Odenigbo Aroli:



Not all Igbo use mazi,except if you meant Igbo Izugbe,which is mostly based on southern Igbo. Anambra doesn't use mazi,at least not to my knowledge. If at all there is any Anambra group that use mazi it has to be a recent phenomenon. Again,mazi is a southern Igbo invention.

oturugo:
What does Anambra, Dellta Igbo and Enugu use in place of Mazi?.
You as an Anambra man, what do you call your uncle?.

oturugo:
What does Anambra, Dellta Igbo and Enugu use in place of Mazi?.
You as an Anambra man, what do you call your uncle?.

belovedaja: I am from ututu in abia state and the villagers call me 'nwa mazi'. I dont know the meaning yet. One thing that amaze me the name is exclusively used for me in the village.

Afam4eva:
You're right. The Afikpo axis specifically.

ChinenyeN: Based off what I've been able to discern from questions and research, the expression "mazi" is in all respects an Aro title. Its origins are in Arochukwu, and from there it culturally diffused to other communities by way of Aro's oracular trade network. My knowledge of Arochukwu is limited, so Odumchi will have to correct me where I may be wrong. But from all indications, "mazi" is not a title in the same way that Nze and Ozo may be. I have yet to know of any instance in which a ceremony exists to institute someone as a "mazi". I also do not see a reason to associate Aro's "mazi" title synonymously with "elders", since it seems just as applicable to sons, daughters and wives as it does to men (Odumchi, correct me if I may be wrong).

Now, by its usage, I would say that Aro's "mazi" title (and its derivatives) serve a somewhat similar cultural purpose as "sir", "madame", "mister", "miss", "misses", etc. in Western culture. So far, the diffused "mazi" title seems to have remained relatively in tact, with the exception that the "mazi" derivatives (nwa mazi, etc.) don't seem to be present in the communities that the title diffused to.

The "mazi" title is mostly limited to northern Abia and a portion of Imo; not as prevalent in southern Abia. However, there exists an expression ["maazi"] that was traditionally used as a greeting by some communities in the former Obioma Ngwa LGA. It is only in the last 30 or 40 years that the greeting has diffused to other Ngwa communities. The diffusion of the "mazi" title into Ikwere likely resulted from Isiokpo and its Aro affiliation.

"Mazi" has since been adopted into the developing Izugbe/Standard Igbo. I read a document somewhere online where Uwandiigbo (the most active Igbo studies organization I've so far seen) moved to officially adopt "Mazi" into Izugbe as "Mr." In answering Odumchi's original question though, "mazi" seems to occur mainly among eastern Igbo and [to some degree] southern Igbo culture groups.

odumchi: What areas of Igboland answer the title 'Mazi'? As far as I know, it's mostly answered by groups in Abia and Imo.

Antivirus92: Stupid thread! This is how they go about causing divisions pretending that they don't know what they are doing. Igbo is a migration and re-migration of the same people absorbing some foreigners as the expand. We don't use olee(how) in my side but the day an imo friend asked me olee. I didn't need an interpreter to know what he mean. Mazi may not have aro origin as speculated by many. After all aro has where it originated from. What do those people speak?. Our anscestors have spoken these languages, the fact remains that many during expansion hold onto a particular version of the languages. Example,okigwe,orlu that boarders anambra do use both olee and kedu. And and enugu man on hearing olee ka imere will not ask for a translator to know that olee means kedu. Why do we love division so much? North and south,aro and isu,anambra and abia! Tufiakwa ufodu mmadu!

Ishsoph: God! Dont even know half my state like thought i had. Where's Ututu located in Abia mbok

Mazi_Omenuko:

Actually, Nairaland is the first place I'm hearing the souther/northern igbo stuff. Is there any distinct boundary? Imo state is so big that the people from orlu/mgbidi are closer to the Anambrarians uli/ihiala; where's those from Okigwe and Obowo/ihitte-uboma are very close to Abians Umuahia.

I guess the North-South thing is more of a geographical thing.

odumchi:

Ututu is a community in Arochukwu Local Government Area. When heading to Arochukwu from Umuahia, you will pass Bende, Uzuaokoli, Abam, Ohafia, and then Ututu before finally arriving at Arochukwu.

some-girl:


Nze n' Ozor are universal titles.

I'm "southern" Igbo and have had many Nzes in my family.

Antivirus92: Stupid thread! This is how they go about causing divisions pretending that they don't know what they are doing. Igbo is a migration and re-migration of the same people absorbing some foreigners as the expand. We don't use olee(how) in my side but the day an imo friend asked me olee. I didn't need an interpreter to know what he mean. Mazi may not have aro origin as speculated by many. After all aro has where it originated from. What do those people speak?. Our anscestors have spoken these languages, the fact remains that many during expansion hold onto a particular version of the languages. Example,okigwe,orlu that boarders anambra do use both olee and kedu. And and enugu man on hearing olee ka imere will not ask for a translator to know that olee means kedu. Why do we love division so much? North and south,aro and isu,anambra and abia! Tufiakwa ufodu mmadu!

odumchi: Thank you all for your replies. I was confused because, although I was told that "mazi" was exclusively Aro, I've come across several cases in which non-Aro (like Mazi_Omenuko) bear it, in addition to seeing it in Igbo literature.

Anyway, "mazi" is not a title of the same caliber as Nze or Ozo, because (like Chinenye mentioned) there isn't a ceremony accompanied with it and it doesn't signify achievement or accomplishment (we don't even take titles in Aro). In the same vein, it isn't limited to elders. In Aro society, "mazi" is simply a title that is used to politely identify any man whose father is no longer alive. If such a man's father were alive, he would be identified as "nwa mazi" while his father would bear "mazi". For women, the title "ada mazi" exists and is born by all women, irregardless of whether or not the father is alive.

Another thing that I've noticed is that the Aro are the only Igbo people that I know of that refer to their king as "mazi".

Abricz: arondizugo too

oturugo:
What does Anambra, Dellta Igbo and Enugu use in place of Mazi?.
You as an Anambra man, what do you call your uncle?.

Ace Ventura:


Mazi is an Igbo translation for "Mr." but it is mostly used to address Arondizuogu in Imo State & Arochukwu in Abia State.

Nwa Mazi which literally means "son of Mazi" is for the ones whose fathers are still alive. Ada Mazi is for the ladies.

I'm from Arondizuogu & my father is gone to be with the Lord so I'm addressed as "Mazi" in my hometown.

1bunne4lif: absolutely right. I'm from Arondizuogu so you'r justified.

T-Wallpapers:
The title Mazi Originated from Arochukwu as early as the sixteenth century. They were the foremost igbos to use the term Mazi as a way of referring to any male whose Father is no longer alive. Even if you're 70 years and your father is alive, you will never be called Mazi; that's the tradition.

Secondly I think any other community that uses the title Mazi may be Aro's in diaspora. As widely knowm, there are over 100 aro in diaspora communities scattered all over Nigeria even in the north.

odumchi: I was told that 'Ada Mazi', 'Nwa Mazi' and 'Nnye Mazi' are exclusively Aro titles, and I have yet to have any reason to doubt since all the people that I have met with those titles are of Aro descent. I'm interested in knowing if there are any other people(s) that bear such titles, along with that of Mazi.

Aro Okigbo:
Nwanne, i di very correct.

Cyberknight:

Chinenye is right. "Mazi" is generally used by Aro people, and is not equivalent to the the "Dee" or "Nda" prefixes before a given name used as a mark of respect ("e.g. Dee Emeka, Nda Chiaka". As a matter of fact, "Mazi" is not necessarily used to denote respect from a younger to an elder person, because two people of the same agegroup can use it to address each other. Thus, it is not really an honorific, but may be used as such. I had a friend from Arondizuogu who used to call his father simply Mazi.

ngozievergreen: O gini ka ha na-ako?

Na igbo izugbe, Mazi bu nu igbo word for Mr. Not actually a title.

Whats d even d essence of linking it particularly to Abia/Imo @ OP? Even if it originated from there sef, i machakwa na o bu ihe a na use na igbo izugbe kita.

Mgbe niile, a na e generate hari controversy

Odenigbo Aroli:

Wrong; Say what you know. Ogbuefi is not a title name like the ones you mentioned. I hail from Anambra and in all my encounters with the Nze n' Ozo institution I have never came accross any person greeted with the name "Ogbuefi",rather,it was used as a prefix. Ogbuefi was even used in Things Fall Apart television series.

odumchi:

All of Abia doesn't fall under Southern Igbo. Southern Igbo is basically (this is disputable) everything south of Okigwe in Imo to Ikwere in Rivers. In Abia, Southern Igbo is from Umuahia southwards; from Bende to Arochukwu and then to Afikpo and Ohoazara (in Ebonyi) is considered Cross River Igbo. Northern Igbo is from Arondizuogu all the way to the edge of Igboland around Nsuka. Northeastern Igbo is part of Ebonyi and Enugu; Western Igbo is Anioma.

oturugo: Mazi is minster just as Hausas use malam as minster. All the Igbo novels have always used Mazi as minster.