The hunter in Úbàkala Igbo life

Summary The similarity between the report in the New Encyclopaedia Britannica on hunting and the Ubakala example is striking, in that among the Ubakala, hunting has survived as sport: ‘The sport of hunting involves seeking, pursuing, and taking game and wild animals in their natural habitat primarily for the pleasure and challenge of the stalk or chase and the joy of being outdoors’ (Stephen et al. 1943–73: 46). In the rank and file are people of various occupational groups, and the driving force is the natural ‘urge to participate in group activities’ (Bird 1972: 276). The apparent result of this attitude is a reinforcement of the traditional past and the sustenance of ethnic identity and character traits. The Ubakala Amalgamated Hunters Association is therefore today, ‘largely a symbolic vestige of an impressive past’.