Hey Nairalanders, I'm peter,an idoma by tribe. I'd like to open this thread for those that rep the red and black of the idoma nation.Hoping to get acquainted to the idomas on this forum.Thanks.

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'Enenu':
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Thanks for following ennie,please help get other idomas to follow.hopefully, we'll be useful to each other in getting to know about the idoma nation.

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Ok, I've waited for more idomas to follow but they aint forth coming so I'd like to ask my first question.
1.I have heard of stuff like "alekwu" especially from otukpa and 'okam guys.I really want to know if anything like that exists.I've not been to otukpa before and I heard its so potent that it kills men who try to plan their families.please can anyone confirm or dispel the theory? Thanks.

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Alekwu does not kill men who try to plan their families. Alekwu would kill a woman who commits adultery and may also kill the husband if he knows about his adulterous wife yet continues to eat her food.

my 2 cents

eche80: Alekwu does not kill men who try to plan their families. Alekwu would kill a woman who commits adultery and may also kill the husband if he knows about his adulterous wife yet continues to eat her food.

my 2 cents

For real? I have a relative who was very sick and it was said that he tried to stop his wife conceiving as he already had 7 kids.He had to go the village (otukpa) to do some appeasing and he was fine again.I confronted my mum on the issue and she said so...just wanna know.thanks

peterphd:
For real? I have a relative who was very sick and it was said that he tried to stop his wife conceiving as he already had 7 kids.He had to go the village (otukpa) to do some appeasing and he was fine again.I confronted my mum on the issue and she said so...just wanna know.thanks

Never heard this before o! However, i'm aware of the alekwu dealing mysteriously with women who commit adultery. It would also deal with the man if he is aware of her act (weather been told or catches her in the act) yet keep mute about it or takes no adequate measures.
It is important to note that in this present generation, where most families are now Christians, the worship of alekwu is no longer in play hence it's powers.
They used to keep married couples in check. I wish they were active with Jesus's permission then we would ve a more moral society today - like it used to be.

Ochek:

Never heard this before o! However, i'm aware of the alekwu dealing mysteriously with women who commit adultery. It would also deal with the man if he is aware of her act (weather been told or catches her in the act) yet keep mute about it or takes no adequate measures.
It is important to note that in this present generation, where most families are now Christians, the worship of alekwu is no longer in play hence it's powers.
They used to keep married couples in check. I wish they were active with Jesus's permission then we would ve a more moral society today - like it used to be.

Thanks for your response but if such a thing exists don't you think its inhuman? The one that kills me is the family planning ish.does this mean idomas are to give birth like chickens every 2 years?isn't it time we stopped deceiving ourselves by saying we worship Jesus but holding on to ancestral spirit worship in the name of tradition? These things can be abolished.don't you think so?

peterphd:
Thanks for your response but if such a thing exists don't you think its inhuman? The one that kills me is the family planning ish.does this mean idomas are to give birth like chickens every 2 years?isn't it time we stopped deceiving ourselves by saying we worship Jesus but holding on to ancestral spirit worship in the name of tradition? These things can be abolished.don't you think so?

Trust me. I know loads of Idoma families on family planning and re enjoying their lives both on the idoma soil and abroad (outside Benue and beyond).
The alekwu thing is more no the extinct now bro. Back in time, almost all family house in the village had a shrine dedicated to alekwu but such ain't the case no more.
Here is the logic, if you serve the devil, you must play by his terms.
To think and say this still remains a common trend among the idoma origin is highly delusional.

Ochek:

Trust me. I know loads of Idoma families on family planning and re enjoying their lives both on the idoma soil and abroad (outside Benue and beyond).
The alekwu thing is more no the extinct now bro. Back in time, almost all family house in the village had a shrine dedicated to alekwu but such ain't the case no more.
Here is the logic, if you serve the devil, you must play by his terms.
To think and say this still remains a common trend among the idoma origin is highly delusional.

Hmm...thanks.I was scared silly of some faceless spirits that come to kill their own people.it only reinforced my view that African gods only know how to make their own people mad.

In parts of Idomaland, specifically the south senatorial district of Benue State, there is the rather high attachment to traditional beliefs. The most prominent is the belief in ‘Alekwu’- the spirit of the ancestors - which has remained a cultural practice among the people that is intended to uphold morals, respect and dignity for one another.
The practice of Alekwu is hallowed in the three districts of Orokam, Otukpa and Owukpa kingdoms, which make up Ogbadigbo Local Government Area of the state.




In the world of these Ogbadigbo communities, certain stiff penalties are still considered necessary to rid the domain of bad influences, and to remind those who may want to get involved in any act termed taboo by Alekwu, to desist.
To be precise, Alekwu is a traditional god of the Idoma, popularly believed amongst the people to have the power to protect, reward and punish sons and daughters of the land. The Idoma believe that it could punish anyone who goes contrary to the morals, norms, cultures or traditions already laid down.
For instance, a woman automatically comes under the oath of Alekwu when she marries a man of Idoma origin. The spirit oversees women and keeps a tab on their fidelity. Alekwu chastises unfaithful women, by causing unexplained circumstances to work against members of the offending family.
Also, a male of Idoma extraction who, for example, commits incest, would likewise incur the wrath of the god, except he confesses, and performs certain rites to pacify the spirits.
In all of Idoma land, the long history of Alekwu’s law as regards sex, communal disputes, man’s inhumanity to man, injustice and other forms of societal ills, is being preserved and handed down from one generation to another.
Particularly, a family under the spell of Alekwu risks untimely and sudden death of mostly, it’s male children, ill-luck, strange sicknesses which are likely to defy medical intervention, and in the event of delayed or prolonged consultation of the gods, the head of the family pays the supreme price with his life.
Oftentimes, relief for such offenders begins by way of confession of the crimes committed against the gods of the land, and then the repentance process is observed, to ensure that the spirit of the ancestors is appeased, by cleansing the offenders of accumulated guilt. Failure to do so, the offender dies mysteriously within a stipulated period of usually 7, 14 to 21 days or one year as the case maybe, depending on the degree of offence committed.
While the belief cuts across all Idoma speaking people in Benue, the penalty for an offender seems to vary from one axis of the tribe to the other. Just as in most cases, women seem to bear the brunt of the consequences, depending on the community they belong.
Undoubtedly, these penalties are seen as the community’s way of policing crimes based on conviction that no church can halt such punishment, which is usually meted out to offenders.
It is a notable fact that a married woman from any of these communities is not expected to expend her legitimate income on projects such as building for her biological family or spend on other gigantic purposes, without the knowledge of her husband. She is also not expected to take any decision about family planning without the knowledge of her husband, to avoid the wrath of the gods.
“As a matter of fact, the married woman either from or to an Orokam man must get the approval of her husband to use her own money to build a house for her parents, anything otherwise, the Alekwu would find her guilty and penalise her,” Mr. Mike Idoko a native of Orokam said.
Idoko explained that the church could not do anything to stop the tradition, because it had been in existence from time immemorial, especially for the simple reason that the tradition also meant well for the people in line with the belief of other faiths.
He said a man of Orokam descent cannot approve an abortion for his wife with his personal money in the event of a life threatening pregnancy, and that he must confront his wife with rumours of infidelity or risk his own death in both cases.
In the same vein, Chief Dennis Eje Onoja from Owukpa district, in his response on whether these penalties really work, nodded in the affirmative, warning that the potency of the Alekwu could not be contended with.
“Yes. Alekwu is still in existence even though some people think that it’s no longer in vogue. If it catches a woman, she must confess her atrocity. If she is lucky after the confession, Alekwu will leave her, but if she doesn’t Alekwu will continue to reduce her physically. She will shrink like an AIDS patient until she confesses and dies,” he said.
Onoja added that no church could stop the punishment because it was the custom, religion and tradition of the people, irrespective of who they were and where they lived; so long as their roots can be traced to the soil,or they were non-indigenes resident in the community.
He said that the men were not left out of the anger of the gods if they were found to commit any brutality such as killing another person, which was also not in line with God’s wish, stressing that, “Alekwu will arrest the offender.”
However, Chief Onoja noted that the punishment for the female folk usually came faster than that of the male folk, and that a man who committed adultery also came under the wrath of the gods, but that their case was not as rampant as that of the women.
He said if the secret of the offence was not revealed by the offender, so that the gods were appeased, the man or woman who incurred Alekwu’s wrath would be rendered useless and, like a mad person he or she would talk senselessly.
He explained further that if the offender agreed to cooperate within the period of grace, often three days to one-year, depending on the gravity of the offence, such a person would be taken to the village shrine with a goat or hen as may be demanded by the custodian of Alekwu, to appease the gods.
“Even if the offender is a born-again Christian, he would be dealt with. The parents of the offender may or may not be Christians, but Alekwu will still arrest the offender. Similarly, if a non-indigene resident in Owukpa offends, so long as he drinks from the soil of the land, he will be arrested by Alekwu,” Onoja added.
As for Elder Godwin Uja of Ugwu community in Owukpa district, the sins against Alekwu spirit could be described as “very grievous”, maintaining that the worship of Alekwu was respected by the elders of the land.
“The Alekwu can bring calamity upon its offender, even though the conflict in modern times is that the church people are against it,” Uja said.
Similarly, Elder Amuta Onoja Simon of Orokam district insisted that a married woman must steer clear of adultery or she would be killed by Alekwu, noting that the tradition could not be jettisoned because of the church.
It is a common awareness that most communities in Idoma land set aside a period of three days every year to celebrate the spirits for bountiful harvest in the outgoing year and the expectation for the beginning of the New Year’s planting season. This occasion is usually referred to as the ‘Eje Aleku’ festival. During the festival, the spirits of the ancestors usually manifest as masquerades known as the Alekwaafia,who runs through the genealogies of the descent in a poetic tune to the admiration of all.
An Idoma scholar, Amali, E. Odumu, described the Alekwaafia as the reincarnation of an Idoma ancestral father into a masquerade, based on the concept of life after death, so much that the importance they attach to the masquerade and its poetic tradition cannot be over-emphasised.
The rendition of the Alekwu poetry is viewed as a source agent that refers to sustenance of cultural values and identity during the festival, which attracts a large turnout of sons and daughters of the land at home and abroad.
However, worshippers of the Alekwu are quick nowadays to blame the decline of the Alekwu affinity on foreign culture, with particular reference to Christianity and Westernisation, which they claimed have taken the centrestage in today’s society.
Nevertheless, the potency of Alekwu is not in doubt in Idoma land. It is still highly revered and its virtue highly extolled. Indigenes resort to Alekwu’s shrine as the final arbiter to settle scores, when issues become very controversial.
“Despite Westernisation, the festival is still celebrated in Orokam every year between the months of July and August. In some parts of Idoma land, the festival is celebrated in early February or March. It is a continuation of our forefathers’ belief,” Idoko stated with pride.
In the eyes of Ameh John, a native of Otukpa kingdom, the Alekwu spirits still oversee the affairs of the people, irrespective of their religious affiliation or modern day life, whether they were at home or in the diaspora.
“It is a belief that has come to stay with us. The penalties are not different from what the practice of other religions also entails. Without the Alekwu, our society would become a lawless one,” he maintained.

peterphd:

Hmm...thanks.I was scared silly of some faceless spirits that come to kill their own people.it only reinforced my view that African gods only know how to make their own people mad.

I just stumbled on this old thread on Idoma. Quite interesting that such exists or existed there too. In Edo/Delta and parts of Ala Igbo, such is believed to exist too.

This ancestral spirit/deity chiefly guided people regarding certain taboos that bordered on immorality and sacrilege.

Depending on the community, taboos included infidelity of a married woman, having sex with a married woman, incest, sexual intercourse in the bush/farm, destroying crops/farm of another person, taking bush meat from another man's trap, doing juju/okpo/witchcraft to ruin the fortune/farm/progress of others or cause illness to others, etc.

If a woman was unfaithful, her hubby might escape the consequences (often death) if he's unaware. If he gets even hears any rumors of wife's infidelity and disbelieve it, conceal it or out of shame refuse to tell his family to do the appeasements rituals, it is very bad indeed.

Remember in the past we lived in rural communities, large number of people living in one ancestral family house with several brothers and wives under one roof. So the likelihood of a guy having carnal knowledge of his brother's wife, his older half brother's pretty daughter or the young wife of his elderly father or old uncle was there. He might even rendez-vous such women on the way to the river or farm and have them in the bush.

So these ancestral deitiess and taboos were put in place to prevent such. As late as 2 years back I know someone based abroad whose wife in 9ja recklessly committed adultery with business partners. Rumours were everywhere until the hubby heard and she admitted. But appeasement was done rather secretly. Part of the appeasement is public rebuke and even symbolic strokes of the cane to punish the woman. These were omitted maybe because they felt too rich/modern/Christian. Once hubby returned abroad she resumed her whoring. The hubby returned to visit months later, they did conjugal stuff and ate together. Weeks after he returned abroad he took ill. In one of the countries with best healthcare system in the world. He slipped into coma yet nothing was found to be wrong with him. No infection, no stroke, no diabetes, no heart disease, no cancer, nothing. Only parameters consistent with his coma & Iv feeding as expected.

Doctors advised family to prepare for his death. Then voices became louder about wife's infidelity. All those who heard it months and years back spoke up. Suddenly it was public knowledge. She finally admitted that they had secretly done appeasement but she continued whoring.

They did all the appeasement again publicly. Doctors abroad could not explain his miraculous recovery. Till today.

I have written about this many times here. But most people dismissed it. But even I as a man of science know that there are still many things science & medicine cannot explain. We see it every time in healthcare. An eminent surgeon (a prof emeritus/author) once told me that in healthcare many things are still OGK: Only God Knows.

AreaFada2:


I just stumbled on this old thread on Idoma. Quite interesting that such exist or existed there too. In Edo/Delta and parts of Ala Igbo, such is believed to exist too.

This ancestral spirit/deity chiefly guided people regarding certain taboos that bordered on immorality and sacrilege.

Depending on the community, taboos included infidelity of a married woman, having sex with a married woman, incest, sexual intercourse in the bush/farm, destroying crops/farm of another person, taking bush meat from another man's trap, doing juju/okpo/witchcraft the ruin the fortune/farm/progress of others or cause illness to others, etc.

If a woman was unfaithful, her hubby might escape the consequences (often death) if he's unaware. If get even hears any rumors of wife's infidelity and disbelieve it, conceal it or out of shame refuse to tell his family to do the appeasements rituals, it is very bad indeed.

Remember in the past we lived in rural communities, large number of people living in one ancestral family house with several brothers and wives under one roof. So the the likelihood of a guy having carnal knowledge of his brother's wife, his older half brother's pretty daughter or the young wife of his elderly father or old uncle was there. He might even rendez-vous such women on the way to the river or farm and have them in the bush.

So these ancestral deitiess and taboos were put in place to prevent such. As late as 2 years back I know someone based abroad whose wife in 9ja reckless committed adultery with business partners. Rumours were everywhere until the hubby heard and she admitted. But appeasement was done rather secretly. Part of the appeasement is public rebuke and even symbolic strokes of the cane to punish the woman. These were omitted maybe because they felt too rich/modern/Christian. Once hubby returned abroad she resumed her whoring. The hubby returned to visit months later, they did conjugal stuff and ate together. Weeks after he returned abroad he took ill. In one of the countries with best healthcare system in the world. He slipped into coma yet nothing was found to be wrong with him. No infection, no stroke, no diabetes, no hear disease, no cancer, nothing. Only parameters consistent with his coma & Iv feeding as expected.

Doctors advised family to prepare for his death. Then voices became louder about wife's infidelity. All those who heard it months and years back spoke up. Suddenly it was public knowledge. She finally admitted that they had secretly done appeasement but she continued whoring.

They did all the appeasement again publicly. Doctors abroad could not explain his miraculous recovery. Till today.

I have written about this many times here. But most people dismissed it. But even I as a man of science know that there are still many things science & medicine cannot explain. We see it everytime in healthcare. An eminent surgeon (a prof emeritus) once told me that on in healthcare many things are still OGK: Only God Knows.

Thank you area. I was younger and more naive back when I created this thread. Now I know that there's a lot of stuff that cannot be explained away. I'm mightily careful not to run foul of such customs. My parents told me it was so harsh those days, women couldn't share bathrooms with their husbands, if a Daughter tied her mother's wrapper in her bid to frolick around, it counted as infidelity on the mom's side and so many others. I've been away from home for long and I even hear the women know ways to sidestep these things. I used to worry about the death to innocent kids and the 'ignorant' man but since I got to realize the inherent nature of females (something, you've documented here especially when it comes to paternity issues) I've been a backer of some form of safety latch so a hard working man isn't defrauded for years even though I worry about the innocents. I'm waiting for a particular case, a woman was said to be two timing on her husband. He's dead now but she lives and her kids are fine. Let's see what happens.