Ibo Tradition Personal Reflection

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Ibo Presentations Personal Reflection Presentations Day One: The first day of presentations dealt with the Ibo ceremonial traditions related to tribal dancing and music as well as welcoming ceremonies for new and returning guests. For the dancing portion of the day, we were able to step into the shoes of a traditional Ibo dancer which helped me understand fully the difficulty and speed that characterized the Ibo dances. Music is very significant in Ibo culture as it is a means of celebration, piety, and communication between villages and individual people as well. I think that music and the use of drums will be useful for our reading of Things Fall Apart as music is a key representation of the Ibo tribal relations and ceremonies. For example, if the music is slow and uneventful, it could be a song of mourning for a loss of a loved one, while the faster music could suggest a celebration. I hope to see these types of music being manifested in the novel. Almost going hand in hand with the ceremonial music, the rituals regarding the welcoming of guests into the home was also very culturally enlightening. When guests arrive at a host’s home, the breaking of kola nuts takes place as a ceremonial welcoming to the guest. Usually the host does the breaking and it signifies the presence and opening up of the home to the guest. Additionally hosts participate in a chalk ceremony in which the host draws a certain number of lines in chalk in front of the home to signify the entrance of that person. The number of lines reflects the ranking of that person in the tribe. For example, an elder would be signified with four to eight lines while most others would only be signified with one or two lines. I think that this will be seen in the novel as it is a commonly followed and important tradition. Presentations Day Two: My own presentation with Zi and Dillon on Ibo food and the

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