Secret+societies


 * There were societies for men, women, and both genders.
 * The Igbo took oaths of secrecy seriously
 * Functioned as mouthpieces for ancestors and spirits
 * Masked ancestors (egwugwu) judged legal cases
 * People could not contest their judgement, nor disclose the identity behind the mask.

Language:

The Igbo language was used by John Goldsmith as an example to justify deviating from the classical linear model of phonology as laid out in //The Sound Pattern of English//. It is written in the Roman script as well as the Nsibidi formalized ideograms which is used by the Ekpe society and Okonko fraternity, but is no longer widely used. Nsibidi ideography existed among the Igbo before the 16th century, but died out after it became popular among secret societies, who then made Nsibidi a secret form of communication.Igbo is a tonal language and there are hundreds of different Igbo dialects and Igboid languages such as the Ikwerre and Ekpeye languages.[ In 1939, Dr. Ida C. Ward led a research expedition on Igbo dialects which could possibly be used as a basis of a standard Igbo dialect, also known as //Central Igbo//. This dialect included that of the Owerri and Umuahia groups, including the Ohuhu dialect. This proposed dialect was gradually accepted by missionaries, writers, publishers, and Cambridge University

Mathematics:

Mathematics in traditional Igbo society is evident in their calendar, banking system and strategic betting game called //Okwe//. In their indigenous calendar, a week had four days, a month consisted of seven weeks and 13 months made a year. In the last month, an extra day was added. This calendar is still used in indigenous Igbo villages and towns to determine market days.[ They settled law matters via mediators, and their banking system for loans and savings, called Isusu, is also still used. The Igbo new year, starting with the month //Önwa Mbụ// (Igbo: //First Moon//) occurs on the third week of February, although the traditional start of the year for many Igbo communities is around springtime in //Önwa Agwụ// (June). Used as a ceremonial script by secret societies, the Igbo had a traditional ideographic set of symbols called Nsibidi, originating from the neighboring Ejagham people Igbo people produced bronzes from as early as the 9th century, some of which have been found at the town of Igbo Ukwu, Anambra state

ARt: Masking is one of the most common art styles in Igboland and is linked strongly with Igbo traditional music. A mask can be made of wood or fabric, along with other materials including iron and vegetation. Masks have a variety of uses, mainly in social satires, religious rituals, secret society initiations (such as the Ekpe society) and public festivals, which now include Christmas time celebrations.[Best known are the Agbogho Mmuo (Igbo: //Maiden spirit//) masks of the Northern Igbo which represent the spirits of deceased maidens and their mothers with masks symbolizing beauty.