POST2 Igbo Culture
The culture I decided to research for this blog post is the Igbo culture of Western Africa. Igbo actually refers to the language that the "Ndi Igbo" speak. Today's Igbo culture is centered in Nigeria and many other countries. The Igbo have one of the highest population densities in Western Africa. The Igbo men are known for their carpentry and the women are known for their pottery and woven clothing. Marriages in this culture are negotiated by the parents for the two people getting married. The Igbo lived in communities called compounds which were a cluster of huts with a central meeting place.
As a reminder, my topic is about food consumption particularly eating habits, gratification, and control of hunger. There are many documents describing eating habits of the Igbo including what roles are played in food production and consumption. The best way to describe agriculture in the Igbo culture is that they are subsistence farmers and horticulturalists. They mainly harvest yams, cassava, and taro along with many other important crops. Palm products such as palm oils and kernels are their main cash crop. People often compared the yam to the Igbo as a potato to an Irishman. Yam cultivation often inquired ceremonies for planting and harvesting which were dedicated to the yam spirit, Ahiajoku. Yams often defined a man's status based on the quality and quantity.
In one account it is stated that men had multiple wives but his favorite one cooked the meals and when she did not his favorite daughter did. Most men owned a lot of growing land but did not eat their own crops as a sign of wealth. It was also stated that no one could watch the king eat and no one above the age of puberty could cook for him. It was a crime for a male to eat in the women's quarter other than in a crisis. Women were often in charge of food for their husbands and families. A wife will usually punish their husbands by withholding meals.
When girls enter into state to become ready for marriage many preparations are made. Months prior they enter their own quarters where they can not come out into public site during the dark. They are provided with more food than they should probably eat. This is in hope for them to grow larger because the larger they are the more proud the future husband will be.
In conclusion, the eating habits of Igbo are very different from our own. Yams are their main source of food and income. The yam is held as a symbol of power and wealth. Women mainly prepare the food in the culture but also have a presence in politics and economics. The picture below is a picture of yams which are very similar to sweet potatoes.
Amadiume, Ifi. 2003. “Culture Summary: Igbo.” New Haven, Conn.: HRAF. https://ehrafworldcultures-yale-edu.northernkentuckyuniversity.idm.oclc.org/document?id=ff26-000.
Basden, George Thomas. 1966. Among the Ibos of Nigeria: An Account of the Curious and Interesting Habits, Customs and Beliefs of a Little Known African People by One Who Has for Many Years Lived amongst Them on Close and Intimate Terms. London: Cass. https://ehrafworldcultures-yale-edu.northernkentuckyuniversity.idm.oclc.org/document?id=ff26-006.
Amadiume, Ifi. 1987. Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society. London: Zed Books. https://ehrafworldcultures-yale-edu.northernkentuckyuniversity.idm.oclc.org/document?id=ff26-040
It's very cool that your culture is one of the highest population densities in Western Africa. Similar to my culture, they're mainly farmers. That is very weird that the men had multiple wives but the favorite wife cooked the meals. I don't understand why the women were given so much food and that the larger they were the more their future husbands would like them, that really confuses me. I learned a lot with just reading that short passage!
ReplyDeleteHonestly I was drawn to this blog post because of the picture of the yams. But while reading, I became more and more intrigued with this topic and your culture choice. It is truly facinating that the Igbo use yams as a source of income and currency! I knew other cultures have used other sorts of interesting currencies before, yet yams specifically certainly is something new to me. I really enjoyed reading this post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteAs someone else said above I also came to your post because of your choice of imagery. The yam picture. Now that I read it does make sense. But, the most interesting thing that I gathered from your post was the idea of women wanting to become larger for their husbands. This was interesting to me because of how it is sort of the opposite here. Your post was very interesting and I am glad I got to read about yams, which I honestly knew nothing about so thank you for comparing them to sweet potatoes.
Well done overall.