William Leverett
Julia Marshall
Reagan Dyson
Things Fall Apart: Ceremonies, Festivals, and Rituals
Kola nut/ palm wine/ chalk: respect, friendship, and hospitality
Trial: justice and fairness
Wedding Ceremony: value of new generation; value of unification of families
Week of Peace: value of peace (no duh); appreciation of the harvest to come
Wrestling Matches: value of masculinity (physical strength) and personal accomplishment
Feast of the Yams: celebrating companionship, the Earth goddess, and the harvest of the yams
Digging Up of Iyi-Uwa: value of life, birth, survival (breaking the cycle of death)
Funeral: respecting ancestors and honoring accomplishments
From all of these rituals and ceremonies, one can extrapolate that Igbo society values respect,
hospitality/ friendship, justice, life, personal accomplishment, masculinity, and the respecting of one’s
ancestors. The kola nut ritual, palm wine, chalk, the feast of the yams, the wedding ceremony, and the
week of peace demonstrate the Igbo society’s value for peace, hospitality, and friendship. The trial
demonstrates their value for justice and fairness. The wedding ceremony and the digging up of the Iyiuwa demonstrate their value of life, a new generation, and survival. The week of peace, wrestling
matches, and the feast of the yams show their value of harvest and hard work. The wrestling matches
and the funeral show their value of personal accomplishment. The funeral also demonstrates their value
of respecting one’s ancestors.