by Nze Izo Omenigbo
“Uzu amaro akpu ogene, ya nee egbe anya n’odu” (A blacksmith who does not know how to fashion a twin gong—should observe the kite’s tail) —Igbo Proverb
A Primal Birth
Quite plainly, Ahobinagu or Obinagu is identifiable as the Igbo Alusi (Deity) that is spiritually inherent in the flora, fauna and extensive wildlife of the forest. A brief etymological assessment of the word itself reveals Obinagu as an essentially aggregated Deity. In other words, it is a spirit-guild of the countless, highly diversified essences immanent in the ecosystem of forest life. However, this definition should not–by any means–be seen as a cementing point of the obviously far more complex nature of this Deity. Perhaps, a very convenient way to comprehend the nature of this unique Alusi is to picture a host of spirits, each embodying a specifically assigned purpose in its nature, but all sharing one great cognitive head. Also, the somewhat similar image of an octopus might come to mind. But surely, an octopus is no contestable match for Obinagu, any day.
Okpo Masquerade from Calabar, Nigeria
Subsequently, beautiful Komosu was martyred by the impact of the immense primal energy that escaped from this private enclave, and thus—the known world was born! In other words, it is essentially in this great outburst of dynamic manifestation that the basic building blocks of life were seeded or brought into being. However, as the Divine being that she is, Komosu consequently reincarnated back on Earth, as Ala, the Igbo Earth Goddess.
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| The Big Bang |
So, following a brief analysis, it becomes rather logical that the very earliest “seeds” to have possibly emerged from Komosu’s initial mischance should be the immanent spirits/essences, incarnated in the infinity of created life across the universe, especially as is observable here on Earth. In this sense, the Alusi known as Obinagu is principally one of such primal incarnations. Moreover, as an indispensible ally of Ala, it is only proper that Obinagu should share one of the Earth Goddess’s imperative attributes, namely, an eco-system.
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| Gwarama Masquerade from Burkina Faso |
Given the discovery of what must’ve seemed an incredible bond, the ancient Igbos most likely proceeded to place Obinagu
in the readily acknowledged position which it continues to inhabit
today in the larger Igbo Cosmo-theological system. In a more summative
analysis of this multifaceted Deity—then, one can briefly consider Obinagu as
partly serving as a well-realized “Spiritual Locus” of the Earth Deity
within the intricate natural network of the forest. Hence, the dual
meaning of the name: Obi-n’agu (I) That which lives in the forest (II)
The heart of the forest.
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| Atam Masquerader from Alok Village, Nigeria |
In the many Igbo traditions where this Deity is highly revered, such as in Udi—Enugwu State, there are many associated activities that are considered sacred to it. One of such is the Egwu Obinagu, which literally means, Obinagu music. This sacred music is also known as Igede Obinagu, in other parts of Udi. It is essentially flute music (Egwu Oja). But the accompaniment of other wooden Igbo musical instruments is not entirely forbidden. However, the use of metallic musical instruments such as Ogene (twin gong) appears to be excluded from that opportunity.
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| Various Igbo Ogene |
Indeed, if one would only stop to consider the profound and unrelenting reverence that ancient Igbos had for nature, then the much deeper mysteries behind the resource-specific instrumental selection of Egwu Obinagu will become evident. An important remark is the fact that the Oja (flute) is an instrument that is totally carved out of wood. And wood itself being a resource that can only be naturally acquired from the forest—strikes a note of great importance, in relation to the forest Deity itself. Hence, the reason for excluding the Ogene and other metal-honed musical instruments in the accepted implements for making the Obinagu sacred music.
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| Oja (flute) |
It is also important to point out that the primal resident spirits that inhabit the various streams and springs that course through forests—are not left out in this intricate synchronicity of spiritual forces, which in turn aggregates into Obinagu. This becomes further obvious, following a recognition of the indispensible union between water and the boundless, naturally-laid network of trees, herbs and shrubs—all layered out in profound harmony, with the rest organic/inorganic presences in Earth’s ecosystem.
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| Nnabo Dance Group from Akpabuyo Village, Cross River, Nigeria, |
Indeed, life feels itself and in return, it progresses to express what
it feels through nature. However, beyond the overt, mundane and
maneuverable aspect of a Deity such as Obinagu, there exists a
core spiritual dynamic to nature that has continued to escape
contemporary awareness. Yet this simple core can be appreciated once
again through the grasp of a very ancient language. This language is no
other than the sacred cosmic language, Afa. The amazing thing is that we’re told by the ancients that humanity once spoke in Afa.
And even at that time, it was considered a sacred tongue, just as it’s
still considered today. In other words, according to Igbo mythic
account, if humanity had once regarded the language of Afa a sacred one, then surely, we must’ve—at one time—also viewed ourselves, the speakers of this language—as sacred beings.
We’re also told that among other things, Afa is also
fundamentally a language of nature; a language of the gods. However,
since nature is also our only viable means of interfacing with the
gods—through Afa, then Afa is also a cosmic language,
because all the higher Deities are principally cosmic beings. Now one
might ask, what then is the basis of such a language and how did it come
to be spoken by man? Well, the simple secret is that Afa
language was patterned after the brilliant, vibratory harmony that is
found in nature. And since it is held to be life’s very first
language—spoken by the gods themselves—then it was destined that
humanity should inherit this cosmic tongue from the gods, just as it
inherited other wonderful gifts of civilization from them.
We don’t know how we came to forget or lose the ability of this divine tongue. But a very mystifying fact about Afa
is that it is a language that can only be understood by nature; which
means that we once spoke and communicated with nature, much like we do
with ourselves today. Interesting isn’t it? Well, actually not all of us
have lost this ability. Our Ndi Dibia still retain it and in fact, they still employ a great deal of it in their work. Notice that Afa
proves to be an all-encompassing and all-knowing language—as a result
of its ability to interface with all of nature, hence interfacing with
all of life. At this juncture, the spirituality of nature and the
bonding nature of spirituality is made evident, as one makes the
connection to the earlier stated harmonic-essence that is fundamental of
the Obinagu Deity.
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| Atiya Traditional Dance |
Now whether in Igboland or elsewhere in the world, we might have
succeeded in convincing ourselves that there are certain, extant members
of creation that are strictly known as plants. However, the truth is
that, at one time, man himself was also a plant in the garden of nature!
Specifically, we were once “man-plants” or what is known as Akwu. A
linguistic variation of this name is still used for the palm-tree in
Igboland today. Moreover, the palm-tree is also considered sacred all
over Africa, especially in its aspect as the tree of life. So, in
contrast to the ‘exceptionist’ perception of most people today—in
respect to the place of man in nature, Afa tells us that we
once viewed ourselves as merely members of the colossal, cosmic organism
known as life, whose outer ornament is the awe-inspiring nature.
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| Minor Ekpe Masquerade with Mango Leaves from Calabar South, Nigeria |
For the keen-eyed observer, a plethora of clues abound in Igbo life
and culture to substantiate the mystic remnants of Igbo antiquity, in
respect to nature and how ancient Igbo societies related to nature. One
of the most obvious of these is the Igbo word for name: Afa (pronounced differently). Already, one can sense the overt etymological relationship between Afa, the name and Afa,
the tongue. Still, it becomes even more obvious when we consider that
in Igbo culture (indeed in many African cultures) one’s name is believed
to embody their existential lot or destiny in a given life-time—in
addition to serving as their natural compass. In other words, one’s Afa
(name) essentially becomes a dual conception; especially in the Igbo
sense. Firstly, as their sacred individual ‘code’ for assessing
nature’s existential allotment for them (destiny) and then, as their
divinely-accorded compass for identifying their place amidst nature
(distinction). Hence, without even recognizing it, one’s name is
essentially their own unique cryptogram; their cosmic code for relating
to Chukwu and the gods. And even more, one’s name is their first Afa (divination).
Without diving too deep into the mystical dimensions of this fact, it
can be observed that humanity actually has no choice but to recognize
its sacredness once again—as part of the divine ornamentation that is
nature. Therefore, as privileged and responsible members of this endless
festivity of life, our role is precisely that of caretakers and not
squanderers. Furthermore, in relation to this inherent role of
custodianship, another sublime parallel exists here between man and Obinagu—as
the custodian Deity of natural life in the forest. However, in the end,
it appears that even more responsibility is expected of man as Mma Ndu, the crown of creation.
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| Ekong Ikon Ukom Masquerades from Calabar, Nigeria |
Igbo Antiquity and Ecotheology
Regarding the sheer, immense reverence that ancient Igbo societies
had for their natural environment, the opening axiom of this discourse
makes it even clearer with its instructional diction—recommending that
humanity should turn to nature for her absolute wisdom. In fact, it is
arguably only out of such similar, passionate and overwhelming reverence
that the ancient Igbos went as far as condemning the conception of
twins, which they innocently considered an undoing of a primal modus in
their cosmology of the human reproductive system—in relation to the
larger paradigm of nature. All this were done in their honest efforts of
preserving the essentialities of what they considered as highly sacred,
the Earth.
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| Ani, the Earth Mother |
However, they also came to realize in the end, out of ensuing wisdom
that “When something stands, another thing stands beside it”. Curiously,
till this very day, this monumental amendment (termination of the twin
taboo) along with its many theological and cosmological triumphs—remains
one of many such profound turning points in Odinala and Igbo
culture in general, that have managed to pass by without any epically
recognized or institutionalized celebration of it, for unaccountable
reasons.
At this point, it is also highly important to point out that even at
the time when this act was still practiced, the twins were not exactly
killed—in the literal sense of that word—but were merely taken to the
very thickest parts of the forest, where they were plausibly left in the
care of Ala and the forest Deity. An observable reason for this decision being that—instead of having to bear the more recognizable karma
that comes with conventionally taking a life, one would rather have the
fate of such children determined by the Deities themselves.
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| Yaie Masquerade from Burkina Faso |
Still, what is far deeply inherent here is that, in this monumental case of theological defeat, the operative synchronicity of Obinagu and Ala
is made even more evident, as one recognizes the explicit irony behind
the act of handing over these children to two Deities whom were both
considered as Divine Nurturers. At this point, we can imagine the
outright perplexity that must’ve overwhelmed the ancients. However, in
their infinite wisdom, they would guiltily return back home—only to
mourn these same children and offer copious sacrifices to appease Ala for the mind-boggling act that had just transpired.
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| Carnival in Haiti |
Essentially, the very multi-faceted and primal status enjoyed by Obinagu, as a custodian Alusi of
the forest is almost unquantifiable. However, one only needs to be
reminded of the highly agrarian nature of Igbo society prior this age to
make the connection. Hence, given the very predictable preference for
well-nurtured wildlife and agricultural yields at the time, there surely
couldn’t have been a better role for this Deity.
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| Ekpo Masquerade from Calabar, Nigeria |
The Imperative Need for Re-Consecration
The Deities (in their aspects as Gods and Goddesses) are profoundly
influential by nature, and countless in number. However, since the very
beginning of time, humanity as Mma-ndu (the crown of creation) have
unarguably enjoyed a God-given right to explore, harness and negotiate
the potentialities of these various incarnated forces. But just as even
the most mundane of life’s activity requires a procedural edict/code of
conduct, so does the consecration of these higher forces require a
spiritually sound arena to be made very effective.
Obinagu, for instance, cannot be “aligned” or brought into
operation in a naturally deprived environment, because it is a Deity
that operates simultaneously with nature herself, in the capacity of its
custodian. Also, the mere knowledge of the esoteric operatives used in
sacred science is not necessarily enough to potentiate a Deity. Just as
an actual car will require a competent mechanical engineer to be present
from its creation process to the manufacturing process—so as to ensure
optimal performance in the finished product—in the same way, a potential
Deity requires a competent Dibia Ogwu to be present from its
creation (or negotiatory process, depending on the Deific hierarchy) to
the erection and final dedication process. More importantly, a very
spiritually disciplined mind/population is also imperative for such
universal principles to be brought down—in the first place—to earthly
dimensions and even more, to make them abide for a very long time. This
is the inherent strength and genius of ancient Igbo societies. The
discipline of their time should be a strong fascination for any clear
minded Igbo person today.
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| Igbo Dibia |
In fact, one of the utmost advantages of deific consecration to man
is that, unlike modern scientific results and its technological triumphs
that often waiver in their abilities, mystical/spiritual potencies
(whether they come in the form of a massive “Esere-Ese/spiritual
inscription”, a massive pyramid or even in the form of a simple
tree-post) are still essentially non-third dimensional in their potency.
Hence, they’re essentially predisposed to influence (positively) or
mercilessly interfere with anything below their dimensions of origin;
just as one cannot help but experience the inevitable presence of rain
and sunshine here on earth, regardless of their personal opinions about
these two perceivable forces of nature, whose origins are well beyond
the third dimension.
So, in consecrating or aligning these Deities, we automatically
implore them to oversee and influence our third dimensional experiences.
But in other to be able to operate these higher forces (especially the
more manipulative lesser deities), a sacred state of being is
imperative. In other words, Igboland has to be re-consecrated once
again, because our Deities cannot do much for us collectively at this
point, until we jointly reinstitute our traditional ethics and
re-consecrate the land for them to be able to co-inhabit it with us.
Fortunately, considerable efforts are been made towards this agenda,
at this point in time. But there is no denying the intensity of the task
ahead. Nonetheless, it is only common sense that Igbos all over the
world should begin to see themselves as returning prodigals, in the most
productive sense of that expression. Because eventually, one cannot
grow too far from their roots, anyway.
—Nze Izo Omenigbo—
Including excerpted sections from ”Sacred Earth: The Divinities of Odinala”
(A work in the making)
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| "Gaia's Child" by Esther Johnson |
This post was borrowed from Odinani - Laws of nature!
