Community Lore

A death event is significant among the Igbo. Through ritual cleansing, formal announcement of death, intricate investigations into its cause, and the elaborate ceremonies of íkpọ oku and íkwá ozu, these practices reveal a society that believe in the philosophy of 'corpse to ancestor'; an ideology tightly bound to justice, kinship, and communal responsibility.

Across the rainforests of Igboland, childbirth was guided by a sophisticated system of indigenous knowledge, ritual practice, and communal care. These traditions reflected a deep understanding of maternal health, the symbolism of birth, and the spiritual significance of the placenta and umbilical cord. This article examines the procedures, beliefs, and celebrations surrounding childbirth in traditional Igbo society, revealing a worldview in which birth meant more than a biological event.

J. E. N. Nwaguru’s Aba and British Rule is a cornerstone of Igbo narrative. This volume offers an unrivaled administrative history of colonial Nigeria, centering on the Women’s War of 1929. A foundational text of African resistance and scholarly lineage, it remains indispensable for understanding the imperial encounter and its enduring legacy, but it is extremely rare in physical circulation.

This article examines polygamy as practised in Mkpuka village, through the household of Chief Gabriel Ikpefu. Combining vivid narrative and cultural analysis, it explores how marriage, ritual authority and land tenure shaped life in the chief’s compound, where seven wives, three concubines and nearly fifty children lived. Seasonal rituals such as Ehí Ji, or Yam Day, reveal labour organisation, food distribution and the politics of favour, while the story of Chike and his brothers...

Deep in the bushes and villages of the old Igboland, there was a practice that perhaps rivalled those found in India and other parts of the world. This practice, known as the Òsu Caste System, was a classic example of social discrimination... (This article was originally published in the popular book – ‘Long Search for Greener Pastures’ by Dandy Ahuruonye. To all those who read the original article, please note that this is a revised version with some important updates about the Òsu ideology).