A study of Igbo ritual symbolism is of primary significance to the systematic reconstruction of Igbo traditional religious experience and life. As the clearest visible expression of the corpus of Igbo beliefs, sacred symbols provide reliable information about indigenous religious thought and socio-cultural life. This is especially the case with the dominant symbol of Ofo, since it occupies a unique place in the Igbo ritual network. The book makes a systematic and detailed analysis of Ofo ritual symbol, including its provenance, structural variations and functional range in the different sub-cultural zones of Igboland, and its dense meaning- content. The study is presented from a historical perspective.
This is the West African contribution to a series of regional studies, some twenty years in the making, on the history of irrigation, commissioned by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. It demonstrates that although Nigeria did not produce such old and elaborate hydralic structures as those in the Nile and Euphrates-Tigris valleys, its people nevertheless devised systems of irrigation and flood control early on in their history. It further shows that the history of agricultural development is inseparable from the social history of the people. Contents: pre-colonial period to 1900; colonial period 1900-1906; Kware irrigation scheme 1925-1963; irrigation development besides Kware 1925-1959; irrigation development 1960-1999; evolution of the federal ministry of water resources and irrigation administration in Nigeria; concept and evolution of river basin development; floods and droughts in Nigeria; drainage of agricultural lands; irrigation research, extension and training; land tenure, water laws, rights and customs; international organisations, treaties and agreements; and current problems of irrigation, drainage and flood controls in Nigeria.
This is the West African contribution to a series of regional studies, some twenty years in the making, on the history of irrigation, commissioned by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. It demonstrates that although Nigeria did not produce such old and elaborate hydralic structures as those in the Nile and Euphrates-Tigris valleys, its people nevertheless devised systems of irrigation and flood control early on in their history. It further shows that the history of agricultural development is inseparable from the social history of the people. Contents: pre-colonial period to 1900; colonial period 1900-1906; Kware irrigation scheme 1925-1963; irrigation development besides Kware 1925-1959; irrigation development 1960-1999; evolution of the federal ministry of water resources and irrigation administration in Nigeria; concept and evolution of river basin development; floods and droughts in Nigeria; drainage of agricultural lands; irrigation research, extension and training; land tenure, water laws, rights and customs; international organisations, treaties and agreements; and current problems of irrigation, drainage and flood controls in Nigeria.