I saw a thread about abolishing "Osu" in certain parts of Igbo land and I will say it is a good development. There should not be segregation among people. What is an ume and who are these osus? and how do they come to live amongst us? "A nairalander said they were idol worshippers and did not embrace Christianity on time" that is false.

In the beginning there was no Osu. The Igbo communities existed and they were predominantly pagans. Many pagan societies offered sacrifices when hardship befell them (Aztecs ET Al) for the Igbos, it was "Death". When a family experienced death on a large scale, they resolved to making human sacrifices. The sacrifice, will require them to go to very far places oftentimes slave markets. (At these point know that the people bought for the sacrifice do not speak Igbo).There was zero communication between the slave and the master the slave were usually brought from Benin and Lagos.

The slaves are usually bonded and taken to the shrine. Their heads are shaved and a blood covenant is established between the slave and the shrine. Few days after the sacrifice, the slave is taken back from the shrine to the home of the master. The master will give the slave a piece of farmland and a hut to effect his building. (The building is usually located at the front of the slave masters house). The sacrificed slave is immediately forced to marry another sacrificed slave so that they can start rapid reproduction. They and their children are what the Igbos tagged Osu.

This is done with the belief that when next the spirit of death comes, it will pick the Osu's and their children and leave out the slave master and his family. This practice continued until slave trade was abolished. And the Igbos were faced with the ultimate question "What do we do with these people"? Then came religion and Christianity. A wise Igbo man once said "Originally we don't know where they came from but the are now part of us"

For the "Ume", these were formally normal people that willfully or mistakenly practiced inbreeding. For instance a father sleeping with daughter or a brother sleeping with a sister. If this barbaric act produces an offspring, that family is tagged Ume. The Igbo culture and even Christianity frowns against these.

In all, these are the two sets of outcasts you will find in Igboland. But sincerely I can't have my children marry an Osu or an Ume... Neither will I. But I will support the abolishment of such stigmatization. But will not enter into marriage with such.

I trust you learned something....

So the Osus were not originally Igbos..... No wonder

We are all free...

So in another word u can't practice what you preach?

What advantage has non OSU over OSU in Nigeria.

Isn't Ume also a title in Nnewi and environs? Even in Onitsha, a grade of Ndichie titles is called Ndichie Ume.

Also, that bit about buying slaves from Lagos and Benin...

RedboneSmith:
Isn't Ume also a title in Nnewi and environs? Even in Onitsha, a grade of Ndichie titles is called Ndichie Ume.

Also, that bit about buying slaves from Lagos and Benin...

is there a way the Yoruba and Ibo tribe’s of Nigeria cook the jollof rice, and do old ibo women cook party jollof rice and lastly which tribe in Nigeria is Jellof rice most associated with