Dike Anaa - Gone so soon - The Introduction

                         

In Dike Anaa – Gone so soon, I try to buttress some points concerning the inescapable traditions that every Igbo person should know and note, so that the “Onwu erughi eru”, meaning, “ sudden death”  or “early exit” from the planet earth, going rampantly round Igbo land can be curbed in our holy land. “Gone so soon”, in Igbo language means, ”Ila n’oke oge”, fully interpreted as ” Onwu erughi eru”. This is the slogan used to describe people who die young and suddenly. This experience is increasing daily. The funeral homes in Igbo land have become a fast growing business, making lots of money from selling of caskets and other ancillary services.

 These traditional issues that people neglect and pay with their lives are as follows;

1.                                                   FUNERAL  CEREMONIES (ILI NA IKWA OZU)

Funeral Ceremonies are all procedures leading from death to interment till after mourning period. It is a fundamental tradition of Ndi Igbo to bury their dead. Funeral ceremony is called “ili ozu or ikwa ozu” in Igbo Language. Once someone drops dead, a set of observances are carried out from family, kindred and village levels. The process involves the cries, weeping and sobbing of people at the bereaved home. Some families who are wealthy deposit the corpse in a mortuary to enable the bereaved family members carry out proper planning of the funeral. This is followed by an announcement for the commencement of funeral rites by the head of the family to the kindred and village levels. Announcement of funeral involves invitation of entire family, in-laws, kindred and village people.

In some localities, the head of the bereaved family presents

                                   kola nuts,bottle of hot drink, Palm wine  and food.

 In some other localities the family or nearby neighbours contribute to host the kindred and village men and women. Among other arrangements are the visits – for a man to his maternal home, and for a woman her maiden home. In Igbo culture, the two relations responsible for a man’s welfare are his kinsmen and his maternal village. For a woman, her maiden home and her matrimonial family must be consulted for participation.

FOR THE DECEASED MAN

The burial of a man in Igbo land cannot take place until his maternal home people are settled by certain ritual presentations. The village people at their meeting will select persons to visit the maternal home people of the deceased man. The selected people visit the maternal home people of the deceased man on the appointed date following a free market day.

Ndi Igbo visit to the maternal village of a deceased man and Maiden Village of the deceased women  during Funerals cannot be neglected by the family

 This visit is called “mkpuru mmai”, in the core Igbo areas, and other dialects have their names for this rite.

The announcement at the deceased man’s maternal home people should be that “their grandson is sick in the hospital, and they have come to notify them”. It is against Igbo tradition and not normal, to expressly tell the maternal home people of the deceased man that their grandson is dead. Those who violate this are expressly fined.

The maternal home people at the joint gathering at the maternal home of the deceased man select people to go to the hospital and see him. On the way, they turn back to the gathering and announce that when their grandson saw his village and maternal home people, he gave up the ghost. At this point, the maternal home people will tell the man’s village representatives that “death is a natural phenomenon and that once a person dies, burial is the next”.

The Maternal home people will tell the dead man’s home people their traditional requirements for a short rite called,”Ima mbazu”, (“Striking of the iron rod”), meaning the selection of a burial site for their  late grandson at the village of the deceased man. This rite takes place a day before the burial. It enables the villagers of the deceased man to know the portion of land selected for digging the grave for interment. It is the first son of the maternal family called” Diokpara umerenne or Diokpa ikwunne” that will perform the “ Ima Mbazu” rite, in company of some of his village people. 

The Rite of “ Ima Mbazu” for deceased men and women in Igbo Land cannot be neglected .  The maternal home people of the deceased man will offer the following:

Kola nuts, food and drinks to all present at the gathering of the two families.

Once the maternal home people come to their grandson’s village home, the family of the

Deceased man will present Kola nuts

to them, and after that lead them to the burial portion of land. It is the maternal home people of the deceased man that confirms that the portion for burial is acceptable, if not, a change of portion will be requested. After the representatives of the maternal home have been satisfied about the burial portion, the leading elder from the maternal home prays for the rest of the body of their late grandson, and after he breaks one of the kola nuts. Some pieces of the kola nuts will be scattered around the grave portion, and the other pieces will be consumed by all present.

The following are given to the maternal home people for “Ima mbazu” rite-

 

 Kola nuts, tubers of yam, 1 cock, and 1 hot drink, food and drinks, which includes beer and palm, wine in modern times.

After the above rite, the men from the village of the deceased man commence digging of the grave. They will be served with kola nuts, food and drinks which includes beer, palm wine and hot as well by the bereaved family.        

This energizes them to finish the digging of the grave on time.

On the appointed day for the burial proper, if the person was a church member, his denomination will participate by conducting the funeral service, and receive all their dues in terms of money and food, but the chief mourner, usually a man, head of the family or husband of the deceased man, should concentrate on the welfare of the relations of the deceased.

FOR THE DECEASED WOMAN

 The same above applies to the married woman. Her matrimonial home must be consulted for participation in her funeral at her matrimonial place. The burial of a deceased married woman in Igbo land cannot take place until her maiden home people are settled by certain ritual observances. The matrimonial village people at their meeting will select persons to visit the maiden home people of the deceased woman. The selected people visit the maiden home people of the deceased woman on the appointed date following a free market day. This visit is called “mbege akwa”, meaning weeping to the maiden family.

The announcement of death at the woman’s maiden village should be that their daughter is sick in the hospital, and they have come to notify them. It is against Igbo tradition and not normal, to expressly tell the maiden home people that their daughter is dead. The maiden home people at the joint gathering select people to go to the hospital and see her. On the way, the representatives turn back to the gathering and announce that when their daughter saw her matrimonial people and her maiden home people, she gave up the ghost. At this point, the maiden home people will tell the woman’s matrimonial representatives that” death is a natural phenomenon and that once a person dies, burial is the next”. The Maiden home people and the in-laws will commence, “nkari ikpeazu”, (last discussion), meaning,” the redemption of the corpse rite”. This includes payments in form of money and materials. This differs from one locality to another. This is done to enable the corpse of the woman to be buried at her matrimonial place.

 The early tradition of Ndi Igbo does not allow married women to be buried at her matrimonial home. Then, corpses of married women are taken to their maiden home land for burial. This is still being practiced particularly at Asaba in Anioma Delta State, Nigeria. There, a reasonable burial ground is left at the backyard of the family head called “Diokpa”, for the burial of the corpses of his married sisters. Today, if the matrimonial family in Asaba wants to bury the corpse of their late wife, a ransom will be paid to the Traditional Ruler and his council members.

Generally, in the olden days, young men are ordered by the elders to go to their late sister’s matrimonial home and bring back home their sister’s corpse for burial. This is because the Igbo tradition and culture believes that women are married and not sold to men. Nowadays, the church and modern trends had allowed the burial of deceased married women at their matrimonial homes.

Nowadays, the maiden family of a late woman continues the burial rites after her matrimonial representatives have satisfied the requirements of her maiden home. After this, the traditional requirements for a short rite called,”Ima mbazu”, (“Striking of the iron rod”), meaning the selection of a burial site for their late daughter at the matrimonial village of the deceased woman takes place. This rite actually takes place a day or two before the actual burial day