GST 112: NIGERIA’S PEOPLE AND CULTURE
LECTURE 2
TOPIC: THE CULTURE OF NIGERIAN PEOPLE
DEFINITION OF CULTURE:
(1) Culture can be defined as the sum total of a people’s way of life or the ways of a people.
(2) It is also seen as the totality of the way of life evolved by a people in their attempt to
meet the challenges of living in their environment.
(3) For E.B. Taylor (1874) it is the complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs,
morals, customs and other capabilities acquired by man as a member of a society.
(4) Bukonga (1976) has defined it as the whole group of characteristics that distinguish the
intellectual, artistic, moral and material life of a country or society at a given moment in
its history.
Analysis:
From the ongoing definitions of culture, we can critically understand that culture gives order and
meaning to all aspects of life within a given society. Thus, culture shapes the political,
economic, social, linguistic, religious and philosophical modes of a people. In view of its nature,
culture is passed from generation to generation through the process of socialization.
Culture is also that aspect of our existence that makes us similar to some people, and yet
differentiates us from other people of the world. It is an integrated unit which its different parts
fit together. Culture is multi-dimensional and this has made scholars conclude that it is a
complex phenomenon that could be studied from different perspectives. Consequently,
anthropologists, sociologists, geographers, historians etc, view it from disciplinary perspectives.
The perspective we are adopting in this lecture is historical anthropological because it is difficult
to divest one from the other.
TYPES OF CULTURE:
Culture is divided into material (tangible) and non-material (intangible) culture. The material
aspect of culture includes all products of technology, and physical objects produced by man in
that society. According to Abayomi (1991), material culture can further be divided into
moveable and immovabe material culture. The movable aspects of material culture are those
artifacts which by virtue of size weight or function can be carried about and exhibited in
museums. These include means of transport like canoes, lorries, mediums of transactions,
weapons, artefacts e.g. Igbo Ukwu,, Benin, Owo, Ife, Benin etc. These are cultural heritages
because they reveal the physical artistic cultures of these Nigerian societies. For instance, the
Nok findings revealed ancient terracotta sculptures which were discovered by accident in 1943 in
a tin-mining operations near Jos. The Igbo Ukwu bronze heads which were radio-carbon dated to
between the 9th and 10th centuries.The immovable types of culture are those aspect of culture that
cannot be moved from the places where they are found. For example, settlements (hamlets,
villages etc). Other examples of immaterial culture include religious beliefs, moral codes, moral
laws, literary activities and taboos of a given people. These values and moral have been
institutionalized and become part of the people.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
1. Culture is dynamic
2. It can be acquired
3. It is cumulative
4. Culture is relative to time and place
5. It is harbored by the society (it does not have independent existence from its society)
6. Cultures of people could be similar (it is not strictly peculiar). This happens through
culture contact and culture borrowing.
THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN A SOCIETY
1. It is a measurement of development of any society
2. It is a tool for conflict pacification
3. It helps in identifying people
4. It is the building block for ethnic allegiance
5. It underlies political behaviour
6. It builds values that can drive collective action for a sustainable future
ASPECTS OF NIGERIAN CULTURE
1. Tools and household utensils, food and medication
2. Religious worship (African Traditional Religion)
3. Values (obedience, good manners, greetings, respect etc)
4. Festivals (Egungun, Obatala, Eyo, New Yam festival, Mgbede, Marriage, naming
ceremonies, burials etc)
5. Food
6. Taboos
NIGERIAN ARTS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
1. IFE ARTS
Ife art is regarded as the best art in the world. The center of Ife art is called Ori-Olokun, located
at a shrine called Olokun groove in Ile Ife. It was discovered in 1910 by archaelologist, Leo
Frobenius. By 1938 21 bronze heads were discovered at Wumonije at Ile Ife. In addition, other
arts were also discovered such as the Obalufon masks and lots of terracotta figurines.
NOK CULTURE
It is named after its birthplace in southern Kaduna called Nok. Nok area extended from Kagara
in Niger state to Katsina Ala in Benue state. It is dated between 500 BC to AD 200. It is revered
as the earlier iron work center in Africa. The artists had great mastery of terracotta. Their clay
sculptures were almost life size and some of them have survived in good condition for over 2000
years showing that the makers were not just only artists but also technologists. The art works
also revealed that Nok people were agriculturists and probably kept cattle; were also fond of
ornaments as necklaces and bracelets which were among the works discovered.
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IGBO UKWU
In 1959, Isaiah Anozie in South east of Onitsha, contracted the digging of a pit toilet in his
compound in which certain artistic objects were discovered. One of the objects was a roped vase
that was cast in pieces but fitted together. At two other compounds which were Isaiah Anozie’s
brothers, namely, Richard and Jonah other objects were also discovered namely, a staff, four
remains of men suspected to have been slaves of the king, pendants, crown and breastplate,
ornaments, swords, etc. The archaeologist that spear headed the excavations of Igbo Ukwu is
Thurstan Shaw.
SIGNIFICANCE OF NIGERIAN ARTS
1. It is now clear that Nigerians like people in other parts of the world passed through
various stages in their development from food gathering stage to the time when they
started to live a settled life
2. The study shows that Nigerians were able to produce tools and weapons which enabled
them control and adept themselves to their environment
3. The different centers of civilization have shown that quite early in their history, Nigerians
were engaged in various forms of activities notably, farming, craft work and trade.
4. Some of the objects found at the various sites indicate trade with areas outside Nigeria.
5. Similarities between the various centers show that Nigeria in the past had more
meaningful economic and social relationships and di not interact only through wars
6. The finds have shown that some part of Nigeria had complete economic and social
organizations which demanded a high degree of specialization
7. The various objects of arts in bronze and brass show that Nigerians were skillful artists.
EVALUATION QUESTIONS
1. Where is Nok located?
2. Who is the Ife archaeologist?
3. The Nok art is called -----------
4. Mention five significance of Nigerian arts
5. Define culture according to Taylor and Bukonga?
6. Mention the types of culture we have
7. Mention 5 of the characteristics of culture you were taught
8. What are the roles of culture in a society?
9. Mention the 4 cultural centers we have in Nigeria.
10. Mention 5 aspects of Nigerian culture.
Assignment: (Group assignment) List the foods, festivals, values and taboos of your
communities.
