The Igbo people primarily reside in Southeast Nigeria, in a region known as Igboland, which is bordered by diverse ethnic groups, including the Bini, Warri, Ijaw, Ogoni, Igala, Tiv, Yako, and the Ibibio. The origins of the Igbo have been debated over time, with some tracing connections to various historical migrations and cultural evolutions. Core areas within Igboland, such as Arochukwu, Nri, Igbo-Ukwu, Owerri, Orlu, and Okigwe, Enugwu, Awka, Umuahia, Asaba, Onitsha, Aba and Igweocha are considered historical centres, with waves of migrant communities contributing to the region’s cultural diversity as early as the ninth century.
The Igbo are deeply spiritual, with a belief system that recognizes three levels of divine beings: the Supreme God, or Chukwu; lesser deities called Umuagbara; and ancestral spirits, Ndi Ichie. Belief in reincarnation is central to their view of life and death, where passing from the physical world is seen as a transition to the spirit world before reincarnation. Spiritual guidance and ritual ceremonies are led by village priests and priestesses.