Iwa Oji In Isuikwuatọ (Breaking of Kola nuts in Isuikwuatọ)

Iwa Oji In Isuikwuatọ (Breaking of Kola nuts in Isuikwuatọ)

Iwa Oji In Isuikwuatọ (Breaking of Kola nuts in Isuikwuatọ)

By / Life Styles / الأربعاء, 30 تشرين1/أكتوير 2019 01:05

 

 

        We started this year with the reviews of the extent we went with this topic last year:

We heard why, of the 3 Clans, the smallest boy in Imenyi is senior to the oldest person in other clans, and may have to Bless Kola Nut; why the smallest male in Oguduasaa shares it; and why the presenter of the platter of the kola nuts takes shares after every body else!

 

For further details: -

a]. in the effort of our wise Ancestors to discover the Dos-&-Don’t of our Maker, Obasi di n’elu, they, among other things instituted the ceremony of Prayer over the Kola Nuts, apparently following the injunction “where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name…., and since the Finger Nail is there, a Smallest Kola nut can de shared to reach the all-and-sundry there ….”!

b]. let’s view the Kola Nuts ceremony in 2-scenarios, taking Amawu as an example:

Scenario 1:

 

If Amawu has invited Isu3, say, for a traditional Title Investiture, the eldest man of Amawu presents their  platter of kola Nuts through the occasion’s Chairman/M.C. who directs this to the traditional Head [who’s not necessarily the oldest man] in Imenyi. This person has to come from the oldest compound in Amiyi in Ahaba. It’s when such a person is absent that a deputy will be sought from other communities, -in order, Ovim who is from same mother with Ahaba, then Ezere. If no body comes from these areas, it means that the main gathering is not truly of Isuikwuato! -and should disband!

 

In scenario 2:

 

Let a family in Amawu Clan be inviting Isuikwuato for a wedding. It would first have invited Amawu Clan so that when the gathering is called to starting order it is this Amawu elder that will proffer the kola platter to the Isuikwuato traditional elder that happens to come from Imenyi.

 

c]. Blessing the Kola Nut: i].

 

God and the Ancestors are invoked; the lives; all goings & returning of all-&-sundry, even those absent at this occasion, are handed over to the care of God in the prayer!

ii]. the overall elder breaks [one of] the nuts, extracts the heart [obi oji] that is the germinal cell, and gives it to the presenter of the nuts to giver to the God & Ancestors because it is assumed that he alone knows where they are, -at the nearest shrine! –[My father used to eat it and tells the God & Ancestors that he would be bringing it to them when he returns to them soon!].

 

iii]. the same over-all elder pieces one cotyledon, and from it takes a share that is to be taken Home to Imenyi elders, to tell them where he went to. This ceremony is called “oji rue ulo ya akaa nga osi”

 

Every other traditional elder takes a share for his home elders too; and in doing this, each would add a simple prayer to the original blessing prayer, or simply say that he concurs to that originally said! A whole nut, instead of pieces from a cotyledon, are taken if there are enough nuts!.

 

c]. the Sharing: while in other Ibo Regions the sharing may be by an elder; and the presenter may bless the kola, -[which they call ‘Oji Ezi dikwa Eze na-aka …’, it is the youngest male of the youngest community in a gathering of Isuikwuato that shares it!

So, in this case, Ogoduasaa will appoint the young male that share it.

 

d]..How shares are taken: The 3-traditional leaders of the various Clans will take it in order of seniority; every other person takes, then the sharer/s take before the presenter [and his household] take together with their platter.

However, the presenter/s usually pieces further any remaining shares for late-comers to still taste of the kola of the occasion!

______________________________________________________________________

 

NB: Remember the fundamental saying “Igbo E nweghi Eze”!

 

What Ndi Igbo have is [or are] High Priests to their Shrines of God, -obasi di e’elu. These, [in Ovum], are called Obi, and he heads the Oha n’Uke, to form the parliament. They are God appointed.

Any investiture that is not favored by the entire Community and this Parliament is null & void!

 

Though the Government of today has imposed Ndi Ezes on the Communities, but the selection of some are fairly good in that the communities followed much of the customary procedure. But it should be noted that they are appointed by ‘man’, -not ‘God’ as in the case of the Obi [of Ovum especially].   

 

The case of Chiefs may not be compromised because, since Ndi Igbo e nweghi Eze, how can they have Chiefs?, and these Chiefs were even single-handedly appointed by the Ezes?

-[This is why some people of Ahaba rose against the Eze in those years when he appointed some Chiefs by himself alone].

 

Obasi di n’elu alone has prepared the way of our traditional ruler-ship such that it’s controlled by constitution prepared by a democratic parliament that represent all the people [also through the OCL in Ovum] to create a governance that is free from despotism!

 

I feel that the Ezeship could be acceptable traditionally if an Eze allows the Community to direct him into the Culture of the people.

But the Chiefs that an Eze appointed single-handedly [i..e: in absence of the entire Community & her Parliament] is void! Such Chiefs should not speak in real traditional gathering of Isuikwuato, nay, the Igbo Communities!

 

By the way, how is an Eze going to be replaced when he dies??

 

 

By Acho Ukwu.                

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