ANCESTRAL CULT AS A DEMONSTRATION OF COMMUNITY CONSCIOUSNESS IN IGBO TRADITIONAL SOCIETY
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Background to the Study
Igbo Traditional Religion is the religion that Igbo ancestors handed over to generations after them. This religion has no clear historical origin like Christianity and Islam. It is truism then that the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria recognize the place of their ancestors as well as indulge in some socio-cultural cum religious ceremonies in their honour. Several kindred, communal and clan celebrations cut across Igbo land show-casing this reverence for the ancestors or the living-dead. Some of the visible celebrations to show the belief in the existence of the ancestors as well as their functions include, giving of their names to new born babies, answering of their names by the communities and constant remembrances in social gatherings. Others include carrying out their enactment or customs/culture to guide the vertical and horizontal relationship in their communities and kindred’s, propagating community celebrations for the purpose of unity and identifying with one another, such as new yam festivals, oji rituals, ofala, cultural dances, igba nkwu, (Traditional marriage ceremony) communal ownership of land and common activities in their respective families and kindreds. Although dead, an ancestor is believed to enjoy a sacred super human status with special magico-religious powers that can be beneficial or even harmful to the earthly kins. Because his form has changed from human being to spirit being, his power has also ontologically increased. The consequence is that the ancestor now with the Supreme God possesses the power to bilocate clairvoyance and indestructibility. Ancestral cult underscores the respect, love and dignity; the Igbo give to their dead heroes, progenitors and matriarchs. It is the pivot or centre of Igbo family identity, legal status and social bond. It is the source of the families and by 2 extension the whole kindred, villages and clan. Everyone is descended from a particular family, kindred or clan. The individual does not and cannot exist alone except corporately. He owes his existence to other people including those of past generation and his contemporaries. Whatever happens to an individual is believed to happen to the whole group. No one exists in isolation. Everyone has a beginning in the first place. This awareness of belongingness is reenforced and supported by family, kindred and communality. In the olden days, the above was the case where ancestral link formed the basis of social integration, cultural cohesion and religious mindset of the Igbo people. The influence of the ancestors reigned supreme as acts of the individual, family and kindred were hinged on the laws, conventions and philosophy of the ancient. It was then easy to unite descendants of the same parents into one family. This was the case in Igbo-African societies before the emergence of a new socio-ideological order influenced by foreign religions and foreign social understandings. In the present Igbo cultural-religious settings, there is an observed gradual shift of emphasis from great “ancestors-centred consciousness or mindset” among the Igbo, to my father’s honour mindset. The reason for this diversion is that the present crops of Igbo indigenes think that “the honour given to great ancestors of a kindred or village is rather too bogus or extended because it has produced several ancestors. The thinking now is on how to honour “my own father dead or alive if dead he is equally recognized as an ancestor” as his great grandfather has long been honoured by their immediate descendant. This present thinking can be proven in the way some Igbo families refuse to answer the name of their grandfather. They argue that it was their own father who gave birth to them not his grandfather or great grandfather. Honour to own immediate parent is emphasized as against the proto ancestor. Such mindset certainly devaluatesthe level of honour given to Igbo ancestors. It tends to rubbish cultural norms, values and respect given to African or Igbo forebears. It tends to send their remembrance into the land 3 of forgetfulness or negligence. Another sorry state of affairs against ancestor veneration in Igbo society is the problem of shift or abandonment from community consciousness in sharing and living together as offspring of an ancestor to individual life style which is a life somewhat independent or foreign to Igbo communal life style. The matter is not only associating with other people from different socio-cultural background, personal idiosyncrasy is another issue to contend with. Some people by nature are individualistic both in thinking and acting. Even though they are aware of the necessity for ancestral cult among their own kindreds, they however, show nonchalant attitude to things which border on culture and tradition. To such people, matters on ancestral origin or cult practice may mean little to them. Apart from two situations militating against the respect of ancestors in Igbo society already itemized, one should not fail to mention the influence of foreign religions on the way of life of Igbo people. Western and Arab ideologies have certainly played down on the respect the Igbo/Africans have on their forefathers. There is gradual but consistent shift of concentration or emphasis on ancestors rallying point in Igbo community consciousness to church authority. This was done at the inception of Christianity through indoctrination and acceptance of a new religion which came with new world views and hierarchy of beings. In the Igbo traditional religion, the ancestors formed the bases of peoples social engagement, rules of conduct were made by them which made them reference point of cultural and social setting. The diversion of obedience and regard came with new religion namely Islam and Christianity. For the Igbo people Christian saints and martyrs took over the honour and regards originally given to Igbo ancestors. The same condition was applicable in the northern part of Nigeria where Islam through the sharia, changed both the religious and cultural values of the people before Islamization. The eclipse of this honour given to our forebears because of foreign religious influence and western culture brings about loss of identity. If these regard for our forebears suffer decline, then there is every possibility that the people will suffer disunity and where there 4 is no unity, development is difficult to achieve. In addition, this enactment helps Igbo people to understand their community history and philosophies of life made open or visible. In this process, positive values are thought, deviant behaviours are criticized and well behaved community members praised. This encourages people to mould and re-mould positive behaviours. It becomes clear from the above that decline on ancestral veneration is disastrous to Igbo people because if it suffers gradual and consistent decline, the young stars will not know their own culture which may result to a loss of cultural identity. The issue of in-fighting, serious quarrels or even pre-meditated murder occurring among children of the same ancestor is prevalent in many Igbo families in the present era like communal clashes in Izzi and Ezza of present day Ebonyi state, in-family fighting as found in a notable family of Okowjo Ngwo in Enugu state that has led to loss of lives of prominent citizens in the family, disrespect to elders that is prevalent in all Igbo communities un-healthy competitions resulting to civil court cases among members of the same family unit. There is a clear sign that there is a crack in the ancestral wall which hither to united people from the patriarchal structure. Unity among brethren these days in Igbo society is something that can be described as cosmetic. People of the same parents and ancestry have been seen to go to village meetings and civil courts over issues that should have been amicably settled if parental link is that strong. In those good olden days kingship was strong both in words and deeds, there was unity among people which account for why the Igbo race was able to transfer its communal spirit from one generation to another, and these observed sorry situations or negative conditions have been affected to a great extent ancestral cult in Igbo societies. To jettison ancestral veneration is to attract moral bankruptcy and impede community development as they help to reaffirm those axiomatic values which are considered right and natural because they constitute the essence of community life.
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