Cityofdavid: When my NYSC call up letter requested me to report at Ebonyi state, I leaped for joy because I wasn't posted to the North where the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents were rampant. I once thought that the only thing worthy of dread was the Boko Haram sect, but it has occurred to me that Boko Haram is just one of the many unsualiness in parts of Nigeria. The most memorable moment during my odyssey to Ebonyi state from Lagos was the point when my vehicle crossed the river Niger which borders Delta State and Anambra State. The memories of Chinua Achebe's novel "Chike and the River" nostagically swept accross my mind like erosion on Benin roads.

gunpoint: Deed I make frontpaige? Wow!
Gawd is gud.
Whot numba ayam?
I haf woked hard to cum thes fa.
Next tiam I wee becum 1st to coment.

BlackPikiN:

Lol.. Forget spelling. U understand wetin I write abi?

Mr knowitall.:
This snake is not even poisonous its a grass snake it ca bite you all day and nothing will happen....

Nightshift: Another snake worshipping part of Igboland ( Eke Idemili comes to mind) are those Ohaozara villages.

In my Nkanu part of Igboland, green snakes are regarded dangerous and are said to sprint like Carl Lewis
We skin them though!

XpressMethod: Guy attend to your NYSC stuff and leave village things. It is same in my home town EZIORA OZUBULU in Anambra state.

PAGAN 9JA:
THE GODS BLESS THESE SNAKES!

THE GODS BLESS YOU ASWELL OP! GREAT THREAD!


don't listen to these christians. they have no respect for our forests and our animals. all they know is to kill anything that doesn't pay them tithe.

our fore-fathers knew that the only way to avoid the wrath of the dangerous forest animals, was to treat them with respect, instead of trying to exterminate them. We Maguzawa don't kill snakes, because they clear our fields of those rats that destroy our crops.


This is not just a Nigerian thing btw.
Across South-Western India, among the Bantaru and Nair Tribes, if you kill a snake, you would face retribution. and if you came across a dead snake, you must organize its funeral and also feed the entire village.

abdulkayus: Everyone wit his/her own culture sha. Also witness d same wen i was serving in Anambra state, Njikoka LG. U are nt allow to kill d python and me wey dey fear snake like wetin. Still finish my service there sha bt thank God never come in contact wit d forbidden snake. Bt we do kill other snake in our surrounding sha. Snake plenty like lizard for Anambra. Bt dos dat serve in d capital esp Awka south dont encountered dat.
Snakes issues are rare in d north.

Dempsy: ....i tot its only anambra state that worship and adore snakes in igboland....hmmmmmm,strange.....we need repentence in igbo land...

emmygod: Enugu state is more civilized in south eastern part of Nigeria. when i was serving in udi, the people have no reverence to deity ot totem. The town Ukana re not worshipping anything. nighty nine percent of them re predominantly christian. Unlike other neigbouring state like Anambra they still pay homage to python chinua achebe describe in his book the arrow of god. Deity re still respected. My visi to Ngwa land in abia state shows that there re not pegans.There customs re civilized.

ritux: I have a question to ask. What will happen to one who secretly kills any of those untouchable snakes and other animals that are forbidden to be killed in some places?

tjskii:


D tin go dey chase u for dream with cane,till u confess and do d needful

NEROSKY:

You made me comment.... When it comes to civilization don't compare Enugu WIf anambra.... Enugu na New York wher anambra dey....

emmygod: The only sacred animal in igbo land is a bird called vulture. It is sacred because it eats bad things and even rotten human beings. The bird was forbidden by fore fathers because they believe it is evil Any other sacred animals re god to people. They worship it. Pay homage. Shame of educated illitrate in igboland. I still thank udi in Enugu where i served. Totem believe is gone. Anambra re more fettish than Enugu. They have a lots of sacred worship. These people dont even know. Some part of Enugu like nssukka re still fettish. I love enugu. Most peaceful. I enjoyed stay in service year.

shevon: Guys beware: Not all the green snake you see in my village (Okposi) is revered. The OP should have stated categorically that Aka is the one the people gives its space.
My maternal uncle (now deceased) happened to be the one in charge of the shrine established for it in Ngbom Enu by the people of Okposi (and he is the last male in their lineage, so I don't know how the thing would be handled now)
Anyway, folklores have it that Aka has always been around but the respect of the people grew for it when the white men invaded my village and Aka trooped out in it's hundreds and chased them out of the area.
But like every other thing revered by people, there is a kind of spirituality associated with it, which makes the people insist it be given a burial similar to that of humans. So many religious people have tried killing it while damning the consequences and had had things happen to them: Some ran mad, others fell ill with unexplainable diseases; some who even killed it without mentioning it were tormented till spiritually till they confessed and the usual rites were performed.
Some people even speak to it and it listens (I've witnessed it when one of my old aunt was warning it when it slid into our compound when we were around, she was warning it that if anything happens to it that it was on its own as we - the kids - don't know it is and the snake went away immediately)
I'm not trying to scare anybody, neither am I saying the snake is anything of importance to me as an individual cos I don't believe it has anything to offer me, but like my mother (bless her soul) will always tell us, "Give onto Cesar what belongs to Cesar and give onto God what belongs to God. Stare clear of the snake and it will stay away from you"

Eluala: Excellent writing skills. When are you publishing your first book?

Cityofdavid: When my NYSC call up letter requested me to report at Ebonyi state, I leaped for joy because I wasn't posted to the North where the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents were rampant. I once thought that the only thing worthy of dread was the Boko Haram sect, but it has occurred to me that Boko Haram is just one of the many unsualiness in parts of Nigeria. The most memorable moment during my odyssey to Ebonyi state from Lagos was the point when my vehicle crossed the river Niger which borders Delta State and Anambra State. The memories of Chinua Achebe's novel "Chike and the River" nostagically swept accross my mind like erosion on Benin roads. I recalled how the adventurous Chike crossed the Niger and providentially emerged a hero following his effort in helping the police to nab the leader of a notorious gang of robbers. But unlike Chike who crossed the Niger out of cheer curiousity, I crossed the river Niger for the first time in the quest of serving my fatherland. While on the Niger bridge, it became instinctive that I'd encounter things (fair and foul) that would be worthy of documentation. One of such things has created in me an uncontrollably drive which has forced me to commit my pen to paper.

The NYSC camp in Afikpo, Ebonyi State may not be the best total institution in the world but the lessons I learnt in the camp were priceless. The psyche of the NYSC programme presented a regimented life which involved physical drills, skill acquisition, national orientation, patriotism and self-reliance. Mixed feelings trailled my departure from the camp to a destination which my posting letter revealed to be Okposi in Ohaozara Local government. The road which linked Afikpo town to Ohaozara must not be travelled by a truck conveying crates of eggs because of the unmotorable state of the road. The desolate state of the hamlets along the road painted a vivid picture of rurality, or rather, it supported the disorted NYSC acronym which has it as "Now Your Suffering Continues". The fact that my suffering has continued was alarmed by two female corps members who wept helplessly in the vehicle. The ladies were crying because like every corps members posted to Ohaozara local government, they have been stripped off their modernity as well as their urbanized way of life.

We arrived Okposi few hours after midday. The town seemed to be the most developed region in Ohaozara local government. The town has motor parks, restaurants, a hotel, a police station, churches, markets, petrol stations among others. The roads within the town were motorable, the people were Igbo speaking and quite industrious. The villagers were hospitable to corps members and the females were readily available to meet the sexual needs of male corps members. One thing fascinated me about the social life of the Okposi people in Ohaozara local government. The fascination arose from their reverance of green snakes in private and public places.

It is highly forbidden to kill green snakes in Okposi while it is forbidden to kill any species of snakes in some other parts of Ebonyi State. The green snakes of Okposi must not be killed given any circumstances. The reason being that, green snakes were worshipped by the ancestors of the land. Green snakes could be seen as frequently as Lizards are seen in South-Western Nigeria. Green snakes creep into rooms, churches, car parks, compounds etc and they are not killed. A stranger is mandated to conduct a burial ceremony if he or she intentionally or unintentionally kills a green snake. This queer custom of the Okposi people has invalidated my initial view that snakes were wild animals. A senior corps member narrated the story of how a green snake crept into his church during a certain sunday service and how the snake was only pampered out of the church auditorium.

The hospitality shown to green snakes in Okposi has advanced the sociological views that what is "wild" or "domestic" is cuturally determined. Before you start labelling the custom of the Okposi people as barbaric and archaic, think about the unusualiness in your own society, think about the fooliness of some of your own beliefs. Indeed, the way of life of a people vary from one geographical area to the other. I would have loved to continue my ethnographic writings but I've to feed the green snakes approaching my reading table now.

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ACM10:

[size=16pt]Now, let me tell you this,

YOU ARE NOT CIVILIZED!

You worship God/god that is a figment of men imagination. You are not different from white supremacist. Your definition of civilized is when someone worships your god. They don't worship green snakes, but it is their sacred animal. The sacred animal in my town, Ogidi in Anambra state is python. Your town is not more sophisticated or civilized than us. Have respect for people custom and tradition.[/size]

Lordave: Danfodio road behind Enyimba stadium.
Odi ok, dalu nwanne

waldigit :


mr pagan, you may be right there about us xtians. Its because the scripture says suffer not a thief to live, if u don't pay tithe u are a thief! mal 3.
Yes to snake thing, if the practice of snake fellowship by oposi pple or any other pples is borne out of idolatery, the pple like macedonia pple in days of paul need deliverance. Whatever is the benefit now or in the past is just devils bait to enslave them and lead them to hell, and its not worth eternity in hell or their soul.
Almost every family of the world became devil worshiper, after the fall, Jesus said its for this reason he was manifested to stop the act of devil worshiping. Shalom