Igbo is the language spoken in Ala Igbo or Ani Igbo (Igboland) region of Nigeria by the people who are collectively referred to as "Ndi Igbo"; their community is known as "Olu no Igbo" ("those in the lowlands and uplands". Before European colonialism, the Igbo-speaking peoples, who shared similarities in culture, lived in localized communities and were not unified under a single cultural identity or political framework, although unifying processes were present via expansion, ritual subordination, intermarriage, trade, cultural exchange, migration, war, and conquest. Villages and village groups were generally identified by distinct names of their ancestral founders or by specific names such as Umuleri, Nri, Ogidi, Nnobi, Orlu, Ngwa, Ezza, and Ohaffia.

There are several theories concerning the etymology of the word "Igbo" (wrongly spelled "Ibo" by British colonialists). Eighteenth-century texts had the word as "Heebo" or "Eboe," which was thought to be a corruption of "Hebrew." "Igbo" is commonly presumed to mean "the people." The root -bo is judged to be of Sudanic origin; some scholars think that the word is derived from the verb gboo and therefore has connotations of "to protect," "to shelter," or "to prevent"—hence the notion of a protected people or a community of peace. According to other theorists, it may also be traced to the Igala, among whom onigbo is the word for "slave," oni meaning "people."

Dialects. Waawa, Enuani, Ngwa, Ohuhu, Etche, Olu, Ika, Oyigbo, Anioma, Edda, Ukwuani, Ikwerre, Ezaa, Izzi, Ekpeye, Ohafia, Abam, Ogba, Agbor, Isuama.

Location. Today Igbo-speaking individuals live all over Nigeria and in diverse countries of the world. As a people, however, the Igbo are located on both sides of the River Niger and occupy most of southeastern Nigeria. The area, measuring over 41,000 square kilometers, includes the old provinces of Onitsha, Owerri, East Rivers, Southeast Benin, West Ogoja, and Northeast Warri. In contemporary Nigerian history, the Igbo have claimed all these areas as the protectorate of the "Niger Districts." Thus began the process of wider unification and incorporation into wider political and administrative units. Presently, they constitute the entire Enugu State, Anambra State, Abia State, Imo State, and the Ahoada area of Rivers State; Igbo-speaking people west of the Niger are inhabitants of the Asaba, Ika, and Agbo areas of Delta State.

Demography. In 1963 the Igbo numbered about 8.5 million and by 1993 had grown to more than 15 million (some even claim 30 million, although there has been no widely accepted census since 1963). They have one of the highest population densities in West Africa, ranging from 120 to more than 400 persons per square kilometer. Igbo subcultures are distributed in six ecological zones: the northern Igbo in the Scarplands, the northeastern Igbo in the Lower Niger, the eastern Igbo in the Midwest Lowlands, the western Igbo in the Niger Delta, the southeastern Igbo in the Palm Belt, and the southern Igbo in the Cross River Basin.

Igbo-speaking peoples can be divided into five geographically based subcultures: northern Igbo, southern Igbo, western Igbo, eastern Igbo, and northeastern Igbo. Each of these five can be further divided into subgroups based on specific locations and names. The northern or Onitsha Igbo are divided into the Nri-Awka of Onitsha and Awka; the Enugu of Nsukka, Udì, Awgu, and Okigwe; and those of the Onitsha town. The southern or Owerri Igbo are divided into the Isu-Ama of Okigwe, Orlu, and Owerri; the Oratta-Ikwerri of Owerri and Ahoada; the Ohuhu-Ngwa of Aba and Bende; and the Isu-Item of Bende and Okigwe. The western Igbo (Ndi Anioma, as they like to call themselves) are divided into the northern Ika of Ogwashi Uku and Agbor; the southern Ika or Kwale of Kwale; and the Riverrain of Ogwashi Uku, Onitsha, Owerri, and Ahoada. The eastern or Cross River Igbo are divided into the Ada (or Edda) of Afikpo, the Abam-Ohaffia of Bende and Okigwe, and the Aro of Aro. The northeastern Igbo include the Ogu Uku of Abakaliki and Afikpo.

Umu Igbo Amaka

The twins are so cute

To Know Who Igbos Are, See My Signatuse

Ikwere traditional attire 1 and 2 and
Anioma traditional attire

IKA traditional attire

Igbo women are so beautiful

More..

MsFaith:
I’d love to see more dark skinned igbo women in traditionals. They are very rare.

True.

Wherever you see me,call me onye Igbo,maka na abu m onye Igbo.

Igbo amaka!!

God bless Ndigbo.

I’d love to see more dark skinned igbo women in traditionals. They are very rare.

Igbo Amaka

the most useless tribe in africa....

Thoh:
the most useless tribe in africa....

The hate must be troubling you so much that you enter an entire thread about them ,see the nonsensical reasoning?

ThEGodFaThEr103:
IKA traditional attire

I'll be very grateful if you can find some pics for ahoada (my people ), very glad you mentioned it even before some uneducated people come and start yelling south south isn't part of ndi igbo

But why is it igbo don’t have a solid history? just fragments.

143WaZoBia:
But why is it igbo don’t have a solid history? just fragments.

You're ignorant of what you are saying. The Igbos have the most well documented history in Nigeria and west Africa.
This article is just about the Igbo language and the various dialects that make up the language.

Umu Igbo, umu chineke. So' so' mma mma

Most of the women here have igala blood that's why they have slim body and light skinned.... The normal hiebow women I know have masculine features like muscle, hair on unusual part of the body and are dark in complexion.

umu chineke

Ok

SlyDev:
Most of the women here have igala blood that's why they have slim body and light skinned.... The normal hiebow women I know have masculine features like muscle, hair on unusual part of the body and are dark in complexion.

Which dirty igala blood? Igala that is a crossbreed of Igbo,Edo,nupe and yorouba.
Western igala are cross breed of yorouba and nupe,eastern igala are cross breed of Igbo and Benin .

caleboxylic:


Which dirty igala blood? Igala that is a crossbreed of Igbo,Edo,nupe and yorouba.
Western igala are cross breed of yorouba and nupe,eastern igala are cross breed of Igbo and Benin .

The dirty blood here is your people... Most of the unstable people in Nigeria have ibo blood. Igala are Yoruba, they are related to nupe but not ibo and edo.... The relationship between ibo and igala is a slave master relationship becuase they colonised you before the Englishmen.... That where most of Yoruba word in igbo language comes from.

SlyDev:


The dirty blood here is your people... Most of the unstable people in Nigeria have ibo blood. Igala are Yoruba, they are related to nupe but not ibo and edo.... The relationship between ibo and igala is a slave master relationship becuase they colonised you before the Englishmen.... That where most of Yoruba word in igbo language comes from.

Onoja that founded igala Is an Igbo man and that's why they use our four market days.

SlyDev:
[s]Most of the women here have igala blood that's why they have slim body and light skinned.... The normal hiebow women I know have masculine features like muscle, hair on unusual part of the body and are dark in complexion.[/s]

These afonjas will never leave Igbos alone. Always envying!

caleboxylic:


Onoja that founded igala Is an Igbo man and that's why they use our four market days.

LOL there is main igala and the igala that come to settle in igbo land..... They are one that brought clothes, horses and introduce farming to igbos (even in 18 century, Igbos can't farm, it was missionaries that taught time), if I'm wrong proof me wrong.....

Go to igala wiki page and see who found igala.

SlyDev:


The dirty blood here is your people... Most of the unstable people in Nigeria have ibo blood. Igala are Yoruba, they are related to nupe but not ibo and edo.... The relationship between ibo and igala is a slave master relationship becuase they colonised you before the Englishmen.... That where most of Yoruba word in igbo language comes from.

Igala colonized Igbo and they are using Igbo calendar . How do you explain that? Late audu abubakar is from ofu LGA,his community is ogbo-onicha. Igala are actually what I described above and yorouba has no influence on the eastern igala.

SlyDev:

LOL there is main igala and the igala that come to settle in igbo land..... They are one that brought clothes, horses and introduce farming to igbos (even in 18 century, Igbos can't farm, it was missionaries that taught time), if I'm wrong proof me wrong.....

Go to igala wiki page and see who found igala.

See how confused you are. You know nothing about igala people anyway. You should know the route avurugo-odolu-iga-idah(igala headquarter) and people that own it with regards to their languages,names and market days and names of their markets
We are coming soon with the evidence and history as we have done with Ubani .

caleboxylic:


Igala colonized Igbo and they are using Igbo calendar . How do you explain that? Late audu abubakar is from ofu LGA,his community is ogbo-onicha. Igala are actually what I described above and yorouba has no influence on the eastern igala.

Igala colonized ibo and taught them civilisation