Among the Ibos of Nigeria

George Thomas Basden, an Anglican missionary from Britain, ordained in 1901, lived and served among the Igbo people primarily in Onitsha and Awka between 1902 and 1926. In 1921, he published Among the Ibos of Nigeria to document his firsthand observations of the culture, traditions, and daily lives of the people he encountered over two decades.

The book explores a wide array of ethnographic subjects. Basden details local agricultural practices involving yam and palm cultivation, along with specific arts, crafts, and warfare tactics. He records funeral rites and religious beliefs, noting the influence of local oracles. He also discusses the social and political changes brought about by increasing colonial and missionary presence.

Although the text is widely recognized by scholars as a vital early ethnographic resource, modern analysis points out its inherent Eurocentric perspective. Basden himself noted the difficulty for a European attempting to fully comprehend native character. Despite this limitation, his meticulous documentation gained him such recognition that the colonial government appointed him to represent the Igbo people on the Nigerian Legislative Council between 1931 and 1937.