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Igbo Culture and Traditions Do not mix and misunderstand the differences between positive and negative culture and traditions. Igbo culture and traditions are not only traditional dance on Christmas period. Here are some examples of Igbo Out-dated Cultures and Tradition. Find out for yourself, if you would like to live like your great grand father.
Content:
1. Ilu Nwanyi - Marriage in Igbo Treditional Society 2. Igbu Ejima - Killing of Twins 3 Igba Okoro - Men's Ceremony 4. Igo mmoo - Idol Worshiping 5. Osu - Osu Caste 6. Iri Amusu (Ita Amusu) - Witchcraft 7. Ilo Ogwu (Igba Ekwensu) - Ritual Ceremony 8. Chi Omumu (Mbari) - Ritual to Fruitful Marriage 9. Ida Mkpe (Ikwa Ajadu) - My Husband is dead 10. Inye Ofo - Lost and found Ritual 11 Idu Isi - Ritual Swearing 12. Iru Mgbede - Attainment of Marriage Status (females) 13. Ichi Ozo - Special Chiftaincy Ceremony 14. Ibi Ugwu - Circumcision
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Normally, even when the fundamentals remain the same, the approach to Igbo marriage tradition defer from place to place. In the past, there are many traditions a man has to consider and respect if he wants to get married. Today in contemporary Igbo societies most of these traditions have been replaced by Church and Court marriages. Stop Osu Solidary (SOS) is proud of such changes especially in the areas where the women are clearly misrepresented and often abused in the name of tradition. In the past, polygamy was encouraged in all corners of Igbo
land - seen and regarded as a symbol of success, wealth and fame. Some Igbo wealthy
traditionalists marry up to 15 wives (my great grandfather married 7). And in certain
Igbo societies (especially in Nsuka and Nwga area) parents sometimes do marry
for their male kids who are clearly under aged. The reason for this could be
traced to the fact that such kids are mostly “the only child” or “only male
child” in the family or just because their parents believe that it is better to
know their step-daughter from childhood. Around Generally, a man who wants to get married would first call on his parents, friends and relatives and made his intentions known. After that, concentrated - all these people would go about “searching” for a lucky girl, a bride to be. Eventually, somebody sees a beautiful girl, he or she would find out if the girl in question is free or in any form martially engaged. According to her parents, no suitor is underway…., and we are already into the next stage. Both families would now engage themselves into what they call “asking” period. They would send secret enquires: They have to find out from the neighbour if either of the families is Osu (nobody marries from Osu family). Do they have diseases like leprosy (leprosy was regarded as incurably) in the family? Do they suffer sudden death? Is the girl respectful and greets all her elders? Does she have record with men – eventually, is she a virgin? Does her mother give birth to twins (such is abomination)? Does her mother respect her husband? Do they live in harmony? Is the man hard-working? Does his family also live in harmony? Etc. Satisfied, the family of the bridegroom would send a formal delegation. The girl – the bride to be receives the information officially from her influential and decisive parents. This follows another one or two traditional formality visits and the girl is faced with the inevitable decision – mostly actually without much choice. From there, the eldest from two parties will find time to discuss and settle on the amount of the bride price. If the bridegroom and his family are rich the bride price is also expected to be higher. This is a compulsory though always regarded as a bonus by the side of the bride’s parents for raising a good daughter. Most people pay cash, some pay with goats and cattle and some combine. Sincerely, I believe that the luck of giving her daughter by a Igbo traditionalist to a wealthy and famous farmer cannot be separated from the wish of a rich son-in-law by many parents of today. The difference is that today, responsible parents leave the choice of marriage partners which eventually leads to unforced error or happiness to their sons and daughters. What is your oppinion?
Ejima (Twins) - imu Ejima (giving birth to twins or more than one child) according to the Igbo tradition before the arrival of the European missionaries, as primitive as it sounds was an abomination and the worst thing that can happen to an Igbo woman. Igbo men of the time – of course in their ignorance shared no blame to this. In those days, when a woman is pregnant, she will be praying secretly and hoping she don’t give birth to twins. At birth, on realizing that the second child is on the way, some midwives will abandon their patient and run away. In such cases, a man who cares to help will reluctantly engage the service of a very old woman to finish the job. Some of these innocent helpless women die as result. The twins are abandoned in the forest where they will cry to death or devoured by insects and wild animals. In some part of Igbo land the local midwife will kill them instantly to prevent people from knowing the ugly fate that has besieged the whole family. In both cases, these women, through all their pain (ie, if they survive) should NEVER cry. This is regarded as another kind of abomination. If she ever survives her ordeal, the mother of twins starts the real isolation misery. Enemies will laugh at her and everybody will discommunicate her. Cooking or living in the same room with her husband is forbidden. Series of rituals and appeasement of the gods are necessary to cleanse her impurity. In some corners of Igbo land these women must leave the house to a special place designated for people with impurity like leprosy. And this, depending on the corner of Igbo land can last for some couple of months. Their husbands on the contrary are most often encouraged in this period to remarry for fear of reoccurrence.
The whole truth about calling some of their brothers and sisters Osu, Ume, Oru, Mgbeke, Mgborie, Akwasa etc, in those days and discriminate against them is not different from the ugly and extreme primitive treatment of their lovely wives and twins. The fact that Christians and educated Igbos of today circle their reasoning around custom and tradition repeating the same old and ugly tradition is really a shame. Stop Osu call on Ndi-Igbo to make up their mind.
Igba Ikoro (Okoro) – Men’s Ceremony (In summary) In the past the Igbos are a race that respect violence and people (especially men) identified with violent acts like outstanding image over tribal wars, killing, cannibalism and even sometimes achievements like wrestling, great hunting ability etc, are also respected. Igba Ikoro is the show-down ceremony, men above men and perhaps why a lot of injustices are done since the last Ikoro ceremony. From place to place, Ikoro is usually celebrated in the forest at night. Ikoro is forbidding for women and children. It normally starts with sprinkling of life animal’s blood (sometimes human beings, slaves or prisoners of tribal wars) on the ritual utensils and wooden gongs unto special worship to such local deities. This is a night to demonstrate fearlessness. The men will dance unto the call of the Ikoro gung. They proudly wave and waggle or protrude their famous blood-ridden bows and machetes as signs and symbols of their fearlessness and achievements. Men who have no violent record like women are not welcomed to Ikoro ceremony. Those who disregard this rule and instead of sleeping with their wives at home venture to participate are degraded to laughter and to serve the real men. They will be forced for example to sit and carry a pot of palm oil on their head where the others dip some roasted yam to bless their fame. Through the advent of the Christian missionaries and education a tradition like this become funny and disappeared. If you have read the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, then you can link our “customs and traditions” here to the life and story of Okonkwo. Stop Osu Solidarity wants to know from Ndi Igbo (Igbo people) why they stopped a tradition like Igba Ikoro but still call their brothers and sister Osu?
Today, idol worshiping is practiced by about three percent of Igbo population believed to be pagans. This notably does not represent a large percentage of the so-called “Igbo Christians” who combine their religious belief. Igo mmoo which connotes idol worship or sacrifice (appeasement of the gods) is still widely practiced in different forms and levels all around Igbo land. Those who do this believe they owe their existence to such local god-images and respect them. However, in the past idol worshiping normally take place on a special location, shrine specifically established and decorated with carved wooden images (as symbols of such gods), human and animal skulls, other utensils like cola-nut, dried animal skin, feathers of different birds, eggs, etc. Worshiping days are always markets days - Eke or Afo. On these days, often, the worshipers try as much as possible to offer their gods sacrifices like white chicken, white goat, food items wrapped in white, palm-wine, etc. They also try to wear only white clothes and decorate their face colourfully. When they have gathered and their required items complete, (a) human beings used as sacrifices, are sometimes stripped naked and forced to stand before or at the middle of the shrine through the ritual duration, (b) animals are slaughtered and their blood sprinkled all around the shrine. They will then cook and eat the meat and other food items they brought. Sometimes people go to these idols to settle their dispute or to seek answers to things and situation they don’t understand. In their search for supreme and supernatural deity, sometimes too, the Igbo traditionalists’ worshiped objects and things like rivers – Imo, Idemili, Njaba, Anambra, Osimiri Niger, Nkisi etc.
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Generally, women who gave birth to twins “according to our
traditions” usually conceive through the help of the evil spirit and gave birth to demons. No joke, this was the true conception of twins from those whom the Igbos proudly follow their custom and tradition today. And don’t think that these things happened some thousands of years ago. NO. We are in 2007- you will never see an Igbo twins (death of natural course or alive) who is older than 70 years. If you are reading this and you are a twin (maybe you have some twin friends or family members), be happy that the missionaries came. Maybe this will help you rethink on the origin, primitivism and ignorance of Osu caste system of today.
Isolation and lots of ritual cleansing for mother of twins.