Our Tradition, Custom and Beliefs as Culture - WEEK NINE

WK9

Topic: Our Tradition, Custom and Beliefs as Culture
Specific Objectives: By the end of the lesson the people should be able to
1: Define the term tradition
2:Give examples of places where cultural universality takes place.
3:Discuss the skills necessary for preservation of culture.
The Culture of people consists of the habits of the people in it and the way
they generally behave.
A society is identified by its tradition, custom and cultural beliefs .Over the years
Traditions, customs and cultural beliefs change, yet not all their elements
are amenable to change as certain core values remain generational;. The cultural

norms which are time dependent shade off their relevance over time and are
Replaced with new cultural values owing to development, technology and
Scientific discoveries.
Culture is dynamic: This means that inferior or weak culture gives way to superior
Culture or dominant culture. When inferior culture is steadily pinning
away by collapsing into a superior culture .it is known as cultural
lag. On the other hand , when a culture becomes superior and dominant with a
growing international respect and acceptance , it forms what can be described
as cultural universality .For example, the Christian tradition, customs and beliefs
as enunciated by the Holy Roman Empire have become cultural universality as
they form what is today known as Western Civilization or life style practices
globally.
Inspite of all these, every society still preserve a particular aspects of tradition
,custom and beliefs pattern that is peculiar and unique to its history as a distinct
,different and autonomous entity .This unique culture which exist despite the
universal culture that commands global obedience is called cultural particulars
People can only be truly identified through their cultural particulars that is, the
unique traditions ,custom and beliefs common to it .It is this traditional pattern
that gives them identified image , personality and recognition in the face of other

tribe and people .To avoid racial extinction ,cultural particulars must be preserved
with all amount of seriousness, consciousness and diligence.
Cultural Right :
The universality Declaration of human right of 1948 articulated by the united
nations organization ( UNO) while recognizing social ,political ,economic, legal
and civic rights included cultural right as being fundament to human existence.
Cultural right in accordance with this charter includes:
1: The right to belong to any cultural group or gathering.
2. The right to participate in any cultural ceremony of the community.
3. The right to worship the god of the land or the community.
4. The right to speak ones native language anywhere within the country.
5. The right to wear one’s traditional or cultural attires at any place within the
country.
6. The right to be given a traditional or natural name as a mark of identity by
one’s parent or guardians.
7. The right to wear Traditional mark on any part of the body of one’s choice.
8. The right to be involved in intra and inter marriage affairs within and outside
one’s community.
9. The right to practice one’s cultural arts and acts like crafts, palm tapping,
cultural dance and music, masquerade, fishing and farming.

10. The right to eat one’s traditional food if one wishes to do so.
11. The right to protect, promote, protect and defend the cultural and traditional
values of one’s local community and society as a whole.
This implies that everyone is born into a given custom, tradition and belief which
forms his cultural world view and which he has exclusive right to practice so long
as it does not breach the universal norms. Cultural universals are like the tree
while cultural particulars are its branches.
Skills Necessary for the Preservation of our traditions customs and Beliefs.
Traditions, customs and beliefs are important in the life of people. To this end,
preserving and ensuring that younger generations of citizens learn the existing or
desired tradition, special skills are important. Some of these skills include:
1. Communication skills: communication is a very important aspect of our life.
Man evolved communication skills as a social being to enable him pass or send
information from one person to the other or from place to place. The totality of
life can only be meaningfully carried out or expressed with good communication
skills. Communicative skills include: Language, signs and symbols. Communicative
skills can be seen through several ways in the traditional society. Songs, Lullabies,
carving, color of cloths worn, are some examples of communicative skills. A
woman wearing an all-through black dress in traditional Igbo society is believed o
be mourning. Culture which is the body of traditions, customs, knowledge and
belief is preserved through a well developed language and symbols.
2. Technology: Culture produces knowledge and technology which In turn
preserve culture. Technology is an organized way or art of dealing with a known

problem .It leads to the production and use of local communication gadgets.
Information and communications and technology skills are seen in the production
and use of radio, films, television, computer, internet services and print materials
(media). These technologies have proved to be useful ways and means of
preserving our cultural heritage in the modern society.
3. Library and Documentary skills: Culture which includes a people’s body of
knowledge is preserves in library collections and documentaries. Published books
and printed documents contain cultural elements and societal value systems that
are repositories and knowledge driven. To establish and operate libraries and
documentaries require skills through training. The bulk of western culture and
civilization came to us a global gift through library and documentary services and
this has ever remained so.
4. Establishment of museums and archives: these are places of stockpiling
cultural and historical artifacts of values. The purpose is to preserve what is
worthwhile, valuable and transferable. These artifacts or value s influence our
minds and help in explain the society’s way of life, demands and expectations.
They inculcate habits, attitudes and behaviors that help to create cultural
consciousness among the youths.
5. Religious practices: Cultural values can be learnt and sustained through
practicing religion, participating in cultural dances, drama, and theatrical shows or
displays. An adage has it that "practice makes perfect”. Religion, dances, songs
and dramatic shows have cultural aspects which practitioners internalize and act
out. Practices that remain relevant and meaningful to the people , are preserved
and transferred to the younger generations.

6. Story Telling Skills: This can be called verbalism or oral tradition. Most cultures
have survived through this method as older generations pass on their value
system to their younger generation by mere story telling. It is regarded as sacred
and inviolable because it is a parental testimony of his experience or traditional
bulk passing to the next generation. This might come in varied ways such as myths
and folklores with their didactic appeals, proverbs, pure history and teaching
sessions. Not everybody has story telling skills. Those who have them are called
demagogues with exceptional memory capacity.