Friday, January 29, 2016

The Ibo (also known as Igbo) people are  an ethic group in West Africa. They live in Southeastern Nigeria. Pictured below are images of items that were part of the daily lives of Igbo people. The anklets are no longer popular today[1].


 *Art & Architecture of the Igbo People
 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a9/49/61/a94961038535a99d99a0209efd8831bb.jpg
 https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a9/49/61/a94961038535a99d99a0209efd8831bb.jpg


*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_culture#/media/File:Udu.jpg Udu Drum

"Udu" means pot. These drums were originally water pots or water jugs. An accidental hole in the pot made the discovery of a beautiful  sound.
Udus were traditional used during religious ceremonies to their gods. It was used  when a woman was unable to have a child, when  a family suffered from sickness or poverty and, when a community was threatened by a war or natural disasters. These sacred items became a means to communicate to spirits, ancestors and gods. The Igbo people prayed and made sacrifices to them. They sought the  gods for help and guidance. During these rituals, the deep unique sounds of the udu drums were believed to be the voices of ancestors. Today they are used to praise God in churches. Many Igbos today are Christians[2].
The music style of the Ibo people is very alive. Their music is presented in a way that it is incorporated into their daily life making an ordinary day come alive through their music.
A popular music style among the Igbos is Highlife. Highlife is mixture of jazz and their traditional music[3].




Udu Instrument:  Music Sample[4]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0QqST6IAiE#action=share





https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_culture#/media/File:Igbo_brass_anklet.jpg
This is an anklet bracelet made from brass that Igbo women wore. This particular anklet is now in collection[5].



Ogba ankle bracelets made from brass formed part of a woman’s dowry for the Igbo tribe in Nigeria. Worn in pairs and important symbols of status, woman wearing ogba were unable to take on normal domestic duties and increased her own social status and that of her husband and father.:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/392305817513993224/
Ibo females wore these anklets as a symbol of   their status such as higher ranked. The women that wore these anklets were unable to perform daily domestic duties. As you can see it would be a challenge to even to attempt to perform daily duties with theses anklets on.
 These anklets were worn up to the 1920's[6].


A picture of anklets worn by an Igbo woman[7].


[1] "Igbo People" http://www.nairaland.com/2351816/ibo-udu-drum

[2] "Udu Drum" http://www.nairaland.com/2351816/ibo-udu-drum

[3] "Igbo Music" http://nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/history-culture/14355-origin-igbo-people.html

[4] "Udu Instrument" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0QqST6IAiE#action=share

[5] "Igbo Anklet"  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_culture#/media/File:Igbo_brass_anklet.jpg

[6] "Igbo Anklet" https://www.pinterest.com/pin/392305817513993224/

[7]  "Igbo Woman in Anklets"https://www.pinterest.com/pin/145522631683953484/

* "Image of Igbo Art & Architecture"  https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a9/49/61/a94961038535a99d99a0209efd8831bb.jpg

* "Image of Udu Drum" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_culture#/media/File:Udu.jpg