Igbo Culture

Analysis of the Igbo Culture Pre- and Post-Colonization

The Igbo people lived in Nigeria long before the arrival of European colonists, peacefully existing with a well-established governmental, social, and religious system; however, the arrival of European colonists led to a massive shift in the lives of the Igbo people and caused a ripple effect throughout Nigeria. Europeans brought with them their Western ideals, which included their religious beliefs: Christianity, which they tried to spread throughout Nigeria, trying to convert Igbo peoples with multiple methods. These methods ranged from violence to introducing new educational systems to living like the natives, and they had been in practice in many countries around the world before European

The Boxer Rebellion in China was an anti-imperialism and anti-Christian/foreigners movement that took place in China as a result of the arrival of Christian missionaries in China. Many Chinese were against Christianity replacing their Confucian beliefs and thus killed Christian missionaries and Chinese converts (Freeman). There were many hostile responses throughout the world to Christian missionaries and their conversion attempts, and that many viewed Christian missionaries as foreigners trying to destroy their cultures. This response was similar to the response of Igbo people when European missionaries finally arrived in Nigeria; many were horrified by the arrival of Europeans and felt that their culture was being attacked. This is the response of Okonkwo when Europeans arrive in his village in Things Fall Apart; he is horrified by the arrival of these foreigners and refuses to acknowledge Igbo people who convert to Christianity, ignoring his own son when he converts. He also decides to kill himself when his tribe refuses to stand up to the European missionaries at the end of the book, feeling like his culture has already died as a result of the Europeans, showing how his response was, in some ways, similar to responses around the world of people who felt their culture was being erased ("Themes and Construction: Things Fall

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Igbo peoples had primarily animistic beliefs and believed in multiple gods; their beliefs helped them to explain various natural phenomena. A more in depth explanation of this is that the Igbo people had a religion that was polytheistic; they had multiple gods who were in charge of various aspects of the natural world. Examples of these gods included: Chukwu, “an all-powerful, all knowing divinity, the maker of the cosmos as well as all the minor gods that make up the Igbo pantheon,” who was associated with the sun; Ala, “in charge of conserving that which is created… the enforcer of the law… the ‘womb’ that holds and nurtures and renews when necessary… the ‘mother’ of all crops,” who represented the moon and femininity; and many other minor gods and goddesses (Mvuyekure). Because the Igbo people were originally polytheistic and animistic in their beliefs, the Christians tried to appeal to their beliefs while trying to convert them to Christianity, explaining how their God was similar to the Igbo’s god Chukwu. Prior to European colonization, the Igbo peoples also had many unique religious festivals, which they celebrated year round. The New Yam (Iri Ji) festival was the key festival of the Igbo people and celebrated the harvest of yams each year. This festival was celebrated by praying to