7 Cultural Taboos In Igboland

Our ways of life differs, that is one of the major reasons we do things differently which might be tagged cultural taboo in some other places.

There are many tribes in Nigeria among which the Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba people are dominant. Cultural taboos in these places differ even to the smallest of villages.

What is Cultural Taboo?

A cultural taboo is an implicit prohibition on something (usually against an utterance or behaviour) based on cultural sense that is excessively repulsive or perhaps too sacred for ordinary people.

Taboos may be in form of food, environment, animals, materials, and so on.

The Igbo People of Nigeria

The Igbo people are the inhabitants of Igbo land. They belong to an ethnic group native to the present-day south-central and south east of Nigeria.

They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa and are located in 5 states in Nigeria (Abia, Anambra, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi).

The people are rich in culture and tradition. Their customs, practices and traditions which include visual art, use of language, music & dance forms, dressing, cuisine, and language dialects make them unique and special.

7 Cultural Taboos in Igboland

Although there are different cultural taboos for different places where the Igbo people resides, there are some that are unique in the land.

Here are some of the cultural taboos associated with Igboland. They are listed below;

1. It is a taboo for a new yam to be eaten before the new yam festival is celebrated. This is actually common in Igbo land.
2. In some places especially in Imo, people surrounded by water (Egbere Miri) take their children to the stream at infancy where the water is poured on the child. This custom makes the children safe in aquatic habitats.
3. It is also considered a taboo to eat animals such as white ram (evule) in some parts of Igbo land.
4. In some places such as Enugu-Ezike, it is a taboo for a married woman to have extramarital affairs and then step into the land. Such persons will run mad if they do.
5. It is also a taboo to collect money from any man except the man you’re married to. If you must do, the husband must be aware.
6. In some places, it is a taboo to kill snakes like python. It is seen as a sacrilegious animal and considered a messenger from the gods. If such happen by mistake, a proper burial must be done for the python.
7. It is a taboo for a woman having her bath to answer anybody except her husband and children.

These are few of the cultural taboos associated with Igboland. You can share with us other taboos in the land you know in the comment section.

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