The Onitsha Igbo (Ibo), whose traditional community is situated on the banks of the Niger River in Southeastern Nigeria, are a linguistic subgroup of the over twenty million Igbo‐speaking peoples. In 1962 (when I conducted my dissertation research), the city of Onitsha was estimated to have a population of 80,000 persons, of which possibly 10,000 were indigenes, i.e., members of localized patrilineages in the Onitsha Inland Town community. The majority of the rest were non‐Onitsha Igbo‐speaking peoples, primarily from the areas to the east and south. When I visited Onitsha in 1992, some residents estimated that the population of the entire city was close to one million, of which perhaps 25,000 (or more) were Onitsha indigenes. When I peak of Onitsha people in this paper, I am referring to persons who call themselves by that name (ndi‐onicha) and identify their home as the Onitsha Inland Town.
The city of Onitsha is famous for its large market and is a major center of commercial activities in Nigeria. There is some agricultural activity in household gardens (especially in the Inland Town), and in farm lands outside the main urban center. Much traditional farm land, however, has now been turned over to modern residences and enterprises.
The city of Onitsha is also known for having excellent secondary schools and a highly literate population. Many Onitsha people have been prominent in the government prior to and since Independence in 1960. Indeed, the first Governor General of Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe, was an Onitsha man. Although a number of Onitsha indigenes work in other regions of Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States, many continue to support their relatives in the Inland Town and participate in traditional activities.
At the end of the 19th century, the Onitsha king and chiefs had great political power: even in the early 1960s the Onitsha king was the president of the Onitsha City Council. At present, the Onitsha women are in a minority as market traders, and the traditional shrines of the Inland Town are jeopardized by city development which is largely under the control of non‐Onitsha Igbos.
The traditional ceremonial cycle is still observed by many Onitsha people who are also affiliated with Christian churches. A number of women in recent years have been asking the king to appoint an Omu (“queen”) to represent their interests—the position having remained vacant throughout this century.