Igbo Clan Analysis

"We shall not do you any harm," said the District Commissioner to them later, "if only you agree to cooperate with us. We have brought a peaceful administration to you and your people so that you may be happy. If any man ill-treats you we shall come to your rescue. But we will not allow you to ill-treat others. We have a court of law where we judge cases and administer justice just as it is done in my own country under a great queen. I have brought you here because you joined together to molest others, to burn people's houses and their place of worship. That must not happen in the dominion of our queen, the most powerful ruler in the world." (p. 194)

The Death of a Culture:
An Analysis of the White Man's Influence over the Igbo Clan
Although the white missionaries view the Igbo people as primitive and childlike, the presence of community within the clan proves otherwise. A sense of community is necessary for successful society, and the Igbo people take the notion of total community involvement very seriously. For example, the cow incident in which a cow is let loose in the village, causing a great disturbance, proves that the Igbo society has this sense of community because every woman of the clan is required to help in the chase after the cow. The Igbo people also prove themselves to be more civilized than the whites give them credit for by upholding a society with structure, rules, and accountability. The clan demands a fine to be paid by the owner of the cow, showing that people are held accountable for their actions and that the rules are abided by. The District Commissioner boasts of the new administration's "court of law where [they] judge cases and administer justice just as it is done in [his] own country." He seems to think that a sophisticated justice system is a new idea to the Igbo, while, in actuality, they have their own justice system that works in sync with their