Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Tag: Igbo Women

HomeAll PostsTag: Igbo Women
Ndị Ngwa, around Aba, photographed by Northcote Thomas, c. 1913. MAA Cambridge.
Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory

Iko Mbara: Concubinage and the Social Order among the Ngwa Igbo

In the cultural life of the Ngwa Igbo, a significant Igbo sub-group in present-day Abia State, relationships between men and women have always reflected more than personal affection. They express an entire social philosophy of kinship, morality, and economic balance. Among these relationships, one of the most misunderstood yet socially structured institutions was iko…
3 days ago0Comments

Read more

Portraits of Nwada Nwangborie Iwundu of Ezeoke Nsu and Nze Ukwu Nnadum Nwelue, circa 1821. Credit: Onyeka Nwelue
Historical Studies Photos ⁠Religion and Spirituality

The Return of Nwangborie Iwundu: The Woman Who Brought Christianity to Nsu

Portraits of Nwada Nwangborie Iwundu of Ezeoke Nsu and Nze Ukwu Nnadum Nwelue, circa 1821. Credit: Onyeka Nwelue Nwanyi bụ íhè ụlọ( When a woman shines, the whole household is bright). Before the Missionaries Came Before the late 19th century, Nsu, a cluster of autonomous Igbo villages in present-day Ehime Mbano, Imo State, lived within the…
3 days ago0Comments

Read more

Anthropology and Ethnography Cultural Heritage Photos

The Art of Pottery and Spinning

Igbo women making pottery products. Photo by G.T. Basden, 1921 Discover one of the robust heritages of the Igbo people through the skilled hands of its women, crafting earthen pottery with traditional methods. As recorded by various researchers, both indigenous and foreign, who lived among the Igbo people and published their research, they highlighted the significance…
July 28, 20250Comments

Read more

Anthropology and Ethnography

The Influence of Igbo Women in Language and Cultural Exchange: Insights from Colonial Anthropology

Northcote Thomas (1914). Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria, Vol. IV: Law and Custom of the Ibo of the Asaba District, S. Nigeria, pp. 5 In his 1914  Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria , British colonial anthropologist Northcote Thomas observed a fascinating dynamic in the Asaba District: Igbo women played a pivotal…
June 25, 20250Comments

Read more

Rich women of Onitsha South East Nigeria, wearing Ivory Anklets
Cultural Heritage

Nwunye Di: The Power of Marriage, Motherhood, and Matrilineal Influence in Igbo Societies

Rich women of Onitsha South East Nigeria, wearing Ivory Anklets The Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria are known for their rich culture, which values family, community, and traditions. Women play a big role in Igbo society as wives ("Nwunye Di"), mothers, and keepers of matrilineal ties. "Nwunye Di" means "wife of the husband" or sometimes "co-wife"…
April 23, 20250Comments

Read more

Cultural Heritage Ethnohistory Photos ⁠Religion and Spirituality

Eze Ede: The Women’s Leadership in Igbo Agricultural and Social Traditions

Ndị Ngwa, around Aba, photographed by Northcote Thomas, c. 1913. MAA Cambridge.   In Igbo society, agriculture has always been more than a means of sustenance; it is a symbol of status, leadership, and communal influence. While yam cultivation is traditionally the domain of men, with titles such as Eze Ji (King of Yams) recognizing successful farmers,…
February 15, 20251Comment

Read more

Cultural Heritage

Gender and Kinship in Igbo Society: The Role of Women in Patrilineal and Matrilineal Structures

The hairstyle for a new Igbo 口 mother, according to P. A. Talbot, 1926. Musée du quai Branly. In Igbo society, kinship is traditionally structured around both patrilineal and matrilineal systems, with distinct roles for men and women. Due to exogamy, the custom of marrying outside one’s lineage women transition between lineages, which has led to…
January 26, 20250Comments

Read more