Igbo people

The Igbo people, often spelled and pronounced "Ibo" (because the Europeans had difficulty making the /ɡ͡b/ sound), are an ethnic group of southern Nigeria directly indigenous to East and West of the lower Niger River, with very significant population found in the eastern side of the river.<ref name=="https://books.google.co.uk">Chigere, Nkem Hyginus (2000). Foreign Missionary Background and Indigenous Evangelization in Igboland: Igboland and The Igbo People of Nigeria. Transaction Publishers, USA. p. 17. ISBN 3-8258-4964-3. Retrieved January 17, 2016. </ref> They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects.

Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. In rural Nigeria, Igbo people work mostly as craftsmen, farmers and traders. The most important crop is the yam; celebrations take place annually to celebrate its harvesting. Other staple crops include cassava and taro.

Before British colonial rule, the Igbo were a politically fragmented group. There were variations in culture such as in art styles, attire and religious practices. Various subgroups were organized by clan, lineage, village affiliation, and dialect. There were not many centralized chiefdoms, hereditary aristocracy, or kingship customs except in kingdoms such as those of the Nri, Arochukwu, Agbor and Onitsha. This political system changed significantly under British colonialism in the early 20th century; Frederick Lugard introduced Eze (kings) into most local communities as "Warrant Chiefs". The Igbo became overwhelmingly Christian under colonization. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is one of the most popular novels to depict Igbo culture and changes under colonialism.

List of Igbo people

The list of Igbo people includes notable individuals who have full or significant ancestry to the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. As the Igbo are an ethnicity, people listed come from variety of different nations, and may have other ancestry as well as Igbo.

The Igbo people (who are sometimes referred to as the Ibo(e), Ebo(e), Eboans or Heebo) (Igbo: Ndi Igbo) are an ethnic group in West Africa. Most Igbo people live in southeastern Nigeria where they are one of the three largest and most influential groups, the two others being the Hausa and Yoruba people. Further populations live in other nations out of Africa due to migration and to the effects of the Atlantic slave trade. The Igbo peoples involvement in the Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 13 January 1970) (or the "Nigerian-Biafran War") is well known as they were the main group calling for secession from and recognition by Nigeria of Biafra.

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