Igbo Language
The main language spoken by the Igbo people is the Igbo
language, natively called Asusu Igbo. The language has approximately 24 million
speakers, who are primarily of Igbo descent and live mostly in Nigeria but can
also be found in other countries such as Equatorial Guinea where it is
recognized as a minority language.
There have been discussions in recent time in regards to the
possible extinction of the Igbo language in about 50 years. This is thanks to
the preference for the use of English, which is perceived as the language of
status and opportunity by native Igbo speakers.
That has, in turn, led to a declining population of monolingual
Igbo speakers, the deterioration of idioms, proverbs, and other rhetorical
elements of the Igbo language.
Religion
The main religion in Igboland is Christianity, with more than
half of the population identifying as the Roman Catholics. A huge percentage,
in recent times, has also begun to identify with Protestant/Evangelical.
Other religions practised in the region include the traditional
religion referred to as Odinani, Islam, and Judaism. The Igbo people are very
religious. They always observe the religious rites as well as traditional
rituals of passage in different stages of their lives. This will happen during
childbirth, marriage, initiation, as well as burials. However, western-based
religions are gradually taking over as the preferred religions instead of the
traditional practices.
Culture (Food, Masquerade)
Igbo culture includes the various customs, practices and
traditions that comprise of archaic practices as well as new concepts. These
customs and traditions include the Igbo people’s visual art, use of language, music
and dance forms, as well as their attire, cuisine and language dialects.
Because of their various subgroups, the variety of their culture is heightened
further.
A notable cultural practice by the Igbo people is the New Yam
Festival which is held annually at the end of the rainy season in early August.
Yam is an important crop for the Igbo people and it is also the first to be
harvested. The festival is held to welcome the new yams, while the old ones are
all eaten up or discarded the night before. Another notable part of the Igbo
culture is the masquerade, natively called Mmanwu. It is a major form of
entertainment in the region used to celebrate mainly the harvest
seasons but could also be used during other times. Other
functions could include protection, enforcing village curfews, and serving as
village security guards. Members of a masquerade are usually not known. They
wear masks to hide their identity from the rest of the village. The mask is
made to resemble the spirit of a dead community member and it is thought that
by wearing the mask, a masquerade will have spiritual powers that are conducted
through the mask.
SOURCE: cometonigeria.com igbo attire
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