The following is some of the things that the Ancient Igbo did and believed, in order to bring Social Equality and Personal Freedom into their lives to become a nation of families.
The Igbo believe, CHINEKE, the Greatest of the Great Being, created the universe and all therein using parts of Him-her-Self. (This means that everything a person can see, touch, taste, smell, and hear is CHINEKE). Another
way of saying the same thing, the sum total of every thing in the
universe, including the Gods and Goddesses, are the parts of one being, CHINEKE; like the parts of the human body, including the mind, is a part of one being, You.
This means that each of the CHINEKE’s
parts are inter-dependent on each other, but each with a will and
purpose of their own. On the other hand, we can say, the universe
consists of the logical order of the parts of CHINEKE; for example like
the heart, lungs, stomach etc, etc., of the human body. This is such an
important concept in the Igbo’s religious beliefs; we should go into
more detail.
From
a sexual point of view, CHINEKE’s mind is divided into a female side
and a male side, and each side is inter-dependent on the other, yet,
each part has different functions.
The
parts on one side are called Gods, and the other side are called
Goddesses. However, both sides have the job of managing the affairs of
the universe. The same way the left and right side of a person’s mind
manages their affairs.
This
means that Heaven is the Mind of CHINEKE, therefore the activities of
the Gods and Goddesses show how that Mind works. The relationship of the
Gods and Goddesses to each other symbolize the structure of the African
Bush logic we mentioned.
For
example, as a symbol of the unification of the mind, the Igbo believe,
that in the center of heaven is a Holy Marketplace. This is where the
Gods and Goddesses conduct all social, ritual, and economic business of
managing the affairs of the universe.
Symbolizing
how the Gods and Goddess relate to each other as a unit to form the
logic of this Great Mind; the Holy Family harmony is a united state of
mind. This shows that the Igbo believe that the universe is the body,
and heaven is the mind of CHINEKE.
It
is very interesting that the Igbo think of the center of heaven as a
marketplace. We understand this to mean that there was a trade between
the Gods and Goddesses in the name of harmony. Things were traded and
wealth was accumulated on all sides in the trade; spiritually speaking.
Whereas
a marketplace is the creator of wealth through trade, this means that
CHINEKE is the Great Creator of trade for the purpose of creating
wealth.
On
the other hand, this means that each Igbo believes that they are also a
part of CHINEKE, and their purpose in life is the same as the Gods and
Goddesses.
Meanwhile,
although we used bits and pieces of information about the Igbo beliefs
from a large number of sources, the evidence is still solid and lays a
foundation of the Igbo’s world view.
Let's use
this world view as evidence in constructing the Igbo creation story,
and later verify the story when we investigate the Igbo’s social and
economic lifestyle. Our purpose in doing things this way is to give a
time line flow to our investigation.
Again,
we must keep in mind that this is a story that is put together
from things known as Igbo religious beliefs. For example, it is known
that the Igbo believe that the God IGWE and Goddess ALA created mankind,
and, the organization of Igbo society is based on how they believe
heaven is organized. The story is as follows:
Creation Story
“For
a long time things worked very well in heaven, however, all of the Gods
and Goddesses lived in one place. However, each was individualistic,
and therefore very independent. This was the cause of a big problem,
jealousy and greed came in the picture.
It
seems that each God began to want all of the powers of the other Gods.
The question was, who had more authority. The Gods became greedy. The
same thing happened on the female side, the Goddesses became jealous of
each other‘s powers. Things got worse and worse.
Finally,
it got so bad, the affairs of the universe began to suffer and became a
threat to CHINEKE’s existence, who was about to be destroyed by parts
of HIS-HER own mind (A super schizophrenic case).
CHINEKE began thinking of how to solve the problem, and came up with a Master Plan in the form of Laws of Social Equality and Personal Freedom, based on Equal Value of each of the Gods and Goddesses Values.
Thereafter, to establish the family, a God and Goddess were to pair up and build their own place in heaven, surrounding a market place.
And, the families’ relationship was one of contract and trade, with the
God EKWENSU, the Trickster, acting as an enforcer in the market place.
In
other words, heaven was divided into equal parts, and each God and
Goddess had a domain of their own, the Igbo call a Holy Homestead. And
the Holy Marketplace is their symbol of social harmony.
Now we will focus on one of the pairs, the God EGWE and the Goddess ALA, whose domain consisted of the earth and sky.
Although
they are like husband and wife, they do not live in the same house.
IGWE lives in the sky, and ALA lives on the earth; to the Igbo, the
earth and sky merge to form the Holy Homestead in which mankind was
created.
ALA
and IGWE created 8 people, 4 males and 4 females. In the process of
creating mankind, IGWE and ALA used 4 kinds of material; sticks from the
Ofo tree as bones and clay and chalk for flesh. After they were formed
and dried in the sun, ALA wrapped them in Umune leaves from the Umune
tree for nurturing the five senses and sexuality. And, as the creators,
they had the responsibility of educating them as well, especially the 7
cycles-of-life, and the rituals related to the rites-of-passage that a
person must past through in life;
(1) Sex-act and birth: (nine months)
(2) Babyhood: (Birth to about three years to the age)
(3) Childhood: (Three years to the age of twelve)
(4) Adulthood: (developed between the ages of thirteen and twenty)
(5) Parenthood: (twenty to forty year age group)
(6) Grandparenthood: (Forty to sixty years)
And (7), Great grandparenthood and Ancestor- hood: (Sixty years to forever after death).
In
addition, they were taught about the substance-of-life that a person
must have to live. This was taught by the preparation for the up coming
celebration-of-human life.
ALA
and IGWE went out in their garden-of-life to get the things necessary
for the ceremony. The 4 women went with ALA to her garden and gathered
corn, melons, okra, pumpkins, beans, peas, greens, cassava, coco yams,
red pepper, rice, bananas, plantain, peanuts, and palm oil. Meanwhile,
IGWE, and the 4 men went to his garden to gather palm wine, kola nuts,
alligator pepper, yams, and a wild goat.
ALA,
being the Great Mother of nurturing, retired to her domain to prepare
the food, including the 8 yams and goat meat given to her by IGWE.
While
the food was being prepared and cooked, ALA taught the 4 women the
mysteries of womanhood, wisdom of the womb, and the rituals related to
the female 7 cycles of life; symbolized by Umune leaves.
Meanwhile,
IGWE retired to his domain where the men were his guest, to whom he
showed hospitality, as he taught them the rituals related to the male 7
cycles of life, and the mysteries of manhood symbolized by Ikenga, a
statue of a man with ram horns on his head. The men were also taught
about OFO.
Then
the 8 people were brought together where they were taught that the
contribution of the energy of life, in the creation of mankind, comes
from IGWE. Meaning, IGWE is Head of the Holy Homestead in the sense he
has the power to keep the homestead spiritually alive and functioning.
This makes IGWE the Chief Administrator of mankind’s Affairs.
On
the other hand, ALA makes the rules of moral conduct; especially as
related to the earth, called the laws of the land. Thus is the authority
of Umune. And IGWE enforces these laws, meaning he is also the judge,
police and priest, as well as a warrior-protector, thus is the Authority
of OFO.
But
just as important, as far as the men and women are concerned, each of
them asked questions about what concerns them as individuals, and
received individual answers. Thus the 8 people not only learned about
their roles as men and women, but also their roles as independent beings
unto him or her self, even in their relationship with ALA and IGWE,
their Creation Mother and Father.
When
the food was prepared, ALA and IGWE invited the God AMADIOHA (the
thunder and lightning God), ANYANWU (the sun God), EKWENSU (the
Trickster God), and the Goddess of the Moon. All gathered in the Holy
Market Place.
This
was followed by the ceremony called the celebration of life which was
performed in the Holy Market Place, where there was a big festival of
music, dancing, singing, talking, trading, and everybody having a good
time.
After
observing how the Gods and Goddesses related to each other as equals
and traded with each other, and all made a profit, the people learned
the laws of social and economic relationships based on social equality
and personal freedom.
Meanwhile, the
8 people Chose a Destiny to become a Wealthy Nation based on Family
Values and Trade; and to that effect IGWE drew up the Contract as 7
Articles of Faith;
1.
The Great Creator, CHINEKE, Created the Universe and all therein using
Parts of HIM-HER-SELF; and is known as the God of Wealth.
2.
The major members of the Holy Family, Those that concern people,
consist of ALA, IGWE, ANYANWU, AMADIOHA, EKWENSU, and the Goddess of
Mysteries (the Moon Goddess); Who CHINEKE bonded together with Laws of
Social Equality and Personal Freedom.
3.
CHINEKE, The Great Creator, created the Human Spirit who is given a
personal Chosen Destiny; this Spirit-Destiny is called a Person's CHI
(which means the same as the Yoruba's ORI).
4. The Earth Goddess and Rain God, ALA and IGWE, are Husband and Wife and people are their Created children.
5. Ancestor Worship is the guide in building a nation.
6. Divine Manners of Kinship and Trade are the guide in life.
7. Negotiation, based on this Contract, is the Path-way to Spiritual and Economic Success; Wealth.
When
the people, and the Gods and Goddesses put their seal of approval on
this destiny, it became a Holy Contract between the spiritual world and a
human being.
After
the approval of this contract, the 8 people left the Holy Market place
and went out into the world and multiplied into the Igbo nation. This
chosen destiny later became the foundation of their religious beliefs
and social lifestyle.
When the people reached the outside (of heaven), they took the names of the values of IGWE and ALA.
For
example, the 4 women took the names Determination, Fortitude, Peace,
and Unity, the men took the names Justice, Truth, Trust, and
Righteousness. They got married, and formed the original 4 Igbo couples
and families.
When
IGWE and ALA created the original 8 people, they were pure in body and
spirit. Even when they left the holy homestead and went out into the
world, they had pure marriages, built pure homesteads, and raised pure
families. Which grew into 4 pure clan towns, with a pure market place,
and therefore created a pure society. (Here, pure means, copying the
Holy Family).
People
lived in perfect harmony, trade was perfect, and they were living in
the paradise of the wealth of a perfect society. All of which was based
on the 12 relationships that constitute a family (we will deal with
constitution of family later).
Then,
as the Yoruba say, jealousy and greed turned the perfect and pure
society upside down, and destroyed the perfect family relationships.
Well
GrandKids, let me tell you, when old jealousy and greed hit town, it
was like a hurricane, every thing of value in society was being
destroyed at a very rapid rate of speed. The town was falling apart, the
original 8 people were not effected, they were too pure.
Because
the original 8 people were the oldest Elders in society, all of the
people held a meeting presided over by them. This is how the Igbo’s
first government came into reality, and here, the original eight people
came up with a master plan.
Their
plan called for each of the original 8 people to create a ritual to
restore people to the purity of the 8 values of society. Since the
original 8 people were taught by IGWE and ALA in the Holy Homestead,
they knew something about the ritual process. This means, it was they
who created all Igbo purification rituals for fighting jealousy and
greed.
For
example, on the male side Mr. Righteousness created the ritual to
restore righteousness. Mr. Justice created the ritual to restore justice
to society. Mr. Truth created the ritual to restore truth to society.
And Mr. Trust created the ritual to restore trust to society.
On
the female side, Miss Determination created the ritual to restore
determination to society. Miss Peace created the ritual to restore peace
to society. Miss Unity created the ritual to restore unity to society.
And Miss Fortitude created the ritual to restore fortitude to society.
After
which, the original 8 people returned to live with IGWE and ALA in the
Holy Homestead. And from there they became Messengers between the people
of the world and the spiritual world. So, Ancestor worship is the
ritual relationship to one of these 8 values. (End of story)
