Roots. The origins of the Igbo, like those of many other ethnic groups in West Africa, are shrouded in myth. The best historical evidence produces two conflicting interpretations. One group of scholars, including Elizabeth Isichei, claims that the Igbo are original to the place where the majority of them still live, southeastern Nigeria. A second group, however, asserts that the Igbo, along with some ethnic groups in Zimbabwe, are descended from the Jews, using linguistic and even genetic analysis to bolster their claims. J. B. Danquah and Jacob U. Egharevba point to similarities in Igbo and Hebrew customs and religious rituals, such as the circumcision of the male child eight days after birth, systems of marriage and inheritance, and ideas about ritual purity and impurity.

Chukwu. Transcending the multiplicity of gods in Igbo religion is a high god called Chukwu...