IGBO PREFERENCE OF OIL PALM (NKWỤ) TO RAFFIA PALM (NGWỌ): EVIDENCE FROM THE CULTURE
Authors: Monday C. Ọnukawa, Chinwendu A. Nwizu and Edith N. Ọnụkawa
Publication Details
Published: June 14, 2024
Reference: Volume 8, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper examined the Igbo value of the oil palm (nkwụ) and the raffia palm (ngwọ) as closely related and significant trees in Igboland. It specifically analyzed the various Igbo traditional worldview which suggest a high hierarchical placement of nkwụ over ngwọ. The study adopted qualitative methodological design, involving semi-structured interviews with some Igbo elders drawn from various culture areas of Igboland, to collect data which were subjected to descriptive and interpretive analyses hinged on the cultural theory of preference formation. Introspection also featured in data collection and analyses as the researchers are Igbo natives, born and bred in Igboland. The study discovered that while nkwụ and ngwọ are significant in the Igbo culture, nkwụ is of more value than ngwọ. The study further discovered that the Igbo preference of nkwụ to ngwọ is exhibited in the various aspects of the Igbo language and culture, and most evident in the cultural use of the various types of palm wine produced by both trees; in the Igbo proverb, and the hierarchical placements as complementary dual concepts. The study concluded that the Igbo preference of nkwụ to ngwọ is a tool in the understanding of the ontological hierarchies among the Igbo, which is part of what concretizes the Igbo worldview.
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How to Cite
Monday C. Ọnukawa, Chinwendu A. Nwizu and Edith N. Ọnụkawa. (2024). IGBO PREFERENCE OF OIL PALM (NKWỤ) TO RAFFIA PALM (NGWỌ): EVIDENCE FROM THE CULTURE. ABIA JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES , Volume 8 (2) .