Towards a better understanding of The Human Person in Igbo Cosmology: A Narrative discourse.

 Introduction: 

Every Culture has a specific way in it views things. That specificity is what makes it unique and cultural because culture has been seen people's way of life including their mode of dressing, food, work, thinking hence their worldview. The Igbo culture is also unique. In this essay we shall be concentrating mainly on the Igbo Concept of the human person. 

The Igbo Generic name for the human person:

The Igbo person does not see the person as man as in other cultures. The human person is generically called Mmadu which can never be translated as man. The name Mmadu could be understood in two ways. Firsly Mmadu is understood as pure beauty. This means that a person is the purest expression of beauty. In transliteration the person means " there is beauty'. A second understanding of the word Mmadu is "the beauty of creation or life". This means that it is the human being that is the real thing that makes life beautiful and sweet. There is an adage that says " Uto uwa but Mmadu, Nwoke na Nwanyi"- the sweetness of life lies in the human being, man and woman. This brings us to the types of the human person in life.

Typology of humanity in Igbo Cosmology.

Humanity can further be divided into three namely; Nwoke, Nwanyi, Nwanta. This means man, woman and child. 

Nwoke:

This is the male specie of the human person. Literally the word Nwoke means "The Great Child. This is a man per se. He is the strong and the great one. On him lies the ability to continue his generation. He suffers a lot and if an Igbo man does not get the male child such a family is considered closed. An unmarried man is called akaloghori. Akaloghori means a wasted seed. This is because it he dies without marriage, he has closed a generation. Even when one marries without getting a male child, the family persuades him to marry other wives in order to make sure the bloodline is not quenched by the waekness of one man. This is why monogamy and celibacy are alien to the Igbo culture. Some of the so called celibates in Igboland are secretly married and those that are not are into untold depression. 

Nwanyi: 

This is the female specie of the human person. Nwanyi simply means the difficult one. They are pampered from childhood to be married off to a man who takes cares of them and they inturn help the man in reproduction and domestic chores. It was a taboo those days to send a woman to school since it was widely held that a woman's education ends in the Kitchen. A one time president of Nigeria even in this era stated categorically that his wife belongs to his kitchen, bedroom and other rooms. A woman is considered difficult hence it is held that a woman is married with only an eye open. This means that you overlook most of her actions in order to be with her. It is true recently some of these views are being changed due to western influences and inter cultural relationship. 

Nwanta:

Nwanta is generally the child. Nwanta simply means the little one. There is no sexual distinction at this age though one revolts when he gives birth to only the female specie of this kind which means there is a subtle difference. They are seen as those who do not know anything and who are as well innocent. It is believed that they are closer to the spiritual world than the adult. They hold stronger protection from the spiritual world than others because of their innocence. 

Conclusion:

If the human person is the beauty of life, one should wonder why the same person should engage in the destruction of that life which he is it's beauty. It is time we take a second look at our role in life having understood the word Igbo Concept of the human person.