JOURNALS

ABSTRACT

Folk songs in Igbo are essentially used for entertainment, education and a good resource for projecting cultural identity. A number of studies have focused on Igbo folk songs in relation to child development and societal cultural development, with inadequate attention paid to the aspect of folk songs and ecosystem. Consequently, this study examines Igbo folk song with a view to delineating the Igbo perception of the ecosystem. A tale-song from Nnabuenyi Ugonna’s Abu na Egwuregwu Odinala Igbo was purposively selected for analysis. The result shows that traditional Igbo society paid much attention and placed a huge premium on the ecosystem. From the examination of the talesong, it was seen that simple, ordinary activities by animals (symbolizing humans) were sufficient to upset the environmental and threaten the existence of all species. It was shown that, the animals reacted as a community and in time to confront the ecological challenge. It is recommended that contemporary Igbo society and others should emulate the pristine Igbo world and holistically fight threats to the environment, as well as take practical steps to avoid acts that degrade the ecosystem while engaging in activities that preserve natural habitats.