# 'BAMBOO' IS CALLED 'ACHALA' IN IGBO LANGUAGE.

<hr>

Hello dear friend, I'm pleased to welcome you to another edition of learn my language and understand my culture lesson, today, we will look at Bamboo tree (Achala).


![Bamboo.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbSqMeMTdQQ2yBq4ddqfDuACbJDM1Ewn25ju7Pb67DFLm/Bamboo.jpg)
<a href="https://goo.gl/images/B1yUH8">Image source.</a>

<hr>

Here in my country, especially in Igbo land, bamboo is one of the best economic trees that we cherish with passion, It serves many purposes in my land which time may not permit me to put all here, nerveless, I will show you some.

Before the colonial age, there was nothing like concrete bridges across rivers and streams in our land, yet our fathers was not restricted in anyway, they made bridges with bamboo across all rivers and steams because they were known for farming. Below is what their bamboo bridges looked like.

![bamboo-bridge.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdKoNKjUVWPZheUGXfy62KX331LxiLgJt4oT8yGR34Gam/bamboo-bridge.jpg)
<a href="https://goo.gl/images/kxq6WU">Image source.</a>  

</a>

One good thing about Igbo people is their craftiness, there never get stocked by circumstances, they must device a mean for survival in critical situations. What am I saying? Our fathers used bamboo tree to solve many of their challenges in those dark dark ages.


Bamboo trees till today remain so important to my people, 70 percent of Igbo soil are too soft and  mostly of sandy soil, therefore we face this challenge of erosion devastation, but with the help of bamboo trees, we are able to surmount some of these erosion sites.


**ONE OF NUMEROUS EROSION SITES IN IGBO LAND**.
![Gully-Erosion.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVrFCiQyaxBMz2JYZfSSHqBwMG5n1gDShTNthA6RSEdyT/Gully-Erosion.jpg)

<a href="https://goo.gl/images/zdagwn">Image source.</a> 


We have a government system that overlook horror situations and challenges facing her people, rather they they prefer playing to frivolities. erosion has taken up to 17% of Igbo land without any serious concern shown by the government, therefore some of our local communities now rely on bamboo erosion control system.


**One of the uses of bamboo tree in my native land is in building houses, our poor brothers use bamboo as a framework and skeleton base for their mud houses**.

![Johndrow - Wattle and daub with bamboo and mud - photo by Eva Wimmer.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZkBv43dpCHNEJEewuKgcLW4hPiNNjN8HfRcgjz4TiHZT/Johndrow%20-%20Wattle%20and%20daub%20with%20bamboo%20and%20mud%20-%20photo%20by%20Eva%20Wimmer.jpg)
<a href="https://goo.gl/images/RL4Di2">Image source.</a>

**While the rich folks also needs bamboos in scaffold making just as they're shown bellow as shown bellow**.

![bamboo scaffolding.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQma2QCbWn3AbQcmE4Pda1LwboPxKrxsMZb1YbDpTKHNUAs/bamboo%20scaffolding.jpg)
<a href="https://goo.gl/images/JYKdCN">Image source</a>


<hr> 

***The importance of bamboo tree in Igbo land can never be overemphasized. Please remember what it is called in Igbo language; it's called ACHALA!***

# Thanks for reading and learning.
*Please leave us a comment, tell us what a bamboo tree is called in your native language, if possible it uses which I didn't include here*.  


![Appreciation.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmWfFCtHaVtB6wM5P41TBUgBxFzxT7nFGpQQmympvdT3oS/Appreciation.jpeg)