Igbo Tribe Analysis

Superior Essays
I am Obierika, the leader of Umuofia and a member of the Ibo tribe. Before the white Christian men invaded our land, our Ibo people had a balance of harmony and peace, while able to appoint decisions with the aid of the Oracle and ourselves. The integration of our way of life into the Ibo people seemed to play well in the continuation of our tribe, and it was fully stable before the disruption. With the arrival of the white men, our balance was thrown off kilter, and our way of life misunderstood. I am speaking to address our ways of having a functional society, and clear the air of any misinterpretations of our life as so-called “savages” in The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger. From the perspective …show more content…
In one case, a young boy was brought from another village and lived in the home of a local farmer for three years. For no apparent reason, except that a so-called oracle suddenly demanded it, the boy had to be killed. The man who this boy called “father” dealt one of the death blows.” To say in encapsulation, the District Commissioner had no prior knowledge of the Ibo people for our reasoning of murder. The Commissioner comes from a Christian environment, where murder is deemed as wrongful, no matter what it represents.. Because of the sheer obstinate perspective of the District Commissioner, he feels our sacrifice is wrong, when in reality, it is our form of purification (with purpose). First of all, I would like to point out that there was indeed a purpose for Ikemefuna to come to Umuofia. An innocent daughter of a man in our village was murdered in a neighboring village, so that neighboring village must pay a sacrifice for the casualty that occurred. For a sacrifice, to balance the harmony, the village had the option of war or the option of sacrificing a virgin girl and a young boy. Of course, because of the strength of the Ibo people, the neighbor settled for the sacrifices. The Oracle, which is our guide for peaceful equilibrium, was to decide the fate of the …show more content…
According to the Ibo people, it is a crime to kill a clansman, and if such happens, the murderer must flee from the land in attempt to absolve the environment. After the exile has occurred, the land is cleansed by the burning and carnage of possessions the murderer accumulated. This is the standpoint of the Ibo people, yet the District Commissioner views the exile in an antagonistic sense. According to the District Commissioner 's view in The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger, “The Ibo have a very peculiar way of dealing with murder within their tribe.”. The commissioner regards that instead of courts and jail systems (in which the Commissioner is accustomed to), the Ibo people use murder and burning of property. This thought about the Ibo’s action’s being outlandish is most likely due to the fact that the District Commissioner lacks the influence of a non-formal political system because of his Christian, European upbringing. So according to the Ibo people, if someone accidentally commits a crime, then the land must be cleansed and the person should resort

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    This is in light of the fact that Rosaldo likes to give a thick depiction and multimodality. Incomprehensibly, this societies customary way of thinking normally denies the annoyance in sadness while specialists empower individuals from the undetectable group of the dispossessed to speak in insight about how furious their misfortunes make them feel. William Douglass Death in Murelaga is subtitled Funerary Ritual in a Spanish Basque Village; Richard Huntington and Peter Metcalfs Celebrations of Death is subtitled The Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual; Peter Metcalfs A Borneo Journey into Death is subtitled Berawan Eschatology from Its Rituals.14 Ritual itself is characterized by its custom and schedule; under such portrayals, it all the more about takes after a formula, an…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These ideas can be seen through individualism, power structures, relations among classes, issues of justice and rights, and interactions between the sexes and among various racial and ethnic constituencies. “That was a source of great sorrow to the leaders of the clan” (Achebe 143). As the whites began to invade Umuofia and make changes such as adding schools and churches without consulting any of the clan leaders, the clan leaders grow sad because they had no control over what the white men were doing. Also, the villagers looked up to the clan leaders to always handle the issues and…

    • 1803 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Ibo are extremely careful to follow the rules outlined by their religion and the oracle. For example during the Week of Peace, in which the tribe prepares for the Feast of the New Yam and gives thanks to Ani and observes a week of peacefulness. When Okonkwo breaks this peace by giving his second wife a “sound beating” he is punished and must make an offering at the shrine of Ani. (30) In the tribe, honor and hard work is rewarded and valued above all.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Since the villagers intensely believe that practicing such atrocious ritual will award them a prolific harvest and a prosperous life, they blindly follow the ritual murder and acknowledge it as a part of their town life. Moreover, the most appalling part of the ritual is not the ruthless murder, but the dreadful indifference the villagers present even though they are utterly conscientious when performing. Additionally, this ritual does not limited to adults; innocent children were involved in the cruel misdeed. However, the children were not compelled to participate in such misconduct, they volunteered to be part of it and even enjoy it. Such a ghastly fact can reveals the permeation of this ritual within the community and the involvement of innocent child highlight the fact that blindly following tradition is exceedingly hazardous.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cherokee Tribe Analysis

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Cherokee were one of the largest Native American tribes who settled in the Southeast portion of the United States. The tribe came from Iroquoian descent. They had originally been from the Great Lakes region of the country, but eventually settled down closer to the east coast including Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and the Virginias. They were a strong tribe with several smaller sections, all being lead by chiefs. The Cherokee nation prided themselves on being polite and respectful to others.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “They are pieces of wood and stone. ””(Achebe 146) The Ibo people live in fear of their Gods which often gives them discipline and keeps them in order. An absence of fear, results in chaos and a society in which the people are free to do as they wish. This relates to the theme of choice and consequence as the Ibo people can make the choice to switch religion but they are uncertain about the consequences this will have on themselves and the clan.…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Okonkwo Eulogy Analysis

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ezinma’s Eulogy For Okonkwo It’ s a shame that my father went out the way he did, a disgrace even. However we must look past his suicide and towards the true meaning of his life. Okonkwo started with nothing, and became one of the greatest rulers in Umuofia. He was raised by his lazy father, who had received no title in his long lifetime. I remember Okonkwo telling me stories about the people who would laugh at his father and call him a loafer.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nwoye serves as an example of a cultural collision having a beneficial effect, since becoming a Christian drastically improved Nwoye’s mental state and protected his physical health. Throughout the novel, Okonkwo regularly torments his son in order to fulfill his necessity for Nwoye to be absurdly masculine. Also dealing with his internal conflict between personal morality and gruesome cultural traditions, Nwoye was in desperate need of emotional resolutions. The arrival of Christianity in Umuofia provided Nwoye with an unfamiliar and benevolent spiritual figure, as well as a community with ethics similar to his own. In Things Fall Apart, author Chinua Achebe uses Nwoye’s character development to convey that a cultural collision may be able to positively alter one’s life.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The novel « Things Fall Apart » by Chinua Achebe is written in English. However, there are some Ibo expressions set in this novel to introduce the reader’s mind into a more authentic and unique African atmosphere. The author, Chinua Achebe, is the first to write a novel about colonialism in the perspective of a colonized tribe from within. Furthermore, he is the only African who has ever described the African culture before and after the settlement of the Christians. This essay will examine how the Ibo expressions are used in the novel and what kind of effect they have on its audience.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    However, Achebe’s call back to his roots offers the readers a perspective many of us will not be able to experience first hand: a rich, exciting African culture, torn at and destroyed by the the introduction of European imperialism. The last sentences of Achebe’s novel are in the eyes of the European District Commissioner, who states how he will release a book, “The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger (25,209).” After reading the novel, the reader can understand this tribe is far from primitive, and that the Commissioner, leading the cultural invasion of the Igbo cultural, did not bring peace, but rather caused more distress among the people of the village. Coupled with the major moral of accepting change, Achebe’s theme of the impact of colonialism on traditional African cultures allows for self reflection; the perspective of the Africans on the horrors of the destruction of their culture is easily accepted and understood, for Achebe has allowed us to see through their eyes and become somewhat understanding of their ways. Seeing the impacts of being stubborn to change, be it positive or negative, allows the readers to see that they must be willing to accept change, even if it is difficult.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The novel Things Fall Apart, written by the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Things fall apart takes place in the fictional village of Umuofia, supposedly located in Southern Nigeria, before and during the relative time of European colonization. As a result of white European missionaries suddenly arriving to Umuofia, the people of the village are not certain how to deal with a sudden religious, cultural and lifestyle change that the missionaries bring with them. Colonialism by white missionaries left evident negative effects and change on Igbo society. European colonialism efforts destroy families, friendships and peace between the tribes.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe, is a novel about the tragic fall of Okonkwo, the protagonist, and the Igbo culture. The novel takes place in Umuofia, a village in the eastern part of Nigeria where the Igbo culture is seen. Religion and faith play a substantial role in the novel and are possibly the main reasons the novel plays out the way it does. If the religious and faith aspects of this novel were not as strong, then the novel may have turned out differently. Achebe shows how the prominence of religion and faith in the novel causes conflict and challenges with the white man when they come to Umuofia to the gradual downfall of the Igbo religion.…

    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Igbos Characteristics

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages

    But who are really the Biafrans or the Igbos? “” a Canadian Pilot asked during the Civil War. Then, a Biafran, American-trained Gynecologist, Dr. Acholonu quickly responded to satisfy the curiosity of the pilot: “ The Igbos of the former Eastern Nigeria are a tribe of long antiquity; they’re rugged individualists , often very difficult to govern but in crisis, they can quickly bind together and assume a terrible ugliness;…. They practice little patience and can behave as ruthless paparazzo when provoked,”{Dr.…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    depicted through Professor Ezeka, the Director of Mobilisation, also Odenigbo’s friend who drives a Mercedes Benz. The book appreciates the efforts of a few European mercenaries who helped Biafrans by destroying planes and by bringing food to starving refugees. The book depicts how America viewed Biafran patriotrism through a journalist who feels the Biafran spirit to persist and to have hope in spite the war is the brilliance of Biafran propaganda. The book points out how Biafrans themselves have inculcated racism, this is seen through Olanna, worrying if her child picks up Bush Umuahia accent or some disease. Through Odenigbo the book voices out how the white man has succeeded in his attempt to colonise Africa permanently through racism.…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To readers, it seems that Umuofia has not completely forgotten its ways and fallen victim to the white men. Not only does Okonkwo’s death remind the tribe of the customs they have always upheld, but it also spreads understanding of the Ibo culture unwittingly to the whites. Participating in the tribal ways, the white men gain more knowledge of the ways of these so-called primitive tribes, albeit unknowingly. Even though the district commissioner himself doesn’t participate, he allows for his men to do the job for Umuofia and intends to write about the suicide. Blindly, the district commissioner thinks that he has won and overcome the villagers, but in reality, Okonkwo spread remembrance of his culture to Umuofia and the…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays