SOME SUPERSTITIOUS TRADITIONS,CULTURES AND CUSTOMS IN SOME PART OF IGBO LAND IN NIGERIA.

SOME SUPERSTITIOUS TRADITIONS,CULTURES AND CUSTOMS IN SOME PART OF IGBO LAND IN NIGERIA.

Culture can simply be said to be people’s way of life which also include the people general way of life like their dressing pattern, their burial ceremony etc. Traditional belie

ves, culture and customs differs from place to place with the people involved holding tenaciously to some of them but not all. It is always based on the moral background, believe and upbringing that different cultures emanates from. This is seen in most cases where what is seen as a taboo and abnormal in one location might be seen as normality in other countries and location due to morality. the fact is  that cultures and traditions are peculiar to people and also dynamic in nature, changes from time to time mostly to better  way of living due to changes in the world and also through emulating other people’s tradition and culture by modifying the emulated culture to suit the people in involved.

However, notwithstanding the dynamic nature of culture and tradition and the changes that have occurred in different cultures of different people, there are still some cultures which are obsolete and superstitious in some part of igbo land in Nigeria, which some are discussed below.

            i.            Death within the period oath was taken: some igbo communities in Nigeria still strongly believe in oath taken as the best and only way of administering justice and fairness. This is mostly associated with African traditional worshipers. Oath taken is carried out or it is an option in any of the following circumstances according to beleivers:

a)      When somebody is accused of being responsible for someone’s death through the use of charms: some people in Africa and igbo communities in Nigeria believes in the power charm. They believe in the use of oath taken to prove justice and fairness of any person accused of being responsible for the death of another. This is usually administered by the elders of the community or the village heads depending on the level of the community the dispute arose from as a way of proven the innocence of the person accused. The process of the oath is normally taken the person to the presence of a deity,and also being followed by the people of the community or village. The oath is administered with some days old chick which is to be killed and blood sprinkled to the deity, roasted and given to the person accused without boiling it. He swears before the deity that if he is responsible for the death of the person as so accused, let him or her die before the end of the year from the date of administering the oath on the person or as may be stipulated by the people administering the oath. If by peradventure the accused dies within the stipulated period of the oath terms, the living relations of the accused must provide sacrificially materials for cleansing the land before the person can be buried.

b)      Land dispute: in traditional setting of some communities in igbo land, when disputes arises as to who is the rightful owner of a parcel of land in issue, some resort to oath taken as a way to prove their title to the land. Sometimes the terms of the oath might be that if am not the right owner may I not live to some stipulated date or period. If anything happens and any of the parties dies before the stipulated date the land will be given to the living party and deemed the rightful owner.

          ii.            Death on festive day: it is also the tradition of some people of igbo land in Nigeria that anybody who dies a natural death after having being sick for a while or not being sick dies on any festive day is evil and abomination which requires cleansing of the land by a way of sacrifices which must be performed before the person can be buried in the community. Sometimes it goes further to the extent of the community elders analysing your life history and activities while alive. If you have being accused severally of taken another person’s life or any other abominable act in the community sacrifices must be performed to cleanse the land before the person can be buried but this is also dependent on the degree based on the elders analysis. If it such that seems to them unbearable the person might be thrown into the evil forest without being buried.

         iii.            Death with swollen parts of the body:  it is also the tradition and custom of some people in igbo land that when people dies and part of their body got swollen, it is seen as being abnormal and also an indication of the person’s impurity during his life time. It is the believe of the people that someone who dies such death, the corpse should be thrown into the evil forest and not buried following the prescribed burial ceremony of the community.

     The questions that need to be answered by the people who believe in such traditions and customs are: what are the criteria for determining such bases on natural justice and fairness through oath taken and the validity of the tradition? What happens if the accused person dies of a known disease diagnosed and proven science?

    The fact remains that such traditions, culture and customs are really repugnant to natural justice equity and good conscience and seriously calls for review. It should be subjected to the validity of test; this is because most times people’s death occurs at any time with them having symptoms of a known disease. In such situation and any other situation autopsy ought to be the measure for determining the cause of the death and not hampering it on the superstitious culture, tradition and customs that have no bases of proves.