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Odinani A RESEARCH PAPER FROM WIKIPEDIA ON IGBO TRADITION/ LAWS/ MORALITY SimOne Madu Onyekachi(sicoohm@gmail.com /+2348094406973) This article is about the traditional spiritual practices of mmanwu and Ekpe. the Igbo people. For their traditional cultural practices Remnants of Igbo religious rites spread among African in general, see Igbo culture. descendants in the Caribbean and North America in era of the Atlantic slave trade. Igbo ọ́ bịà̀ was transferred to Odinani (Igbo: ọ̀dịnànị̀ )̀ comprises the traditional reli- the former British Caribbean and Guyana as obeah and gious practices and cultural beliefs of the Igbo people.[1] aspects of Igbo masquerading traditions can be found Odinani has monotheistic and panentheistic attributes, among the festivals of the Garifuna people and jonkonnu having a single God as the source of all things. Although a of the British Caribbean and North Carolina.[3][4][5][6] pantheon of spirits exists, these are lesser spirits prevalent in Odinani expressly serving as elements of Chineke (or [2] Chukwu), the supreme being or high god. Chineke is a 1 Etymology compound word encompassing the concept of chí the di- vine masculine force and (nà) ékè the creative and divisive Odinani in northern Igbo dialects is the compound of feminine force. The concept of Chúkwú ('supreme chi') the words ọ̀ dị̀ ('located') + n (nà, 'within') + ànị̀ (land was largely propagated by the Aro-Igbo of Arochukwu in or Ala earth goddess).[2][7][8] Other dialectal variants in- eastern Igboland who wielded much spiritual force over clude odinala, odinana, omenala, omenana, and ome- the eastern Niger Delta in the 18th century due to their nani.[8][9] The word odinani and all its variations is also operating of the Ibini Ukpabi oracle. associated with the culture and customary laws of the Lesser spirits known as ágbàrà or álúsí operate below the Igbo people. Many of the laws and culture were coun- high god Chineke and are parts of him divided by gender terparts with religion such as taboos and laws concerning in his mind. These spirits represent natural forces; agbara sacred spaces like a deities sacred forest. Since custom- as a divine force manifests as separate alusi in the Igbo ary law is recognised in Nigeria, many in Igbo society pantheon. A concept of 'the eye of sun or god' (ányá án- find themselves syncretising these beliefs with other be- wụ́ ) exists as a feminine solar deity which forms a part of liefs and religions. the solar veneration among the Nri-Igbo in northern Ig- boland. Alusi are mediated by dibia and other priests who do not contact the high god directly. Through áfà, 'div- ination', the laws and demands of the alusi are commu- 2 Beliefs nicated to the living. Alusi are venerated in community shrines around roadsides and forests while smaller shrines Odinani could loosely be described as a monotheistic and are located in the household for ancestral veneration. De- panentheistic faith with a strong central spiritual force at ceased ancestors live in the spirit world where they can be its head which all things are believed to spring from, how- contacted. Below the alusi are minor and more general ever, the contextual diversity of the system may encom- mmúọ pass theistic perspectives that relies on the different be- spirits known as loosely defined by their perceived [8][10][11][12][13][note 1] malevolent or benign natures. These minor spirits are not liefs of the religion. Chukwu as the ndi mmuo venerated and are sometimes considered the lost souls of central deity is classed among the , 'invisible be- Ala the dead. ings’, category of ontological beings which includes the divine feminine earth force, chi the 'personal deity', The number of people practicing Igbo religion had de- ndichie the ancestors, and mmuo minor spirits. The other creased drastically in the 20th century with the influx of class of beings are under ndi mmadu, 'visible beings’, Christian missionaries under the auspices of the British which are ánụ́ animals, and ósísí vegetation, and the fi- colonial government of Nigeria. In some cases Igbo tradi- nal class ùrò which consists of elements, minerals and tional religion syncretised with Christianity, but in many inanimate beings.[14] Chukwu as the creator of everything cases indigenous rites were demonised by Christian mis- visible and invisible and the source of lesser divinities is sionaries who pointed out the practice of human sacrifice also referred to as Chineke. Chukwu is genderless[15] and and some other cultural practices that were illegal under is reached through various spiritual forces mainly under the colonial government. Earlier missionaries referred to the spirit class of Alusi who are incarnations of the high juju many indigenous religious practices as . Igbo religion god; no sacrifices, however, are given to Chukwu and no is most present today in harvest ceremonies such as new shrines and altars are erected for him.[14] If an Arushi is ị́wá jí yam festival ( ) and masquerading traditions such as assigned to an individual, it becomes a chi, a personal 1 SimOne Madu Onyekachi(sicoohm@gmail.com /+2348094406973) 2 2 BELIEFS Chi is the personal spirit of a person ḿmúọ́ , in Igbo cul- ture it is this spirit which determines destiny. Hence the saying, onye kwe, Chi ya ekwe (meaning “If a per- son agrees to a thing, his spirit agrees also”). Cultur- ally, people are seen as the creators or makers of their own destiny.[16][17][18] The breath of life is in the heart, óbì.[18][19][20][21] Chi refers to the light and the day in con- trast to the dark. The universal chi indirectly in charge of everything is Chukwu who is the supreme being that is beyond the limits of time and space. Chukwu’s name is a compound of the words chí + úkwú ('great in size, supreme').[14] Chi is believed to be a spiritual connection between an individual and the high god and it dictates the trajectory of a persons spiritual journey on earth. Each chi is personal and is in communion with and insepara- ble from the universal chi of all things.[22] The high god, Chukwu, is believed to assign chi before and at the time of an individuals birth. It is a guardian spirit providing care, guardianship, and providence, in this respect, the concept of chi is analogous to the concept of a guardian angel in Christianity, the daemon in ancient Greek religion, and the genius in ancient Roman religion.[14][19][20][23] Unlike Chukwu who is genderless, chi can be masculine. A dibia áfà Entrance to the cave of the Ibini Ukpabi oracle at Arochukwu, can identify a person’s chi through divination ( ) and 1900s. advices adherents of ways to placate it. Chukwu is also referred to as Chineke which is a compound of the words chí the divine masculine force and ékè the creative and di- guardian god. The chi manifests as mmuo, spirits, and as visive feminine force. Eke came out of the hands of Chi a persons spirit is earth bound it chooses sex, type, and but are considered one; Chi created the world while Eke lifespan before incarnation in the human world.[16] divided it incorporating a divisive trickster energy that introduced death and suffering.[15] Chineke is also inter- preted as chí ne ké, 'chi the creatrix', and chí nne éké, 'chi 2.1 Chi the creative mother'.[22] Eke is ones ancestral guardian spirit. Chineke or Chukwu is high up away at the periph- ery of human life and remains a mystery to the people.[15] Households usually contain a chi shrine which could be focused on a tree. In marriage a woman takes her chi shrine along with all her belongings to her matrimonial home.[14] Around Nkarahia, in southern Igboland, there are the most elaborate chi shrines which are decorated with colourful china plates inset into the clay walls of the chi shrine building; the altars hold sacred emblems, while the polished mud benches hold offerings of china, glass, manillas, and food.[22] As a marker of personal fortune or misfortune, good acts or ill, chi can be described as a focal point for 'personal religion'.[14] 2.2 Cosmology The community of visible interacting beings and the cos- mos is referred to as ụ̀wà, which includes all living things íhẹ́ ndi dị́ ńdụ̀, including animals and vegetation and their mineral elements which possess a vital force and are re- garded as counterparts to invisible forces in the spirit world.[14] These living things and geomorphological fea- tures of the world therefore possess a guardian deity. Igbo Interior of a chi shrine at Nkarahia, southern Igboland, 1900s. cosmology presents a balance between the feminine and 2.4 Reincarnation 3 masculine, perhaps, with a preponderance of female rep- Ofo and ogu is a law of retributive justice. It vindicates resentation in Igbo lore.[14] In Igbo cosmology, the world anyone that is wrongly accused of a crime as long as was divided into four corners by the high god correspond- their “hands are clean”. It is only a person who is on ing to èké órìè àfọ̀ ǹkwọ́ which are the days of the week the righteous side of Ogu-na-Ofo that can call its name in the Igbo calendar regarded as market days.[24][25] The in prayer, otherwise such a person will face the wrath of universe is regarded as a composite of bounded spaces in Amadioha (the god of thunder and lightning).[29] Kola an overlapping hemispherical structure, the total spaces nut is used in ceremonies honour Chukwu, chi, Arushi are referred to as élú nà àlà.[14] In one Igbo cosmologi- and ancestors and is used as a method of professing inno- cal theory reported by W.R.G.

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