Igbo Family Structure
Family structure is very important throughout the Igbo tribe. The structure includes nuclear and extended family settings, how the men of the tribe practiced polygamy, and the roles of the mother, father, and the children. In the story Things Fall Apart Okonkwo had a nuclear family structure this included himself, three wives, and their children.
The extended family structure includes a variety of family members such as grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, in-laws, and the immediate family. This family structure was common in the Igbo village, in this setting, all of the members live on one compound. There are some positive and negative things about this type of setting. Some of the positive are that every member of the house has some kind of support backing them up. It helps with the upbringing of children as their training is not as confined to the limits …show more content…
of knowledge and experiences of their biological parents. It can reduce the financial burden of a few of the members such as the elderly. Some of the negatives can be that some of the members become lazy because some will not develop their abilities or increase their effort in life because they will always have someone to depend on. The financial burden can become more of a problem as some of the family members begin to solely depend on the one who is working.
The people of the Igbo tribe practiced polygamy. “Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time” (Polygamy). Throughout the whole story, you see that the men practice it very much. Okonkwo, for instance, had three wives. The more wives you had the bigger social status you had. Nwakibie, the man who gave Okonkwo all the yams, had many wives. The husband lives on the compound with himself and his wives each having a different obi to live in with their children. The wives were also ranked in order in which they had married.
Each member has its own role in the family such as the father he is head of the household and provides for his family. He also has the first and last say for the family. He speaks on behalf of the family in public meetings, it is his responsibility to cultivate, grow, and develop the family’s wealth and resources. He is a teacher of the Igbo culture and traditions to the members of the family. It is the father’s responsibility to lead his family. He also teaches his sons how to become a leader and how to provide for their family when they get one. The father/men were the only ones allowed to plant the “king of all crops”, yams.
The wives were the ones who took care of the children.
They ranked according to the order in which they were married. As wives, they were responsible for fueling and inspiring the father with ideas to move the household forward towards progress and development. It is expected of her to preserve the family wealth. The standards and morals of the children also rested upon her shoulders to make sure they do right. She has to make household homely and comfortable for every member of the family including visitors. It is also her duty to love the father of the house, cook his meals, and maintain the cleanliness of the home. The younger wives are expected to help older wives and caring for children and the head of the house “father”. As you read through the story you would not think that the women were a very important role in the Igbo culture, but in the book, it states that Agbala which means “old woman”, which was the Oracle, people came from near and far to consult it (Achebe 11). The women were allowed to participate in some events, they could plant their own crops, and go to the market when they
wanted.
The children were required to be obedient to all adults. They were to never question or contradict the Igbo customs or parents. In the story, we are shown how Nwoye begins to question the ethics of the culture and Okonkwo disowned him. The sons and daughters are also ranked with the wives. The first son of the first wife was the highest. Nwoye was the highest ranked son of Okonkwo’s. Children also were to listen to and be taken care of by the mother unless a male child out grows his mother’s assistance and is now held at a higher regard than her.
The extended family structure includes a variety of family members such as grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, in-laws, and the immediate family. This family structure was common in the Igbo village, in this setting, all of the members live on one compound. There are some positive and negative things about this type of setting. Some of the positive are that every member of the house has some kind of support backing them up. It helps with the upbringing of children as their training is not as confined to the limits …show more content…
of knowledge and experiences of their biological parents. It can reduce the financial burden of a few of the members such as the elderly. Some of the negatives can be that some of the members become lazy because some will not develop their abilities or increase their effort in life because they will always have someone to depend on. The financial burden can become more of a problem as some of the family members begin to solely depend on the one who is working.
The people of the Igbo tribe practiced polygamy. “Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time” (Polygamy). Throughout the whole story, you see that the men practice it very much. Okonkwo, for instance, had three wives. The more wives you had the bigger social status you had. Nwakibie, the man who gave Okonkwo all the yams, had many wives. The husband lives on the compound with himself and his wives each having a different obi to live in with their children. The wives were also ranked in order in which they had married.
Each member has its own role in the family such as the father he is head of the household and provides for his family. He also has the first and last say for the family. He speaks on behalf of the family in public meetings, it is his responsibility to cultivate, grow, and develop the family’s wealth and resources. He is a teacher of the Igbo culture and traditions to the members of the family. It is the father’s responsibility to lead his family. He also teaches his sons how to become a leader and how to provide for their family when they get one. The father/men were the only ones allowed to plant the “king of all crops”, yams.
The wives were the ones who took care of the children.
They ranked according to the order in which they were married. As wives, they were responsible for fueling and inspiring the father with ideas to move the household forward towards progress and development. It is expected of her to preserve the family wealth. The standards and morals of the children also rested upon her shoulders to make sure they do right. She has to make household homely and comfortable for every member of the family including visitors. It is also her duty to love the father of the house, cook his meals, and maintain the cleanliness of the home. The younger wives are expected to help older wives and caring for children and the head of the house “father”. As you read through the story you would not think that the women were a very important role in the Igbo culture, but in the book, it states that Agbala which means “old woman”, which was the Oracle, people came from near and far to consult it (Achebe 11). The women were allowed to participate in some events, they could plant their own crops, and go to the market when they
wanted.
The children were required to be obedient to all adults. They were to never question or contradict the Igbo customs or parents. In the story, we are shown how Nwoye begins to question the ethics of the culture and Okonkwo disowned him. The sons and daughters are also ranked with the wives. The first son of the first wife was the highest. Nwoye was the highest ranked son of Okonkwo’s. Children also were to listen to and be taken care of by the mother unless a male child out grows his mother’s assistance and is now held at a higher regard than her.