Exploring heritage and traits in my culture

IGBO CULTURAL DANCE HERITAGE

Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people and hundreds of tribes, each with unique and interesting cultures and traditions. I am of the Nupe tribe, one of the other tribes other than the three major tribes, which are Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo. The Nupe people are distributed primarily in Niger State, with a minority in Kwara, Kogi, and the federal capital territory of Abuja. We speak the Nupe language. Westernization and colonization came to Africa with merits and demerits, which included the acceptance and use of the English language as a recognized means of communication. This in itself is not bad, but a little dive below may draw your attention to a comment or not.

CULTURAL HERITAGES

Some cultures are known for their uniqueness, and when certain things are mentioned about people, their cultures can easily be identified. The Nupe culture is known for a special delicacy, which is the Tuwo rice and bean soup. This is rice that has been mashed to be eaten like a swallow. Another cultural heritage is our dance. Here, you can see in this YouTube video our dance culture, especially the buttocks shaking. Please, I do not know how to shake my buttocks, probably because I was raised mostly in the city and among the Yoruba people.

Typical Ilesha Baruba cultural heritage in Kwara State, Nigeria

BIOLOGICAL HERITAGE

Many people have told myself and my siblings that we took and look like our mother, making them wonder if we left any resemblance for our dad. Today, I encountered a nurse who identified me in relation to my mom, who had retired from the hospital ten years ago. I enjoyed the benefit of recognition, as the woman did her best to give me a service that would have been difficult to get.

And yes, my siblings are known to be very caring, even to strangers that we may not know. We often show concern and readily go out of our way to make people comfortable. We are superheroes in the different spheres in which we find ourselves. I believe this is something we inherited from our parents and one that we are proud of.

INTER-TRIBAL OR INTRA-TRIBAL MARRIAGES

My Yoruba friend married an Edo lady and had to dress just like their culture demanded

To retain cultural heritage, many parents in Africa prefer their children marry partners from the same tribe. It is believed that when issues or marital problems arise, they can easily be resolved. This is contrary to the rare privilege of building a cultural heritage for the children. Two Yoruba people, for example, as couples, are likely to impart to their children the Yoruba language. This does not, however, beat the fact that the child may be exposed to two indigenous languages (rare, though). I attended a wedding two years ago where my Yoruba friend married a lady from Edo State. The couple has relocated to Canada now. It is almost certain that the child would only speak the English language and not pick up any of the languages of the parents.

FINANCIAL HERITAGE

We lived through tough times, barely having tuition fees or a life of comfort. I learned financial prudence from my parents, and this has helped me to live with contentment over the years. Though there has not been any significant heritage from my parents, we are better than we were many years ago. Each of us, as children, has been able to acquire some tangible investments or landed properties. It's not much, but there's certainty that our offspring will have a tangible financial heritage to benefit from.

Here is my entry into #aprilinleo monthly and daily prompts. You can participate via this LINK

Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.

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