Ibo Culture as Seen in "Things Fall Apart"

In Ibo Culture, a sense of tradition was highly significant. The Ibo people would carry out the various traditions that had been passed down from their ancestors centuries ago in their everyday lives. These traditions or customs that came in the form of funeral ceremonies, one’s manners, rites of passage, and more were the backbone of the Ibo culture. They brought the tribe closer by allowing the people to come together and take part in activities as a group.

One of the most notable Ibo traditions is the rite of passage for young girls and boys maturing into adulthood. This rite of passage is not a sudden acceptance into adulthood but rather a series of rites they must go through over time before they become a true adult. Only eight days after birth, a child goes through the rite of circumcision. Every boy and girl must be circumcised in order to be part of the Ibo culture. Boys and girls must also complete the rite of wearing cloths. This entails going from wearing nothing to being completely covered in clothes, signifying social status as well as individual improvement or transformation. The next rite of passage is Iru-mgede (fattening a girl before marriage). This custom is done to promote healthy offspring as well as a healthy marriage. Itu Anya is the fourth rite of passage, lasting for eight days, where one becomes a Diviner. During this time, the child has time to think, reflect, and even communicate with spirits in order to gain the power, knowledge, and courage that is needed to become a Diviner. The last rite of passage for a child in Ibo culture is Igba-Mgba or wrestling. In this activity one shows his true strength and courage and with success he becomes a real warrior and in turn, a man.

The Week of Peace is a sacred time for the Ido people. Before any one is allowed to plant their crops they must live in peace with their neighbors for a week to honor Ani, the great goddess of the earth. It is ordained that if this peace is broken than they will not receive a blessing from Ani and their crops will not grow. Achebe demonstrates how important this week is to the Ibos through Okonkwo’s beating of his wife, Ojiugo. “The evil you have done can ruin the whole clan,” says the priest of the earth goddess, Ezeani (Achebe 30). It was a shocking moment for Ibo people when they heard of Okonkwo’s actions because “it was the first time for many years that a man had broken the sacred peace (31).
Another similar tradition in honoring the gods is the New Yam Festival. At this time of the year, before the harvest began, the Ibo people celebrated the joy of a new harvest year. At night they would throw away the yams of the old year and all of the cooking pots and pans were thoroughly washed. This was also a time to honor the earth goddess again and the ancestral spirits of the clan.

Aside from ceremonial traditions the traditions of telling stories was one of great importance in Ibo culture. It was not only fun but also educational because through these folk tales, myths, riddles, and proverbs the young Ibo children could learn about their ancestors and allow them to understand the importance of various customs. Nwoye could still remember the stories his mother used to tell him. He felt as ease when he reminisced about the many stories she told (53). They are a huge part of his life and serve an integral part in Ibo culture.
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Websites:

http://members.tripod.com/ih8_tuxedos/index1.html

http://www.monge.net/thingsfallapart/Igbo%20Background.html

http://nths.newtrier.k12.il.us/academics/faculty/muir/africa_project/p7/WomensRights/Tribal%20roles.htm

http://www.kwenu.com/igbo/igbowebpages/Igbo.dir/Culture/culture_and_socialization.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people