Igbo culture
These customs and traditions include the Igbo people's visual art, music and dance forms, as well as their attire, cuisine and language dialects.
The modern Igbo highlife is seen in the works of Prince Nico Mbarga, Dr Sir Warrior, Oliver De Coque, Bright Chimezie, Celestine Ukwu and Chief Osita Osadebe, who are some of the greatest Igbo highlife musicians of the twentieth century.
There are also other notable Igbo highlife artists, like the Mike Ejeagha, Paulson Kalu, Ali Chukwuma, Ozoemena Nwa Nsugbe.
Igbo art is known for various types of masquerades, masks, outfits (symbolizing people), animals and abstract conceptions.
When there is no longer need for the deity, it is returned to its source, through the help of a Chief Priest or Dibia, who is aware of the procedure and ensures that its done properly.
[14] The New Yam festival (Igbo: Iri ji) is celebrated annually to secure a good harvest of the staple crop.
[15] Marriages in Igbo community follow a multi-step process before the bride and groom are proclaimed husband and wife in accordance with local law and tradition.
On the second visit, when kola nuts (oji Igbo) are offered, the two fathers must arrange a price for the bride.
[17] In most cases, the bride's price is just symbolic, in addition to other requirements like kola nuts, goats, wine, fowl and so on.
The architectural style is closely tied to the Igbo society's culture, beliefs, and social structure.
These compounds are meticulously planned and sometimes paved with flat stones to foster communal living and facilitate familial engagements.
Additionally, certain compounds feature unique elements like Impluvium houses, Gardens, Moats, and water wells demonstrating the diversity within Igbo architectural practices.
Ventilation - Igbo architecture integrates strategic placement of openings in buildings to promote cross-ventilation, aiding in regulating indoor temperatures.
Depending on the area with high temperatures and humidity, evaporation of sweat becomes challenging; however, airflow aids this process, enhancing comfort.
Moreover, construction practices involve thick walls, thatched roofs, and raised foundations to mitigate environmental challenges.
Thatched roofs provide insulation from direct sunlight, offering shade and contributing to thermal comfort.
[18] Shrines and Sacred Spaces- Igbo architecture often includes designated spaces in compounds or community areas for ancestral shrines/temples and secret society meeting houses.
[20] Children were usually nude from birth till their adolescence (the time when they were considered to have something to hide) but sometimes ornaments such as beads were worn around the waist for medical reasons.
Modern Igbo traditional attire is generally made up, for men, of the Isiagu top which resembles the African Dashiki.
For women, an embodied puffed sleeve blouse (influenced by European attire) along with two wrappers (usually modern Hollandis material) and a head scarf are worn.
Olaudah Equiano, although stolen from his home, was an Igbo person who was forced into service to an African family.
[28] Osu are a group of people whose ancestors were dedicated to serving in shrines and temples for the deities of the Igbo, and therefore were deemed property of the gods.
Ọjị is served before an important function begins, be it marriage ceremony,[36] settlement of family disputes or entering into any type of agreement.
