An Investigation on the Forgotten Aspects of Cultures and Influence of Western Education among Communities in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

In Niger State, there are more than fifteen different ethnic groups, each having its peculiar cultural affiliations, but the major ethnic groups in the State are; Nupe, Gbagyi, Fulani/Hausa. This paper tends to reflect on certain aspects of cultures which seem to have been forgotten among the three major ethnic groups, with focus on marriage most of whose aspects have been tempered by the influence of Western education. A qualitative method was used with the aim of extracting vital information from the participants regarding the forgotten aspects of cultures. Four aged people who are versed on culture were purposively selected. An in-depth interview, non-participatory observation and document analysis were used as means for data collection. All the participants were interviewed in English and each session of the interview lasted for about an hour to two hours. The interview was recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed manually. Findings from the study discovered that; most of the beautiful and less expensive cultural practices in marriage have been forgotten, abandoned and changed with expensive and luxurious practices. The paper reviews the traditional marriage practices in the past among the Nupe, Gbagyi and the Fulani, and the influence of Western education on the forgotten aspects. The paper concludes by pointing out effects of the forgotten aspects on our contemporary society, particularly with the increase in population among the youths.