IGWEBUIKE: African Journal of Arts and Humanities

This paper explores the historical and cultural significance of the Ikoro drum in the traditional Igbo society of Umunze between 1915 and 1970. Utilizing oral testimonies, ethnographic fieldwork, and archival sources, the study investigates the origins, physical attributes, symbolic meanings, and socio-political functions of the Ikoro. Within the framework of indigenous communication systems and Igbo cosmology, findings reveal that the drum served as a multidimensional instrument for community mobilization, ritual expression, and governance. It functioned as a voice of authority, transmitting messages across vast spaces and commanding collective action in moments of crisis, deliberation, and ceremony. The study also addresses the decline of the Ikoro’s influence during the colonial and immediate postcolonial periods, revealing how external pressures reshaped indigenous institutions. The findings contribute to scholarship on African oral traditions, indigenous political systems, and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage. 

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