The concept of a person held by a group of people is fundamental in understanding not only how a person within such framework of thought views himself but also how other matters such as the idea of being, morality, knowledge and truth that are essential for the ordering of the society are viewed. This is emphasised by the fact that such a concept encapsulates the role the society expects the individual to play for the attainment of an orderly society. The paper attempts an examination of the descriptive and normative concepts of a person common to many African communities with the aim of determining the role such a theory of person played in the actualization of social order in such communities and what lessons contemporary African societies can learn from such in meeting the challenges of current experiences.