These people were called oracles. The tribes also cherished the ancestor spirits. They relied on these spirits to hold the tradition together, in harmony and in crisis. The egwugwu, who are the masked representation of their ancestral spirits, are deeply respected and revered. They are the ones who administer justice in the land , and are portrayed as almost supernatural. Certain superstitious and religious beliefs like the importance of the Oracle of the Hilles and Caves are also highlighted.
Achebe also explains the life in the tribe. Their customs and manners are vividly explained, along with its government and its administration of justice, its religious rites and beliefs, etc. .
In Things Fall Apart, it evens explains their agricultural patterns. To name a few are: The Week of Peace, the planting of the Yams, the New Yam feast, followed by the dry season-The Harmattan-and the exquisite taste of locusts. .
The novel continuously describes how the Igbo lived. It presents how inspiring their conversation are. Achebe uses proverbs throughout the entire novel. The artistic interplay of form and content helps us understand Igbo cultural ethics. With his conversation, he illustrates African life. I believe he did an excellent job educating people on how the African people did have a culture before the Westerners. .
Achebe also describes the society . One example is the phrase "mother supreme" which is used to explain how the society's mothers are regarded with respect. When a man has misfortune he seeks comfort at his mother's place. This was shown when Okonkwo was exiled and he goes to his mother's village, Mbanta. .
In Igbo culture, a good speaker is one who uses traditional proverbs. For example, "Proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten." Proverbs also showed how his society regarded success. "If a child washed his hands, he could eat with the kings." .
The Proverbs in the novel also depicted their spirituality.