Below are some of the known traditions of Igbos even before missionaries came to Africa:
1. In Igboland a woman lives apart from their husbands nor cooks for them or enters their husband’s quarters when she is on her period, she is seen as unclean . Even up till today such practice is still applicable in some part of Igboland especially by the traditionalist. Before a woman can enter the palace of Obi of Onitsha , she will be asked if she is on period, if yes, she will be asked to stay out.
Leviticus 15: 19-20
When a woman has her monthly period, she remains unclean, anyone who touches her or anything she has sat on becomes unclean.
2. An Igbo man’s ancestral heritage, called “Ana Obi” is not sellable, elders will not permit this. If this is somehow done due to the influence of the West the person is considered a fool and is ostracized by the community.
1 king 21:3
I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors, and the lord forbid that I should sell it, said Naboth.
3. Igbos have practiced the taking a late brothers wife into marriage after she had been widowed until the white men came. Now it is rarely done but except in very rural villages of the bush.
Deuteronomy 25:5
A widow of a dead man is not to married outside the family; it is the duty of the dead man's brother to marry her.
4. In Igboland, there is a unique form of apprenticeship in which either a male family member or a community member will spend six(6) years (usually in their teens to their adulthood) working for another family. And on the seventh year, the head of the host household, who is usually the older man who brought the apprentice into his household, will establish (Igbo: idu) the apprentice
by either setting up a business for him or giving money or tools by which to make a living.
Exodus 21:2
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you for six years. In the seventh year he is to be set free without having to pay you anything.
5. In Igboland , the yam is very important to the Igbo as it is their staple crop. There are celebrations such as the New yam festival (Igbo: Iri Ji) which are held for the harvesting of the yam. New Yam festival (Igbo: Iri ji) is celebrated annually to secure a good harvest of the staple crop. Those old days it is an abomination for one to eat a new harvest before the festival. It's a tradition that you give the gods of the land first as a thanks given.
Deuteronomy 16:9
Count 7 weeks from the time that you begin to harvest the crops, and celebrate the harvest festival to honor the lord your God, by bringing him a freewill offering in proportion to the blessing he has given you. Celebrate in the lord's presence together with your children, servants, foreigners . Be sure that you obey my command, said the lord.
6. In Igboland it's a tradition that the male children are circumcised on the 8th day. This tradition is still practice till date.
Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised.7. In Igboland, there a practice known as "ile omugwo ". After a woman has given birth to a child, a very close and experienced relative of her, in most case her mother is required by tradition to come spend time with her and her husband. In which she is to do all the work of the wife, while the new mom’s only assignment to the baby will be to breastfeed. This goes on for a month or more. In the Igbo old tradition, at this time, the new mom lives apart from her husband, would not cook or enter his quarters.
Leviticus 12:1-4
For seven days after a woman gives birth, she is ritually unclean as she is during her monthly period. It will be 33 days until she is ritually clean from the loss of blood; she is not to touch anything that is holy.
SOME IGBO WORDS THAT ARE SAME MEANING WITH HEBREW , FURTHER EVIDENCE OF IGBO _JEWISH LINEAGE. IGBO ALSO HAVE SIMILARITIES IN CULTURE AND TRADITION WITH HEBREW
HEBREW IGBO same meaning
Hebrew ____ igbo___ Same meaning
ABAH ABA
ADAH ADA FIRST DAUGHTER
AGUR AGU lion
Ahi Ahia market
Amarih Amara grace
Ara Ara mad
Ayya Anya eye
Aziza Aziza broom
Chema Chima God knows
Eber Ebere mercy
Ezer Eze king. Chief
Geba Geba move on
Genesis Ge na isi isi go to the beginning
Hagaba Ha_ga_ba let them go
Salu Dalu well done
Raphu Rapu leave it
Sobe Sobe follow
Ubal Uba wealth
Zaam Zaam answer me
This are just a few words out of thousands of others similar in meaning between IGBO and HEBREW . What more can you ask for you to know that the IBOS are of JEWISH heritage
TO BE CONTINUED
