation, chukwu abiama). They had this belief even before the coming of Christianity.
2. The Igbos believe that every individual is born with a chi (A chi is some sort of guardian angel or spiritual assistant) and that the fate and destiny of the individual is determined by the chi. There’s an Igbo adage that says “ofu nne na amu mana ofu chi adighi eke” meaning that one mother can give birth to the same children but they aren’t guided (in this context its created) by the same chi.
3. Igbos also believe in the existence of one supreme deity, and in the existence of other subordinate deities. They believe in the power of the spirits of the sun (Anyanwu), the Sky (Igwekaala), the Earth (Ala) and lightning and Thunder (Amadioha).
4. The Igbos revere Njoku or Ajoku, the deity which is believed to be in charge of the yam which is known to be a staple food crop in Igboland. As a result, they celebrate New Yam Festival (Iri Ji Ofuu or Ifejioku) in Igbo land to thank Njoku. In the olden days, an Igbo man with the largest barn of yams was often called Di Ji.
5. In Igbo land, children are considered to be a gift from chukwu, and as such, are given utmost attention. The naming ceremony of the Igbos is a must read for you. Igbos give names such as Nwakaego, Nwabuugwu, etc to their children. In the olden days, women who delivered more than 10 children often have a feast thrown in their honor since it wasn’t a simple feat. In those days, “Men” were separated from men based on the number of children they had especially the male ones.
6. Each Igbo community is organized under age groups, organizations, masquerade groups, women groups, etc.
7. Each village in Igbo land has a deity and a Chief priest, no matter the level of Christianity there. Some chief priests inherit the positions while the others are chosen by the gods. A typical example is the eze imoka (Chief Priest of Imoka) who is often choosen by the gods.
8. Most Christian Igbos are either Roman Catholics or Anglicans. It wasn’t until recently that the Pentecostal church began to gain ground in Igbo land.
9. Essential instruments in Igbo music include the Oja (flute), the Ekwe (Wooden log with a hollow in the middle), the Opi (tusk) and the Ogene (gong).
10. The Igbos had and still has a savings system in Igbo land which is called Isusu.
11. The Igbos revere the ofo, a staff that symbolizes authority in Igbo land. A former Nigerian Head of State of Igbo descent often carried one around and people believe he was killed because he didn’t have it with him on that day.
12. The Igbos believe in reincarnation as do many people. They call children who are born, but die and come back again to the same parents only to die again Ogbanje. In order to stop those children from hurting their parents the more, the Igbos carry out spiritual sacrifices that makes the child reveal where their Iyi Uwa (Some sort of link to their spirit world) is. Once this is destroyed, the child begins to live a normal life. This sums up this list of facts about the Igbos.
13. A typical Igbo man comes from a town which should have at least five villages. For example, a man who hails from Awka in Anambra State is bound to come from any of the over 10 villages in Awka.
14. Another important fact in this list of facts about the Igbos is that a typical Igbo man traces his lineage to three groups;
    • Uno (house/compound) which is his father’s house
    • Umunna (kindred/clan) which is his great great great great great grandfather – often at times, this grandfather may have begotten many children hence the size of the clan/kindred is always large. In many Igbo communities, the Igbo man isn’t allowed to marry from the same kindred because there’s a popular belief that they are related by blood. The head of a clan/umunna is often the oldest man
    • Obodo (Village)
15. In the olden days, most Igbo men had separate houses or huts where they entertained guests and held meetings. This is the “Obi”.
16. One of the most important facts about the Igbos is that various Igbo communities have different dialects, but their customs and traditions are all closely related. Sounds weird?
17. Different Igbo towns are known for one thing or the other; Awka people are known for Blacksmith, Achi people are known for Igba Achi (a type of edible delicacy made from corn flour), Igbo Ukwu people were known for their sculpted pieces.
18. Many Igbo communities lacked and still lack centralized political structures given that they are ruled by a King (Eze/Obi/Igwe as the case may be) who has a chief (an elder) from each of the villages that make up the kingdom having one representative each in his cabinet.
19. An Igbo town is often named after its founding father e.g. “Umuoma” means “Children of Oma”. When the white men (Colonial Masters) came to Igbo land, they found it quite difficult to properly pronounce Igbo names and as such Igbo towns were given names these colonial masters could pronounce.
20. Five of the most important institutions in Igbo Land are
    • Council of elders
    • Age groups (otu ogbo)
    • Council of chiefs
    • Women’s association
    • Secret societies e.g. Masquerade groups

More facts about the Igbos coming…