According to Webster's Dictionary Online, to be civilized means to be marked by well-organized laws and rules on how people behave with each other. It also states that being civilized means being polite, responsible and respectful. Reading the novel and associated non-fiction articles, it is clear that by the 1880s Nigeria's Ibo culture was civilized. The Ibo culture perfectly fits the definition of a civilized person. They have rules for their government, they are respectful and grateful during festivals and women are responsible when taking care of their families. The first way the Ibo culture of Nigeria is civilized is through the government. The government is dealing with the issues fairly. After both parties finished speaking at the Egwugwu ceremony, the Evil Forest said, "Our duty is not to blame this man or praise that one, but to settle the dispute" (Chapter 10, p.93). The Evil Spirits' main objective was not to try. blame the person who did the wrong, but resolve the problem fairly to put an end to it. Another example of how Igbo culture is civilized by the government is that it is organized with rules. Government leaders forced white men to return to their own lands so that they would not change Ibo culture. As the article Political Colonization says: “They said the earth had changed and they were dying. And they demand that all white men return to their own country so that the country becomes the way it was before the British came. The government established this rule because it would help the Igbo culture to stay alive and not be transferred to another culture. The last way the Ibo culture is civilized through the government is the second way the Ibo culture of Nigeria is civilized through the ...... middle of paper ...... addressed to the ancestors... He then broke the kola nut and threw one of the lobes on the ground for the ancestors. (p. 165). The kola nut is a tradition. We break it and pray to the ancestors to help it. This maintains civil culture because they receive help from their ancestors. The last way the Ibo culture is civilized through culture and customs is by having special items that keep people in line. As it says in the article Women Leaders: “She beat the gong in a special way by announcing the time and place of the meeting, to which everyone listened attentively. The message before the beating of the gong could be a matter of life and death, so they listened. In Ibo culture, when the gong sounds, people listen. The gong is a good way to keep everyone connected and civilized. In conclusion, by the 1880s, the Ibo culture of Nigeria was civilized..