|
Tribe Snapshots Igbira |
| Location: |
East central Nigeria |
| Population: |
n/a |
| Language: |
Igbira |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Igala, Jukun, Idoma, Katana |
| Types
of Art: |
The Igbira are skilled weavers. |
| History: |
Igbira history is tied to that of their neighbors,
the Jukun and the Igala. Oral history claims that
these people originally came from the east and
entered Nigeria betwen the Mandarra highlands
and Lake Chad sometime during the last thousand
years. It is believed that Igala broke away from
Jukun, and the Igbira broke away from the Igala.
According to oral tradition, Ohimnagedu eststablished
the first Igbira chiefdom at Panda and was given
the royal staff by the Ata of Idah, the Igala
leader at the time. Ritual connections, however,
were still maintained with Jukun. Igbira consists
of two smaller groups. The first, the northern
Igbira, is the one described above. The second,
the southern Igbira, claims to have broken away
from the main group around 1850 during the time
of the Fulani-led holy wars. |
| Economy: |
Igbira are mainly farmers. The primary crops
grown for export are yam and cassava. Guinea corn
is an important local commodity as the staple
of most meals and is used in the brewing of beer.
Other crops include rice, millet, cow peas, and
groundnuts. Goats, sheep, cows, and pigs are also
raised for local consumption. Rivers and streams
abound on the Niger-Benue plateau. Fishing is
conducted by individual households, and in recent
years larger fish farms have been developed by
private and public firms. |
| Political
Systems: |
The northern Igbira traditionally had a highly
centralized government that recognized a chief
who inherited his power in a patrilineal fashion.
The supreme Igbira chief was divine and resided
at Panda. Numerous local chiefs who were the heads
of royal families reported to him, producing what
was in effect a miniture confederacy. The head
chief received tributes from local chiefs, and
in return he sent gifts. The Igbira state system
was similar to that of the Igala. The southern
Igbira group was somewhat less centralized than
their northern cousins. Their governing system
acknowledges local leaders for each of the five
founding families, but does not recognize a supreme
chief. |
| Religion: |
Igbira pay homage and respect to the dead, which
consists of both those who have died and those
who have yet to be born. As was stated above,
many of the ritual practices associated with the
Igbira are directly related to those of the Jukun,
their distant ancestors. Although political power
often rests in the hands of the patriclan, religious
power usually is in the hands of the matriclan.
This arrangement allows for a balance of power
between kin and also allows kinship relationships
to be extended. Religious rituals are held in
an effort to achieve balance between the dead,
the god, bush spirits, and the living. |
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