 Although title holders were respected because of their accomplishments and capabilities , they were never revered as kings , but often performed special functions given to them by such assemblies . This way of governing was immensely different from most other communities of Western Africa , and only shared by the Ewe of Ghana . Umunna are a form of <unk> maintained by the Igbo . Law starts with the Umunna which is a male line of descent from a founding ancestor ( who the line is sometimes named after ) with groups of compounds containing closely related families headed by the eldest male member . The Umunna can be seen as the most important pillar of Igbo society . 
