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 patrilineage 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. it was also a culture in which gender was re-constructed and performed according to social need, “where gender and sex did not coincide. instead, gender was flexible and fluid, allowing women to become men and men to become women”