Ikoro: Igbo’s Ancient Communication Slit Drum
Ikoro Drum, Amongst the Igbos, G.T Basden (1921)
Ikoro
Ikoro is a traditional Igbo drum used…
Recent ArticlesStay up-to-date
Ala by the artist, Ezem, in Enyiogugu, Aboh-Mbaise, Nigeria, 1960. Photo by Herbert M. Cole.
In Igbo mythology and traditional religion, Ala (also known as Ani, Ana, or Eli) is the Earth Goddess or Earth Mother serving as:
- Fertility and agriculture: ensuring fruitful harvests and abundance
- Morality and justice: maintaining social order and punishing wrongdoing
- Protection:…
Yam holds an important and general position amoung Anioma people , aside being a staple food, it's also a vital representation of spirituality, economic power, and status.
This crucial traditional practice with yams mirrors the traditional practice from Nri kingdom, an ancient Igbo kingdom which played crucial role as the cultural and spiritual source of most…
Ndi Anioma, like other Igbo groups, have long kept deep cultural and spiritual ties to Nri, an ancient aristocratic and theocratic kingdom dated from 9th century.
An important part of the connection was made possible by male and female ritual specialists of Nri, Okpala nshi (male priest) and Ada nshi (female priestess).
Eze Nri sent sent them…
A woman of Nibo, present day Anambra State, Nigeria photographed by British government anthropologist Northcote Thomas, c. 1912.
Nibo, a town located in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, known for its skilled blacksmiths and craft workers in pre-colonial times.
According to oral traditions, Nibo was founded by an ancestor named Ifite, who led his…
"The goddess of the earth," as described by P. A. Talbot, c. 1932. Musée du quai Branly. This may be Ala, the Igbo earth divinity and the man pictured may be an Eze Ala, a head priest of Ala. Ala is represented by trees and shrubs.
Etche and Oratta tribes share several cultural, linguistic, and traditional…
March 1, 1946. Deity recorded as Arioku, a deity that is sworn to, in Enyiogugu, Mbaise, central Igbo area, Eastern Nigeria. British Museum.
Ariọkụ, is a deity primarily associated with Enyiogugu and some communities in Mbaise, a town in Imo State and also neighbouring communities in Abia State.
The deity plays a significant role in the religious…
An Onicha woman of the Otu Odu society
In Onitsha (Onicha), women who belong to the Otu Odu society hold significant social and spiritual influence. The Otu Odu is an exclusive and prestigious group traditionally composed of high-status women, often those who are married to wealthy men or have demonstrated considerable wealth and contribution to their…
The general name for brass and copper rods in Igbo is okpogho or ikpeghe. These coiled 'snake manilla' rods could form part of a bridewealth payment and could be, as modelled in this photo, used as jewellery. Photo: @Beyonce by Tony Duran for Flaunt Magazine, July 2013.
Okpoho refers to traditional brass or bronze bracelets commonly…
Eboe Town in Belize City, Belize in the 1829 Honduras almanack. Columbia University.
It existed until the mid-19th century, when it was destroyed by fire, but played a significant role in shaping the local Creole culture. The town’s population was predominantly of Igbo (Eboe) descent, along with individuals from other African groups such as the Ashanti…
Owu mask, Ugwuta (Oguta) area, 1940s. Photo via Sabine Jell-Bahlsen.
The Ogba people of Rivers State and the Oguta people of Imo State also known as the “Riverine Igbo”.
(Oru/Olu) which they call themselves and share several cultural similarities rooted in their geographical proximity within the Niger Delta region and their historical ties to the broader Igbo…