CONCEPTUALISATION OF WOMEN IN IGBO RIDDLES

Riddles are oral art forms that are prevalent in all African societies. Through riddles, the perceptions, beliefs and worldviews of a people are conveyed as in other oral art forms. In many Igbo literary studies, the importance of riddles is not so much emphasised and many literary scholars do not e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of West African languages 2021-01, Vol.48 (2), p.72
Main Authors: Chinedu, Ezebube Chinedu, Uchenna, Chukwuneke Ogechukwu Felicia, Onyebuchi, Okeke Chukwuma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Conceptual metaphor
Folklore
Igbo language
Oral literature
Riddles
Women
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Summary:Riddles are oral art forms that are prevalent in all African societies. Through riddles, the perceptions, beliefs and worldviews of a people are conveyed as in other oral art forms. In many Igbo literary studies, the importance of riddles is not so much emphasised and many literary scholars do not even see them as an educative tool laden with many cultural values when compared to other oral art forms like proverbs and folktales. By focusing on Igbo riddles, this study examines how Igbo women are conceived and portrayed. The study also tries to ascertain the Igbo ideologies behind such conceptualisations. By using the Conceptual Metaphor Theory, twelve purposely selected Igbo riddles on women that cut across the five core Igbo states, are qualitatively analysed. From the findings, it is observed that women are conceptualised as plants, animals and celestial bodies. As plants, they are represented using flowering plants such as maize, palm tree and African star apple. In the analysed riddles, plants are used to communicate the reproductive ability, beauty, tenderness and the marriageable status of Igbo women. As animals, Igbo women are seen as millipedes indicating women's beauty and gait. Igbo women are also portrayed as the moon, which shows the radiation of their beauty. The study concludes that even though riddles are considered a very minor aspect of oral literature, they are laden with information on the perception of the female gender in the Igbo society.
ISSN:0022-5401