Culture and Civilization Concepts

Concepts of Culture and Civilisation

Concept of Culture

• Culture is the total way of life of a people, encompassing human behavioral patterns and technology passed from one generation to another.
• E.B. Tylor defines culture as a complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

Concept of Civilization

• Civilization refers to both the condition of a society and the processes leading to that condition.
• It represents the apex of cultural growth and development, resulting from cultural advancements and progress.

Aspects of Culture

Material Culture

• Consists of physical objects made by a society to meet the needs of its people.
• Examples include houses, tools, weapons, clothing, and artworks.
• Notable Nigerian artworks include terracotta heads of Ife, bronze works of Ife and Benin, brass work in Bida, and carved calabashes of the Hausa and Yoruba.

Non-Material Culture

• Encompasses intangible elements learned and integrated into a group's way of life.
• Examples include language, music, dances, stories, laws, and governance.
• Notable language groups in Nigeria include Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, Nupe, Efik, etc.
• Traditional music and dance include Igbo: Nkpokiti and Atilogwu, Yoruba: Apala and Juju, Hausa: Goje, and Idoma: Onyenkpo.

Some Early Centres of Civilisation in Nigeria

Nok Culture

• Discovered in 1936 in Nok, near Kafanchan, Kaduna State.
• Known for terra cotta figurines found in Wamba, Jema, and Katsina-Ala.
• Existed between 2nd and 5th century B.C.
• Transitioned from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, with both stone and iron tools.
• Produced iron tools, weapons, tin beads, and pottery.
• Art is geometric and rigid, influencing later Ife art.

Ile Ife

• Located in Oyo State, considered the origin of the Yoruba people.
• Evidence of habitation from the 8th to 10th centuries.
• Renowned for terra cotta and bronze heads, and stone carvings.
• Used lost wax method for metal casting.
• Art features naturalistic life-size heads with detailed scarification and decorations.
• Ife art influenced Benin bronze sculpture.

Benin

• Developed from the union of settlements recognizing the Oba (king).
• Famous for elaborate city walls built from the 11th century AD.
• Known for wood, ivory carvings, and bronze/brass casting, possibly introduced by an Ife artist.
• Artworks often depicted court scenes and rituals, with bas relief sculptures.
• British troops looted many artworks in 1897, now housed in British museums.

Igbo Ukwu

• Located about 30 km southeast of Onitsha.
• Discovered in 1939, excavated by Thurstan Shaw in 1959.
• Excavations revealed bronze objects, ornaments, and burial items dating to the 9th century A.D.
• Findings indicate wealth, ritual use, and complex social organization.
• Raw materials likely sourced through long-distance trade or local mining.
• Art style distinct from Benin and Ife, using lead-bronze and lost wax method.