COMPROBACIÓN DE INDICADORES DE PROPÓSITO Y FIN

Igbo traditional education is a continuous education where basic skills and Igbo cultural values are transmitted to children and young adults through observation, learning by doing, imitation, recitation, demonstration, ceremonies and rituals. In most cases, children, especially boys followed the vocation of their fathers, while some are sent to master craftsmen as apprentices. This type of education flourished in traditional Igbo society because it was rooted in the culture, norms and Igbo worldview. The Igbo world view is how Igbo people explain their world, their basic assumptions and perception of the universe. Uchendu (cited by Achunike, 2002) affirms that to know how a people view the world around them is to understand how they evaluate life and a people’s evaluation of life both in the temporal and non temporal order provides them with a charter of action, and a guide to behaviour.

Therefore, a study of the Igbo worldview, as it concerns the relationship between man and God, community consciousness, sacredness of human life and the sacredness of community will aid in a comprehensive evaluation of the nature of Igbo traditional education.

3.4.1 Belief in Man as a Special Being

Igbo people are religious people that exhibit their religious belief in everything they do. They believe in a benevolent creator or Supreme Being known as Chukwu.

Okodo (2003a) averred that before the advent of Christian religion, that Igbo people had been expressing their belief in God which they called different names such as Chukwu, Chineke, Olisebuluwa and can only be accessed through intermediaries, example the deities such as Ifejioku; the yam deity, Amadioha, the god of thunder and lightening, Igwekala god of the sky and Anyanwu the god of light. These spiritual

beings and man are in continuous relationship. And if man tries to destroy this relationship he will be severely punished.

Thus man must live upright and sound moral lives to maintain this relationship and in doing this, man developed the idea of praying, worshipping the supreme being, deities and the ancestors for protecting his life and solution to the problems of existence. There are different shrines such as family shrines, clan shrines, and village or community shrines for worshipping God. Sacrifices and prayer of thanksgiving were also offered to chukwu, deities and ancestors. According to Ugwu and Ugwueye (2004) gift or thanksgiving sacrifice is meant for appreciation of life and other good things of life, propitiatory sacrifice is for appeasement in time of calamity or serious illnesses. The preventive sacrifice is to avert evil or misfortune while votive sacrifice is made for fulfillment of vow and promises.

Udechukwu (2012) confirmed that for the Igbo, among all the created things, that man was given a high and prestigious position as it concerns having a cordial relationship with God. And to maintain this relationship, man developed the idea of worshiping God, performing sacrifices, and communal activities such as rituals, festivals and ceremonies to enable members of the community have the knowledge of God. No wonder Turner (cited by Ogunbameru, 2010) affirmed that these communal activities are means of imparting knowledge since they are marked by special kinds of dress, dances, body paintings and foods which help the people to reaffirm their traditional values, beliefs and norms and unity of purpose.

3.4.2 Belief in Community Consciousness

Nzomiwu (1999) vividly expressed that community consciousness does not mean that an individual does not have right in traditional Igbo society, but the

individualistic spirit is rooted in communal life. It deals with the idea of who can be more productive and useful to the community as a whole. Ejizu (2014) said that community-living is reflected in the extended family system where everybody is his brother’s keeper. There were no beggars. The incapacitated members of the community were affectionately cared for. He added that a child does not answer his or her personal name; rather a child is identified by his parents’ names such as Maazi Okafor and Maazi Nwankwo (Mr Okafor and Mr Nwankwo).

Expatiating on the communal consciousness, Nzomiwu (1999) maintained that a child is always trained, watched and guided by the whole extended family, the village and even the entire community. This implies that a child is the child of all (nwa bu nwa oha) and everybody’s obligation is to ensure the proper up-bringing of children.

Therefore, communal consciousness promotes Igbo traditional education since the community served as an agent of education by utilizing every incident and ceremonies to train children and young adults.

3.4.3 Belief in Sacredness of Life and Community

In traditional Igbo society, people’s behaviours and ways of life were controlled by norms and customs embedded in African traditional religion. This is because Igbo people believe that human life is supreme and must be protected. The high premium which the Igbo attached to human life is seen in their names such as Ndubuisi meaning life is of supreme importance, Ndukaku which means life is greater than wealth, Ndubueze meaning life is the king of values. The preservation and enhancement of human life takes care of spiritual and material well being of man.

This is because life comes from Chukwu and sickness and childless marriages are threat to life and human existence. Thus, series of taboos, rituals, sacrifices and

marriages were platforms through which Igbo people preserve and ensure the continuity of human existence. Ugwu (2007) averred that traditional medicine is a conventional means of treatment and cure of various diseases that diminishes life.

Others include oath-taking and prayers offered daily to Supreme Being to preserve, sustain and protect life. All these measures are way of life that is transmitted from one generation to another.

Concerning the sacredness of community, Ejizu (2014) asserted that for traditional Africans especially the Igbo, “community is much more than a social grouping of people bound together by reasons of natural origin and deep common interest and values, but a unity of the visible and invisible worlds”(p.2). The visible world is the physical environment, while the invisible world is the world of ancestors and divinities. The members of the invisible worlds such as ancestors and spiritual beings are more powerful than man. They protect the life of members of the physical world.

Ancestors are guardians of family affairs and traditions. Their reality and presence in the community are always acknowledged by man because inability to do so could spell disaster for human beings and the community at large. The Igbo recognize the presence of invisible beings through different kinds of symbols such as carved objects, shrines and names given to children, such as Nnenna meaning my fathers’s mother, Nnamani that is my ancestral father, Nnanna which implies my father, father.

Moreover, Madu (1997) pointed out that man relies on the patronage of the deities for his existence and he must live a life of balance with the spiritual beings in order to survive. This is because the spirit beings and man are in continuous and intimate relationship. He added that the spirit beings provide security and fortunes to man and man dared not annoy them without appropriate punishment from them. Thus there is a

need to enlighten members on the essence of promoting human life and maintaining a harmonious relationship in the community. Udechukwu (2012) confirmed that elaborate taboos were devised, spelling out bounds of acceptable behaviour in social, political, economic life of the community, hence the origin of values and norms to impact morals and good behaviour to the young ones. In other words, moral codes, regulations, customs and nso ani (offence against the land) in Igboland are for socio-moral guidance. Thus, the Igbo worldview laid foundation for Igbo traditional education since education is a means of transmitting and preserving people’s way of life and their basic assumptions and perceptions of the universe.

Having discussed the relationship between Igbo traditional education and Igbo worldview, one can see that Igbo traditional education is a way of life that cannot be neglected in describing Igbo nation. But to have a vivid picture of Igbo traditional education, the study of Igbo cultural practices and values cannot be left behind. This is because education is a means of transmitting and preserving cultural values and the cultural future of a society is very much determined by the educational system the society provides for the children and young adults. On the other hand, Udechukwu (2012) confirmed that no educative process can easily be separated from the culture of the society from which the teacher comes from. Therefore, the study of Igbo cultural practices that enhanced the indigenous education in Igbo traditional society cannot be neglected in this research work.