Religion And Gender Roles In Igbo Culture

There are many aspects that shape Igbo culture. The first of these aspects is religion. Religion is a huge part of an Igbo person’s life. Every day the Igbo participate in some type of religious activity. Religion is passed down generation after generation, each time shaping a different person’s life. The second aspect is gender roles. Gender roles in the Igbo community are complicated. Many people are sexist towards women. Women often have a hard time doing things they want to do because of this problem of sexism. However, many things have changed toward women. The third important aspect of Igbo culture are festivities and ceremonies. Festivities are ongoing in the Igbo communities. Participating in these activities is a way of entertainment.

The Igbo people believe in one main or “supreme” god. This supreme god has made every creature. It watches over his people and protects them. Unlike the minor gods, the supreme god isn’t directly contacted by the Igbo people. The Igbo people also do not directly worship this supreme god. Instead, they offer sacrifices to and worship the minor gods. This pleases their main god. The Igbo believe the way to communicate to their supreme god is to communicate with the minor gods. Some of these minor gods are Ala (the earth goddess), Anyanwu (the sun god), or Igwe (the sky god). Ala is a goddess that is very close to the Igbo people. She serves as a mother figure. Anyanwu helps the crops and trees grow, which is especially important to the men who have crops. Igwe is the god that is responsible for the rain, which is also important to the crop-growing Igbo men. These are only a few of the gods the Igbo people worship. Igbo people are considered to be polytheistic because the worship many minor gods. Because they are polytheistic, they even have a system of tiers to classify their gods. Tier one is their main supreme God. Tier two is made up of the lesser gods, named “Umu Agbara”. The third tier consists of the gods even under the lesser gods, named “Ndi Ichie”. The Igbo believe in invisible and visible forces. By treating these forces right, the Igbo people will have a better life. The treatment they give to these forces can even

To Igbo men, women are seen as less. Women are seen as second-class citizens. Because of these iews, women have few jobs. Women were usually confined to their house. Their job at the house was to be a mother and a wife. The women had to cook and clean and sere the men. If a woman didn’t serve the man correctly or if something wasn’t up to the man’s standards, the men could beat the wife. No one would say anything about this type of behavior towards women because this was normal to the Igbo people. Men were always seen as superior compared to women. The Gender Roles in the Igbo Society article, it explains the main roles of women by stating “the dominant role for women is: first, to make a pure bride for an honorable man, second, to be a submissive wife, and third, to bear many children.”. This quotes explains that the main job a woman should keep is maintaining her purity for a good man. The second job she should keep is being a dedicated wife. The third job for a woman to maintain is to have many kids for her husband. Other responsibilities for an Igbo woman to keep are trading items, making pottery, cooking, cleaning, and fishing. The responsibilities for a main to keep is to have plentiful crops, provide materials for his family, and have the skill of fighting. Although Igbo women have struggled in the past, the British rule has given the women more opportunities. Now, women have better education opportunities,