A Glimpse of the World Images from Pre-Colonial and Modern Nigeria

Igbo People Modern Igbo Women in Traditional Dress Igbo Woman from Colonial Times

Igbo Men Igbo Men from Colonial Times Modern Men in Traditional Dress

Everyday Life

Modern Igbo Villages The picture has changed very little.

Igbo Homes Compound Hut with Painted Walls

The men build the walls, roofs, and doors . . .

. . .while the women mud and decorate the walls. Museum Reconstruction Image circa 1900

Traditional Foods

Bambara Groundnut: “Okpa” in the Igbo language

Groundnuts: a “Feminine Crop”

Yams: a “Masculine Crop.”

Yams were a staple food . . .

. . . and a staple of the economy. The more yams a man could grow and harvest . . . . . . the more status he accumulated. Yam Filed Yam Barn

Kola and the Kola Ceremony Iwa Óji - Breaking the Kola Nut Óji, (also known as Kola nut) is fruit of the kola tree native to the tropical rainforests of Africa. Although the caffeine-containing fruit of the tree is sometimes used as a beverage flavoring, it has great spiritual significance in Igbo land.

The breaking, blessing and sharing of Óji is an tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. Óji is a sacred nut that brings a community together. Blessing and sharing the sacred kola nut is thought by the Igbo to promote harmony, unity, peace, prosperity, reproduction and progress amongst those who participate in the kola ceremony

It is the first thing which is presented to guest in every Igbo home or gathering. Óji is used to settle disputes between siblings or neighbors, it is served at marriages and burials.

Kola nuts can have anywhere from two to seven or more lobes. The larger the number of lobes, the more prosperity it brings