Inheritance In Emai Land

The surviving elders of the deceased family normally carry out inheritance after the completion of all the funeral rites by the children. Caution and strict adherence to the rule of the customs must be adopted in order to avoid disunity and sometimes court case among the children of the deceased. It is most important to note that all major decisions connected with such rites are usually left to delegates from the paternal side, while representatives from the mother's side mainly observe.Representatives from the maternal side are therefore charged as customs demands to prepare the dead for interment, in close contact with the children of the deceased.

All the properties of the deceased will be itemised both the tangible and the intangible ones. For instance, houses, cars farmlands, etc. The family then moves on to the issue of sharing these and other properties of the deceased.

The first and main house,that is, where he lived before he died and this must be shared to the children according to seniority, irrespective of the numbers of wives. If the eldest child is a woman and the man has other sons, the eldest daughter shares in the third position. If the extended family is aware of this fact, it must equally be respected and protected. When property are being shared in Emai land, a lot of heat is usually generated and so utmost care is usually taken to avoid chaos and disunity.

ORIMINYAN FESTIVAL

Oriminyan is celebrated at Ogute-Evbiame in Emai Clan for three months (January- March), and in some parts of Ora and Iuleha. Although the festival is celebrated annually, a new age group is initiated every fourth year. It is celebrated to ensure peace and plenty in the town. The main features are masquerade dance in the evening at the centre of the town and merriment every five days and young men participate in the events. The masquerades wear marks and image and people regard them as heavenly spirits and not man-made.
The uninitiated is not allowed to come out at night on the first day of the festival when the masquerades parade the town and make awful sound. Women are also forbidden from seeing the enclave where the masquerades are clothed. Dances are held every five days- the market day during the three- month period. When an age group of 25 to 30 years is admitted into the village society as reaching maturity the women of that age group join the men in public festivities. It is usually an expensive undertaking.
Their ‘comrades’ at home and abroad contribute financially to purchase materials for use in observing the festival. Some of the women would have married and their husbands participate actively if they are indigenes of Ogute. Some of the men might have at this age got married. Likewise their wives participate in the events that are open to the public. Names are given to the masquerades to identify their duties and a responsibility to other Okokoghokor for example is diminutive type and wears a mark (resembling those commonly made in the South Eastern State) with terrible eyes and pointed nose. His duties are to prevent intruders in the dancing area and protect other masquerades from being overwhelmed by the excited surging crowd.
Odili is another. It bears a headgear of carved (the people do not accept the word ‘carved’) object of a person carrying a bowl on his head Odidi is best dancer among them all it is the father of the masquerades. Other are Ovbiomo (mother of a child), Ogbesi. (Horsemen) Okhuokpan (Gift-giver).
As interesting as the dances are, the people do not allow photographs of the masquerades to be taken. Until recently also, visitors were asked to roll their trousers up to the knee if they are to wait and watch the dances at the area. This is done to ensure that no one imitates the ‘super-natural’ masquerade in the mode of costume, the masquerade in the mode of costume. The masquerades are actually dressed in the buba-sokoto system raffia veil attached to the carved image that they bear. Only Okokoghokor bear a woven palm frond in two hands--- which he used to stem the crowd.
Ogute is only two kilometers from Afuze and an hour’s drive from Benin City.
Other annual festivals in Emai clan: are Agangan for Emai clan as a whole; Esiokhai for Urule; Okereke for Evbiamen and Ukpedugbea for Ovbiowun.
Agangan is celebrated for only a day in July/August, Esiokhai for three days in November,Okereke---three days in December and Ukpedugben—one day in the month of October

IVBAMEN OR ORORUEN FESTIVAL OF OZALLA

Like other festival celebrated in various parts of Edo state. Ivbamen is celebrated annually for a week in April or May by Ozalla clan in Owan to initiate young men between 28 and 30 years of age into manhood. It also marks the end of one year and the beginning of another. The festival is as old as Ozalla clan itself. Each celebrant participates in it for three consecutive times so that by the time a man of 28 reaches 30, he must have completed the full turn. No young man is allowed to participate in the festival less than twice and if any celebrant dies after performing the ceremony only once, for instance, it is regarded as bad luck for the person.
The date of ceremony is announced five market days earlier by the clan head with the co-operation of the chief priest of river Orhuen. The celebrants then start physical training to enable them run the eight-mile distance from the town to river Orhuen. They also make public announcements about their intention to participate in the festival and promise to bring to the elders information about any obstruction that comes their way. As they have not been given a name they announce that ‘Isikhien’ is the next age group for the ceremony. On the day, women sing in praise of the families of the celebrates, boys hold whips, sing war songs and dance while the men hold raffia poles and bells, also sing in praise of their families and heroes. The practice of beating women who sing in praise of other competitors by the boys has now been abolished and whips are nowadays held for formality.

OHONMOIMEN FESTIVAL OF IULEHA

The rituals associated with Ohomoimen festival are carried out it three place know as sacred forests in the clan. These are OSEZE forest near okhijo village where the elders meet and appoint a time for the festival; OHIOJO forest and OSI forest where the images, drums and other appurtenances of the masqueraders are kept. The forest is out of bounds both for women and males not yet initiated.
Citizen within a particular age group are initiated every five years and these watch the forests during the festival. On announcement that a date has been fixed for the sacred forests harvest palm-nuts and from these nuts palm oil is made for the ceremonial lamps. The forest are also cleared and kept clean.
A curfew is imposed in the clan on the eve of the festival to allow the celebrants to convey materials to the sacred forests. That also stands as the last time people in the clan are allowed to climb palm tree and sing song other than festival songs. No light is to be seen outside during the curfew except when a pregnant woman is under labour when this does happen the family pays a fine of a she-goat.
At night, a frightful notice is made with strings by initiated people until 4a.m when they retire to the sacred forest. After a period of silence, the most elderly man or his reprehensive beats the first sacred drums in Oseze forest. On the booming of this, a second drum is beaten in Okhijo forest followed by a reply from Osi forest
This heralds the beginning of the festival and the drums are beaten continuously thereafter in the sacred forests. In the evening, masqueraders dance in the streets visit elders in their homes and pray for peace and prosperity throughout the clan. Seven masqueraders take part in this exercise—two on the first day and one each other day until the last day when all the seven masqueraders, followed by a large crowd, parade the town.
Citizen of Iuleha clan at home and elsewhere participate in the ceremonies. They exchange gifts entertain friends and well wishers and pay homage to father-in-law during the period. The visit of the last masquerade called Ologho, to the town when it prays and dace in various homes marks the end of the three- month festival.