A Tour through Nigeria in the 1890s: the Ibo Culture

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

Sophomore English: Mrs. Kamali

The Food

Activity: What foods can you think of that are specific to a holiday or custom in your family? Check for Comprehension: scroll through these popular dishes and common ingredients. http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Nigeria.html Answer the questions on your worksheet.

The Language
Igbo (igbo) Igbo is one of the four official languages of Nigeria and is a member of the Niger-Congo family of languages. It is spoken by about 18 million people in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. Sample text in Igbo A muru mmadu nile n'ohere nakwa nha anya ugwu na ikike. E nyere ha uche na mmuo ime ihe ziri ezi nke na ha kwesiri ikpaso ibe ha agwa n'obi nwanne na nwanne. Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Activity: look up the meaning for your own name. Comprehension Check: The names in Things Fall Apart can be both interesting and frustrating to pronounce. Use the website below to look up the meanings of the characters on your worksheet.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://culture.chiamaka.com/images/woman_child_nigeria.jpg&imgrefurl=http:/ /culture.chiamaka.com/igbonames.html&h=420&w=620&sz=67&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=bUImcm2QyN3vfM: &tbnh=92&tbnw=136&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dibo%2Bnigeria%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rl s%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us

Proverbs
Proverbs are wise sayings that are meant to offer a advice about life. They are common in the Ibo language, and they are used to pass on traditions and moral values. Activity: look up proverbs from your own heritage. Check Comprehension: Explore some Ibo proverbs using the link below. Select one proverb you enjoy and draw a illustration of it on your worksheet. http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo/proverbs/index.html

The Music
The Ibo people have a melodic musical style, into which they incorporate various percussion instruments: the udu (a clay jug); an ekwe (a hollowed log); an ogene (a bell designed from iron); and the opi ( a wind instrument similar to the flute).
Originally, this clay udu pot was only used for carrying water, but then women began to use it as an instrument. Different amounts of water can be put inside to adjust the sound. The ogene is the most important instrument used in ceremonies.

The ekwe is used to call meetings and signal emergency. This instrument is a form of communication in the village.

Activity: name five different uses that we have for music in our culture.
Comprehension Check: check out the following website and answer the questions on the worksheet. You will also be able to listen! http://umunna.org/instruments.htm Traditional West African music by Yaya Diallo. Listen! http://store.mp3tunes.com/artist_details.php? artist_id=17327

The Eqwuguw Masks

The Masking Tradition In Things Fall Apart, the egwugwu come out in a ceremony that performs the function of a judicial court. Later, the egwugwu appear at an important mans funeral. On some level, the people of the village know that these characters dressed in costume are men from their own village people that they know very well. But people also get wrapped up in the experience of the moment. The drumming affects them powerfully. The egwugwu are dressed in masks designed to appear terrifying and awe-inspiring. The spirits even speak their own language. These egwugwu ceremonies or masked performances are powerful because they are so multidimensional. Sound, dancing, costume, sculpture (in the form of masks), tradition, personal religious belief, group emotion and conviction, and group participation all come together.

When we get to this point in the book, look forward to making your own mask!

Family
The Ibo culture is polygamous. A man earned status by having multiple wives. Each wife and her children lived in a different hut called an obi that was part of a familys compound. The husband was permitted to beat his wives and children, except during the Week of Peace. Sons were favored and men have much more power in the villages.
Activity: how are the gender roles defined in your family? Comprehension Check: http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/pictures.html#Culture
Scroll down to Places to see how much Nigeria has changed since the 1890s.

Religion
Activity: From an outsiders perspective, what religious practices might seem strange? Comprehension Check: use the following website to see what happens when the Christian missionaries arrive in Nigeria. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/tfa/TOP2.htm Record your findings on the kola nut, Oracle, twins, Evil Forest and the Earth Goddess on your worksheet.

The Kola Nut

The Oracle

Twins

The Evil Forest

The Earth Goddess

Meet Your Author, Chinua Achebe

Activity: What would be the most challenging part of being an author? Comprehension Check: Locate important information about Achebe from a biography.
http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/authors/about_chinua_achebe.html

Sources
Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Nigeria.html http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://culture.chiamaka.com/images/woman_child_nigeri a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://culture.chiamaka.com/igbonames.html&h=420&w=620&sz=67&hl=en&start =2&um=1&tbnid=bUImcm2QyN3vfM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=136&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dibo%2Bnigeri a%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00fwp/igbo/proverbs/index.html
http://umunna.org/instruments.htm http://store.mp3tunes.com/artist_details.php?artist_id=17327 http://www.motherlandnigeria.com/pictures.html#Culture http://www.bookrags.com/notes/tfa/TOP2.htm http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/authors/about_chinua_achebe.html