Igbo+Social+Structure


 * Chapter || Pages || Topic || Due Date || Facilitator ||
 * 3 || 16-25 || Igbo Social Structure ||  || Amy Kolesnik ||



IGBO SOCIAL STRUCTURE 

 **__ RULES OF AUTHORITY  __**    The Igbo do not have a centralized authority. Age and gender are a major factor in respect and authority. Respect is given to elders and males. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">Children must greet their elders before anyone else in a social meeting of any kind. Traditionally, leadership <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">has been appointed to village councils. The village <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">councils include elders,heads of lineages, and men <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">with economic experience in the village/community. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)">Social rankings are based on wealth. The Igbo use these   <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)">names for wealth statuses of people: obgenye or mbi (poor), <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)">dinkpa (middle class), and nnukwu madu or ogaranya (rich).<span style="BACKGROUND: white; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial"> <span style="COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)"> <span style="COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)"> <span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(0,118,255)"><span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(4,130,241); BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: rgb(67,208,219)">  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">            <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; COLOR: rgb(31,114,255); FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">

<span style="COLOR: rgb(4,1,1)">VALUES: <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); LINE-HEIGHT: 115%">The Igbo people value personal/individual achievements. Secret societies within the Igbo prove a man’s respect for the dead. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"> This culture values their dead ancestors.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION The Igbo tribe came from Egypt, they eventually migrated to southeastern Nigeria. The colonial ideas spread to the Igbo culture affect the social stratification—for example,

colonial ideas gave way to leadership based on gender or based on wealth. Many social divisions of the Igbo are caused by geographical differences. There are many subgroups of the Igbo tribe due to village affiliations and clans. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); LINE-HEIGHT: 115%"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">

WORSHIP/RELIGION <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)">Some Igbo people have practiced Christianity from colonial cultural <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)">diffusion. Before Europeans influenced the Igbos, they practiced <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)">their normal worship to ancestors in order to feel successful. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235)"> <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: rgb(20,223,255)">

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 90%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="COLOR: rgb(20,223,255)"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; BACKGROUND: white; COLOR: rgb(21,148,235); -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial">   For a detailed synopsis of Igbo social structure, [|click here]

For a more detailed explaination of the graphic at the top of the page, [|click on this link]

media type="youtube" key="1NaZSMjhOmI" height="344" width="425"

This is part 2 of the video //Things Fall Apart//. In the second part of the video, it shows a family conversing/arguing and the amounts of respect given are illustrated here.