Igbo People

Igbo people find their home in a rich and fertile crescent created by the lower Niger River within Nigeria. Their population has presently grown to around thirty million people. Within all of Africa, the Igbo homelands are probably one of the most densely populated regions. It is believed by many that this area and its people were one of the driving forces in the early development in the Iron Age which has helped mold the world as we know it. Their culture has brought much to enrich the world.

Gold on Hold

They arrived in pickup trucks, in school buses and on foot: thousands of highland Mayans, each wearing their community’s distinctive traje, covered the Zaculeu pyramid in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. They came to witness a visit from James Anaya, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples, and they held placards with slogans like “No to mining; yes to life” and “San Juan Atitán says no to the multinational corporations.” 

“There are some who believe the Mayans are gone, and all that remains are these ruins,” a man dressed in white with a cowboy hat was speaking from the stage. “We are here to tell them, ‘We are alive, and we are here to bring these monuments back to life.’” The crowd roared its assent.

Wodhaabhe Pastoral Fulani

The diverse Fulani people are scattered all around the West African Savannnah belt. This area sits between Senegambia and the French Equatorial Africa. It has been roughly estimated that there are over six million people who consider themselves Fulani, and or that speak the Fulani language. The area most densely populated by Fulani is the British Cameroons and Nigeria, with a total population of 3,630,000. This culture is sub-categorized by different use of the Fulani Language, and also by their means of economic gain. Some Fulani use vocabulary others don’t which results in a language that is both diverse and constantly changing.

The differences in the Fulani mode of life are very noticeable. Some Fulani are part of stable farming communities, others are part of urban areas, while others, such as the Pastoral Fulani are cattle herders. . The Origin of the Fulani culture is a controversial issue. The question of when they migrated to Western Sudan, and how long ago remains a mystery. Some experts say they have a Jewish origin, and some counter with and Ethiopian argument. Others seek a compromise in between, and some say they were Hindu people. The Fulani culture has their own story, with a couple of variations. One involves the son of two Muslims who could understand a new (Fulani) language who was the foretold founder of the culture. Another version of that story includes the child teaching the language to his brothers who formed the four great branches of the Fulani people. The Pastoral Fulani culture myth is about a herder who is expelled from the settlement because of his harsh way of life. His wealth came from a water spirit who sent him cattle.

This History Of "Chewa"

Location: The actual dictionary meaning of the word Chewa is 'a member of the Bantu-speaking people of Malawi.' The Chewa, also known as the Cewa or Chichewa is an African culture that has existed since the beginning of the first millennium, A.D. They are primarily located in Zambia, Zimbabwe, with the bulk of the population in Malawi. Their climate can be classified as sub-tropical that varies with elevation. In the lowlands, the average temperature ranges from 21C (69F) to 29C (84F). The rainy season exists from November to April with an annual rainfall of 90 inches in the highlands to about 30 inches in the lowlands.

Information on Twins in West Africa.

As I mentioned before, being a Manyi opened my eyes to the significance of twins in West African culture. Through my research so far I have discovered that most ethnic groups in Cameroon and Nigeria have had some kind of reaction to the birth of twins. From what I've read and the people I've spoken to, it seems that most of them heralds twins as gifts from God. Twins are also often seen as a double edged sword. They are indeed gifts from God but also posses divine powers with the ability to harm those who cause them displeasure. The parents especially must be careful in how they treat their twins for the twins can either die or cause illness to befall those who cross them wrongly. I've been told that many twins are spoiled as everyone lets them do as they wish.

African History

African history and African heritage are topics that are crucial in the study of the human civilization. Not only is the study of African history important as it relates to the rest of the world, but furthermore, it is also one of the most extensive and complex to undertake. The African history and African heritage can trace back their roots to what is arguably the single most important piece of human history. It has been concluded that man originated somewhere in the eastern regions of the African continent.

Africa, in fact, can be considered to be the birthplace of the human race. This simple yet important fact are not only crucial in African history, but also in the history of man and of the Earth. Though there has been much to study in terms of artifacts and other important pieces of history left behind, much of African history is still very much an elusive, complex, and difficult concept to explain. Much of this is due to the fact that there is not very much of African history that was committed to writing. For the very few exceptions left behind by the Ancient Egyptians of other early civilizations, it seems that most of African history and heritage has relied on its people to provide for an extensive and complex oral history.