CHAPTER FIVE
SACRIFICE: A KEY TO THE GATE OF HEAVEN
It is a theological belief that sin leads to hell while forgiveness of sin is a means to heaven. However, without the sacrifice of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. Many tribes in Africa and the Jewish nations constantly offered animals for the forgiveness of sins. To assure the world of healing and salvation, Jesus offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. Jesus gathered all men and women to himself by accepting the crucifixion on the cross which was a consummation of the eternal offering. The early missionaries did not understand the African theological meaning for the kind of sacrifices they were offering to enable the living have communion with the ancestors after death. This would have been a basis for teaching the Africans the meaning of the true sacrifice of Christ as a new covenant that has become more efficacious than that of the old covenant of the Jews and the sacrifice of animals in many cultures of African. It is in this light that this chapter will examine how sacrifice played a vital role in the initiation ceremonies in some part of Etsakọ as outward signs (sacraments) that prepared a person for eternal union with God and the ancestors (ibana’edio). According to Cardinal F.A. Arinze “Sacrifice is the soul of Ibo cult. If it is removed, Ibo traditional religion is almost emptied of its content.” Similarly, Etsakọ believe that no dead person crosses to the ancestral home without sacrifice.
5.1 Sacrifice in Etsakọ and Judeo-Christian Religions
From what we have seen so far, it is clear that humanity is one and human beings share the same faith. The only difference is how this faith is interpreted in the different milieu. It is also clear from the discussion so far that Africa has a lot to contribute to the Christian religion. But why has it taken America and Europe so long to comprehend the way of life of the Africans such that even the missionaries wanted to plant the foreign values in the African soil with the wrong notion that all sacrifices in Africa were offered to the devil.
Luke Nnamdi Mbefo seems to capture the picture very clearly in his book, The True African: Impulses for self-affirmation where he elucidates the erosion of self confidence in Africa. According to him, the Europeans entered Africa in what we may now call the dawn of modern history, which incidentally coincides with the European period of exploration; Africans had looked to their own innate genius in dealing with their world of experience. This was Africa’s infancy, its age which the Europeans call primitive, when it had developed no written literature to document the stages of its coming to self-consciousness. Europeans termed them savages. When they later on realized that these savages were not lawless ruffians, they qualified them as noble savages.
Recent discoveries in the archaeologists’ cabinet of curiosities however do indicate that something was in process; in Africa before Europe discovered her. There was an earlier and a later stage in the life of these savages as the process was emerging. Europeans met the Africans at a stage which had become history for the European process. Europe had gone through a scientific revolution, (thanks to Copernicus and Galileo) and agrarian and industrial revolutions (thanks to Faraday and his colleagues). Equipped with such a background, they arrived in Africa where the indigenes were still controlled by the forces of nature; malaria, over flooding, and were responding to their world through witchcraft and sorcery. Europeans responded with scientific and technological know how. They imposed on the Africans a tutelage status. Africans were seen as not being able to manage their own affairs. They had first to go to school as required by European standards so as to emerge with European life-style, the only life-style thought worthy of human kind.
By combining the indigenous legacy with the benefits of Western science and technology, a new Africa will emerge with unparalleled pride. Christian religion will find it’s pre-history in African Traditional Religion which in turn Christianity will find fulfilment for its cravings in that religion. Above all however, African Traditional Religion should be seen as a religion in dialogue with other religions. If Christianity will not be seen as a foreign religion, then its points of contact with African Traditional Religion will become increasingly important to affirm.
For instance to be a true Igbo is to confess God’s existence and to allow one’s behaviour to be influenced by his conscience interpreted in the light of his eschatological judgment. This judgment is seen to be inevitable even when it is delayed. Human manoeuvring and deceitful antics, their diplomatic strategies and errant politicking, according to the Igbo cannot outwit God’s knowledge and judgment – even when they succeed in imposing their will on other humans. They may win - the battles but they will on the long run – lose the war.
Long before the advent of the Christian religion, the whereabouts of the dead had been a poser for the Africa people. But the question was not a philosophical rigor. Through the life experience of the people and the mythical revelations they come about the idea of sacrifice as a final solution to solve the destiny of the dead who forever remain a member of the community. The destiny and the eschatological question is not only a monopoly of the Etsakọ and the Judeo- Christian religions.
Paul S.L. Johnson asked a baffling question: where are the dead? So far we have tried to study the various ways the Etsakọ and the Judeo-Christians battle with the state of the dead whether they are in limbo or purgatory. Before we discuss the means by which the souls in purgatory can be released, it is worth while to note that there are some other thinkers who think differently regarding the where about of the dead. Where are the dead? The agnostic has no evidence about the where about of the dead and so he claims that man dies as does the brute. The Hindus and others who believe in the transmigration of the soul would say:
Our view is that when a man dies he does not die, but merely changes his form. His future estate will correspond to his present living, and give him either a higher or a lower position. We believe that we lived on earth before, perhaps as cats, dogs, mice, elephants, or what not, and that if this present life has been wisely used, we may reappear as men of nobler talents, as philosophers, etc.; but if, as usual, life has been misspent, at death we will be remanded to some lower form of being – Elephant, a worm, or what not. It is because of this belief that we are so careful in respect to our treatment of the lower animals and refuse to eat meat of any kind. Where we to trample ruthlessly on the worm, our punishment might be to be given a form in which we ourselves would be treated ruthlessly after the change which we call death.
For this reason, this group of people do not use animals for sacrifice either for the living or for the dead. J. Omosade Awolalu believes that among the Yoruba, bad ancestors…are reincarnated in the lower animals or birds, and wander about in neglected and lonely places. What becomes of man after death? E.B. Idowu says that this again is a question which has haunted every religion all down the ages. ‘After death, what?’ is a poser on the face of life itself. And all religion, each in its own way and according to its conception of the essential constitution of life, has found an answer. To the question, the Yoruba are definite in their answer. Death is not the end of life. It is only a means whereby the present earthly existence is changed for another. So according to Idowu, “Immediately a person dies, the first rite is to slay a fowl”. Luke Nnamdi Mbefo stressed further that:
The cultural ideals are dramatically inculcated at the death of an Igbo citizen. When an Igbo woman dies, a chicken is killed at the grave-side. When she comes back to life, she is not expected to forget the industry of the chicken. Just as the chicken works without rest to feed its brood, so the Igbo woman is expected to be industrious and enterprising. When an Igbo man dies, three animals are to be killed….the ram is the symbol of endurance, patience under duress and courage in facing death without complaint. The dog is also killed to underline the need for alertness and watchfulness, virtues associated with the dog. Finally, the cat is equally killed to stress the virtues of calculated risks, wiliness and initial sceptical stance.
Among the Jews as this book has shown so far, the temple of Jerusalem was a venerable haemorrhage as animals were constantly offered to Yahweh as Sacrifice for the living and for the dead as we discovered in the book of the Maccabbees. At the appointed time, the incarnation took place. The eternal Word became flesh and lived among us on earth (John 1:14). Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God in Word and Sacrament. After preaching and healing the sick, he instituted the Holy Eucharist on the day of Passover. “Christ gave Himself up on our behalf, a sacrifice breathing out fragrance as He offered it to God.” (Ep 5:2). F.J. Sheen affirms that “Pagan priests, Old Testament priests, medicine men, all offered a sacrifice apart from themselves. But not our Lord, He was Sacerdos – Victima.”
The symbolism of Christ the lamb who was slain is very meaningful for Africa. A sacrificial victim is slaughtered mainly to remove evil and sin from the community and to prevent death. The actual killing marks the peak of the sacrifice. Among certain ethnic groups the animal symbolically becomes the “scapegoat” for the sins of the community before being slain. People touch the animal to indicate their wish to fast off their sins and heap them onto the sacrificial victim. In a similar way, Christ has become such a victim who freely and lovingly accepts to bear the sins of the world upon himself and die on our behalf. His death is thus a liberating action of forgiveness for all people. The truth we can also derive from the mission of Christ was that his sacrifice gave birth to seven sacraments namely Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist , Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Out of the seven sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist are called the sacraments of initiation. Let us look at these sacraments within the context of Etsakọ religion.
5.2 The Sacrifice of Initiations and the Seven Sacraments
If a Child is continuously reminded of the ways and manner his father was killed, the Child will forever remain a melancholic. The child is forever robbed of his maturity. The child with a future rather uses the event of his father’s death as a stepping stone to greatness. Whatever our past must have been, we can always begin anew. This is where I sympathise with Pedro Ihimekpen when he cried out in the Evangelist Magazine of February, 2000 edition that
It is always a funny spectacle at the baptismal font when we helplessly watch the changing of our children’s names to that of English in order for them to be baptised. Historically, this malice or prejudice came about since the white missionaries could not understand the meaning of our names and also because they felt our names had pagan affiliation. As a cover up they went into rationalisation. Now, we are made to believe that our names must be taken after a saint, who we are taught continuously prays for us and especially those bearing the same name with them.
Today the Church is awake and ready to improve on the early missionaries’ effort in the African Church. One can say that the Church is passing through the era of inculturation and contextualization. This is not the time to remain static and gloom over our wounds. Life as a whole is contextual. In other words we are born into a human family within a particular cultural milieu. So, to be a good Christian, humanity is the first prerequisite. To be a religious person, one must be a complete human being. God had to be man to reveal God to man. This is expressed in the preface of the Solemnity of the Annunciation (P.44) as follows: He came to save mankind by becoming a man himself. No one can claim to be a good Christian if one is not a well-cultured person. That life is contextual therefore means that we are who we are depending on our immediate environment. The knowledge of God is also contextual. That is to say that the culture, tradition, custom and world view of a person are avenues of encountering the Supreme Being. The incarnation means that Jesus took human flesh, born into a culture and tradition that he respected as a starting point of his mission.
The African Bishops since the late 1950s have been singing the song of inculturation and contextualization. They are now open to new contextual methods of evangelisation. The Church in Africa should endeavour to implement some positive suggestions of Pope Benedict XV in 1919, Pope Pius XII in 1951, and the admonition of Pope John Paul II that:
As she carries out missionary activity among the nations, the church encounters different cultures and becomes involved in the process of inculturation. The need for such involvement has marked the church’s pilgrimage throughout her history, but today it is particularly urgent.
Consequently, using Etsakọ as a case study, this book suggests the following aspects for inculturation and contextual study as experiments: The rites of initiation, Marriage (Isomhi), Care of the sick (Unuoegbe), Confession (Okai) Priestly initiation (Okhe) and Burial (Itolimhi). The sacrifice in all these rites prepares a person for his/her final destiny. The sacraments of initiation in the Church areBaptism, the Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. A brief look at the traditional rite of initiation among the Etsakọ of Edo State Nigeria reveals how close Africans are to the Christian concept of initiation. It also shows that Africans were deeply religious before the advent of Christianity. The question now depends on how the Church teaches Christianity to the Africans within the context of their beliefs. The Etsakọ people have three major types of initiations: Child, Adult and Old age initiations
In Etsakọ, a Child is initiated into a family after circumcision. The rite includes the anointing of the Child with oil. This symbolises royalty and the pledge that the Child is born to stay. The Child is made to taste alligator pepper, achie. This means that the Child will have the courage to stand the test of hardship and any difficult situation. The Children are called to escort the baby with music titled: Afafaliko gbenegugu into the mother’s room. Another meaning of this rite is that the Child is now free from the greed of Ọvhabumhẹ who invites pain and suffering by cutting more bread from the sky than she could eat. Etsakọ believes seriously in the concept of original sin. The Child initiation also protects him from the inclination of evil and inordinate desires that attended humanity after the fall of Ọvhabumhẹ.
For contextual reasons it could be experimented if infant baptism can take the place of the traditional Child initiation by applying some of the traditional forms. This can go along with the normal Child dedication, which the Church is already practising. Jesus was dedicated in the temple according to the Mosaic Law and the traditional rite of the Jews:
The day came when the purification had to be performed according to the Law of Moses. So they brought the baby up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every first-born male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice as ordered in the Law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. (Luke 2, 22)
5.2.2Adult Initiation (Uruami):
A youth is regarded as an adult after the initiation into his age group. This initiation is done every three years. An age group includes Children who were born the same period of three years - Ikpela la re nyio ‘utu fue. This initiation qualifies a man to eat with elders since it is a child who washes his hands well that eats with elders. The initiation also qualifies an adult to share in the communal meals. This includes the sharing of wine together. The rite of initiation among the people of Weppa-Wanno is used as a case study here. The rite is as follows:
Enrolment: The initiation of adults is performed during the annual festivals of Otsa or Esi. This coincides with the harvest season when there is plenty of food. The children are listed and enrolled as candidates for the adult initiation. The age bracket is normally from eighteen to twenty years of age. Those who do it later than this age compromise their natural seniority to those who initiate before them.
Scrutiny (Igbhawe): The vestment for adult initiation is a cover cloth across the shoulder and a cap. The father of the age group is called Ethame meaning (my father). There is a sponsor of the age group. This is an elder who has taken the priestly title called Okhe. This sponsor is called Anawi meaning (abundant blessing like the drizzling rain). The scrutiny involves pedagogy, namely the teaching of wisdom to the initiated. Literally the candidates learn how to talk and be disciplined. This is demonstrated by sitting straight on the floor with both hands on the laps. It is forbidden to fold one’s hands as that symbolically imply tying the hands of the age group thereby making them lazy and drawing them backward. The offender is asked to go and smoke the pipe (nọ ra chio’ku) meaning (that he should excuse the group). Either Ethame or Anawi presides over the case. The group has a messenger called Iko who announces the penalty.
Communion: This is the sharing together of the sacred meal. The father of the group (Ethame) provides the first food and drink. Later the sponsor (Anawi) provides the subsequent meals through out the ceremony.
Offering: The group present palm wine, dry fish, some tubers of yam and other food items to the sponsor (Anawi)Some group prefer to present cooked food but the dry fish must accompany the food. Music follows and the Anawidance with the candidates and “spray” them with money. Then other spectators commence the dance and “spray” the group with money too.
Confirmation: The candidates have to prove that they are now men and warriors who are capable of defending their homes and the land. This is symbolised by building a house for Adaobi and wrestling. Adaobi is the warrior whom the Etsakọ claimed delivered them and led them out of Bini Kingdom. Eating, drinking and merriment attend the building of the house for Adaobi. Then the last phase of the rite is wrestling to test the masculinity of the new men. This wrestling contest is between two communities in the case of Weppa-Wanno, it is between Weppa and Wanno. In this contest every wrestler is a victor, no loser because it is an abomination for an adult to fight his age mate.
Dismissal: The Candidates having been fully initiated shout Ekoe-khogo (Alleluia) and each person dances to his home accompanied by parents, relatives and friends.
5.2.3 Old Age Initiation (Ikpelo / Ibaki)
This initiation is predominant among the Ekperi of Etsakọ in Edo state, Nigeria. When a man has attained the age of sixty the children perform the first rite of initiation called Ikpelomeaning aspiring to old age. Three years later the full old age initiation is performed. Both ceremonies take place at three years interval. The rite is simple. The Old man takes a hoe without the metal on it to the Market (Aki). He digs with it and says: “I have worked hard in my youth, now that I am old, tired and the metal in my hoe has been eaten up by stones, my children from hence forth will take care of me till I die”. The children now dance home with their father and celebrate for them. Some children kill a cow or what they can afford. The father now resigns from active labour. This initiation is also a test of how the children will bury their father.
5.2.4 Marriage (Isomhi)
Isomhi means goodness. The African people believe in the sanctity of marriage. In Etsakọ the rite of marriage goes as follows:
Introduction: The family of the man carries a calabash of palm wine to the family of the girl and asks the hand of the girl in marriage. This goes with kola-nuts and other items. The date of the marriage is fixed after the payment of bride price.
Ogono: This ceremony demonstrates that the girl is still a virgin. The age group of the girl wear her black ink, Ibie and cream powder, Ume. They dance naked with the new bride through the town singing: Ogono, emọ dọmha vhegbe khọ ye, ọse li kẹkẹ khọ ye, ọse li motor khọ ye khe mọ dọ ma vhe gbe khọ ye! This song means, “The virgin is going to meet her husband riding on bicycle and motor, we are proud that she is going”. The aspect of nakedness is no longer practised in Etsakọ.
The Ceremony: This is attended by dancing, eating and drinking. The father of the bride hands over the girl to the family of the bride groom and prays: “I am giving you my daughter in marriage. May she give birth to both boys and girls! May she be a source of wealth to your family!” The response to this prayer of hand over ceremony is Itsẹ, Amen! If the girl has no father the uncle does the handing over. Immediately, a gun is shot and the women sing praises by saying: Ayelele ọnọ mhẹ o vha ra gwe gwe, I mhọ emhi rẹ ya ughe!” This means, “Whoever is at home should come and see the beautiful bride worthy of honour”. The bride is then escorted to the husband’s house.
Consumation: The new bride is expected to sleep in the same room with the husaband that night to consummate the marriage. At day break, she along with her friends who escorted her to her new home fetch water for the elderly women and sweep their compounds. In the past, the bride was given a white bed sheet with which she would use for the first time. If at the consummation of marriage the white bed sheet was stained with blood, the husband took the cloth back to her family as a proof that the bride was a virgin before marriage. A white fowl was killed for the young woman and gifts were given to her. This showed how the Etsakọ people valued virginity and chastity. In the Church, the wedding garment used to be a sign that the bride was a virgin. It followed that any woman who went to wedding with a white wedding garment was telling the world that she was still a virgin. Is it possible to contextualize Christian marriage by carrying out the Christian rite of marriage on the day of the traditional ceremonies or perform the traditional ceremonies in the church? Let us wait and see.
5.2.5Anointing of the sick (Unuọegbe)
When somebody is sick in Etsakọ, investigations are often carried out to find out the cause of the sickness. Sometimes this investigation includes the oracle. If the patient has eaten or drunk poison he or she is given oil to lick. If what the person has eaten is traditionally forbidden, the person is anointed with oil on the cheSt Herbalists are recognised in Africa as doctors who care for sick people. If a patient recovers from sickness, the herbalist collects some money from the patient and anoints the patient as a sign of total healing. This is called urawi tso egbe. Some herbalists demand a cock or a goat depending on the illness. Anointing of the patient guarantees that the patient will not suffer a similar sickness again. The expression unuoegbe is a direct translation of the Christian expression for anointing.
This could be a starting point for teaching the Africans the Christian understanding of anointing of the sick. Before the second Vatican Council the sacrament of anointing was regarded as the last sacrament: (Exodtreme auction) Today, it is dawning on a lot of people that the sacrament of anointing does not just assist the patient to die well but also helps the patient to recover. The Christian sacrament of anointing is therapeutic. For contextual reasons the African medical practice may study the relevance of traditional herbs as a possible supplement. The herbal clinic in the Benedictine Monastery in Ewu, Edo State, is a good beginning.
5.2.6Confession (Okai or ozi)
In Africa, nothing happens by chance. Nature does not have vacuum. There is a reason for everything that happens. Cause and effect is a world wide phenomenon. Some sicknesses are attributed to witchcraft or adultery or related offences that could constitute abomination to the land. In Africa, sins of adultery, murder and witchcraft are confessed publicly. The person who confesses adultery in Etsakọ is made to pay a goat as penance. Very often it is women who are made to confess but the men that are involved in the act also do the prescribed penance in the case of adultery. The goat is used as sacrifice to God through the divinities to reconcile the sinner to the ancestors and the land. In the pastpeople used to stone witches and wizards. Today if a person confesses witchcraft, people found out the shrine or idol that makes the person to confess. The penitent pays the prescribed penance and the traditional priest ties the wings of the witch. In other words, the witch is exorcised or cleansed. If the witch dies without confessing the belongings are taken to the shrine (otsa) that killed the witch. In many parts of Africa, sin is not individualistic. The sin of one person can affect a whole community (cf. Ezk 18). This is the reason for public confession and public penance.
In the case of normal misunderstanding, the people who quarrel are also reconciled publicly. They are made to eat and drink together as a sign that they will not do any harm to each other. Those who steal are made to restore what ever they have stolen in any possible form. A murderer is made to sleep in the Market Square with his age mates for a month if the murder is not deliberate. If a person commits suicide, the community offers a lamb as sacrifice to prevent a future occurrence in the family and to cleanse the land of the abomination. The sacrament of reconciliation in the Church can also be preached to the African people. This can be done within the context of what they already know about confession in the African setting. By so doing the Sacrament of reconciliation as practised in the Church will be more relevant and acceptable.
5.2.7Priestly initiation (Okhe)
This initiation is what makes a man a priest in Etsakọ. Okhetitle also qualifies a man for the throne of a king in Avianwu. Without the priestly initiation (Okhe), a man is just an ordinary man (Ogbhari). This initiation has no age limit. It involves a lot of money and sacrifices. With Okhe title a man is entitled to wear a red cap and can be called upon to perform sacrifices or some traditional rites. The priesthood is not alien to the African people except the aspect of clerical celibacy. Priests in some part of Africa are however encouraged to be disciplined and chaste especially when they want to perform some traditional ceremonies. The rite of priestly initiation in Etsakọ is very elaborate. The rite presented here is that of Avianwu in Etsakọ Central Local Government Area of Edo State Nigeria. This rite is supposed to be a top secret. It is however published here for the sake of posterity. A lot of our customs and traditions have died with our ancestors because of this secrecy. The secrecy of some of the African traditional practices also made the missionaries to be suspicious of our traditional practices.
Introduction: (Ur’okhe ko):This literally means the planting of Okhe. The Candidate indicates his desire and pays some money to the Chief priest (Ogie ebo). The Chief priest (Ogie ebo) announces the candidate’s intention to take the priestly (okhe) title. A date is fixed and the Chief priest announces this to those who have already been initiated as priests. All the initiated priests are assembled by the Chief priest to drink palm wine that is provided by the Candidate. The Chief Priest (Ogie ebo) presides with his staff of office (called Etsu).
Registration: (Egbhai) The candidate is registered and the Chief priest (Ogie ebo) appoints two-initiated priests to be in charge of money through out the course of the ceremony. They are to share money hierarchically to all the initiated priests (Ebo). These two priests are called egbhai (meaning mats). They are the ones to perform the rites of initiations in the small forest (Ogwa ni keke) and the big forest (Ogwa nokwa). Because every aspect of this initiation involves money, it goes with the proverb that no one knows the cost of the priestly initiation (A le eka re nyio okhe fue).
The Small Forest (Ogwa ni keke): This initiation is performed on a specific day of the native week: Eyua. The preparation goes as follows: Two sticks are carved from a tree called olibo. The sticks are decorated with paste (made from the bark of the olibo tree) and white chaLukes (erue). The candidate carries one stick and the wife the other stick singing: “Te te te, a ba te te omo a te ikhumi”, meaning (step by step, you lead the shrine like a child). The Chief priest (Ogie ebo) puts a red cap on the head of the candidate. He is given two staffs (Etsu). He goes out to dance round the market. A small booth (iga) is made in the house of the candidates. The two assisting priests accompany the candidate to the small forest (Ogwa ni keke). This is done in the cool evening around 6.00pm. Concession is given to those who come from distant places to perform this ceremony in the morning. The candidate goes to the small forest (ogwa in keke) with a hen (Uwo’kho), yam flour mixed with oil (asa) and a small calabash of palm wine.
At strategic points on the way to the small forest (ogwa ni keke) assisting priests plant a feather of the hen and pour libation on it with the palm wine. Each time this is done, the candidate is given some palm wine to drink. The procession song is rendered by the candidate as follows: E khi ya ebo re (3x), mha go’lomhe no’mosi, E khi ya ebo re. This means: “I am going for priestly initiation, my new bride and me (the initiation is called a bride) we are going for priestly initiation. The candidate is accompanied back home. He enters his booth (iga) and he remains there until he pays some money to the Chief priest (Ogie ebo) who then allows him to come out.
The big Forest (Ogwa nokhua): The preparation for the big forest (Ogwa nokhua) includes: a roasted house rat (ofe’lo na’to). A small pot of yam powder mixed with oil (asa) and fried fish. The rat is placed in the pot along with fried fish. The vestments include tied clothes (ididi’kpo) that is tied on the waste like a girdle or cincture. The candidate is dressed with white chaLuke (erue). The candidate wears a maniple on the wriSt This maniple is made of day palm frond. It is called Akaba in Etsakọ language. Two hens are kept in a basket along with some edible food. The basket is covered with a white cloth. A man who has not performed the rite of priestly initiation (ogbhari) carries this basket.
The journey to the forest: Two priests (ebo) go to the booth (iga) where the candidate is resting. They raise their legs up and the candidate passes under their legs. Then the Chief priest (ogie ebo) counts seven steps while the candidate follows backing him. He must not collide with the Chief priest (Ogie ebo). Through out the journey it is forbidden to hit another person’s leg from behind. After the seven steps directed by the Chief priest (Ogie ebo), the candidate begins his journey by singing: Iyare! E e e iyare! (I am going, e e e , I am going with the hope to return).
The entrance into the big forest (Ogwa nokhua) is similar to the beginning of the journey. The candidate passes under the legs of the two priests (ebo) and enters the forest The sacrifices performed are the same with that done in the small forest (Ogwa ni keke). After the sacrifice, the initiate sings: Uloko no ogwa-e- Iregbhe mhe ne mho (The Iroko of the forest, I dedicate myself to you). Then the Chief priest (Ogiebo) says: Za ele rekpa u vha ge khio ogbari, ogiebo lu khe khia (from now on you are no longer an ordinary person, you are now pronounced a high priest). The initiate makes a pledge to the shrine in the forest and promises to keep the oath of secrecy of the ceremony.
On returning, the new priest (Ọbo’gbomhi) is possessed with a new spirit. He sings songs of praises. He pays homage to those who have been initiated before him, the divinities of the land and the ancestors. When he gets home other priests fence him round with clothes. The head of a hen is twisted, pulled off and the blood is sprinkled on the new priest (obo’gbomhi). The rite is called Okhiomhi. He goes round the village square with the blood. He returns into the booth (iga) with his back. After some hours he pays some money to the Chief priest (Ogie ebo). This money replaces the rite whereby the new priest sleeps on the bare floor for seven days without taking his bath. The whole ceremonies are accompanied with music, dance, eating and drinking.
On ewo day, that is the next day, the new priest goes round to greet his fellow priests and thank those who graced the occasion. He goes round with the illofia (a local bell) and shakes it to those who have been initiated before him. The old priests congratulate him by saying, a noble priest (Obo awo…)! The new priest then waits for one year before he is given his own staff of office (otsu). This ceremony is performed with the head of a dog. With this, the new priest is entitled to all the rights, obligations and responsibilities of a prieSt He now begins to offer sacrifices especially by pouring palm wine and blood on the staff (Otsu).
There is need for a brief comment at this point on the priestly initiation of Etsakọ people. This priestly initiation is loaded with sacrifices. A lot of questions have been raised whether a Christian can take the priestly title (Okhe). Mr. A.B.C. Nasamu is of the opinion that a Christian should not take Okhe title because of the sacrifices involved. Mr. J.O. Oghiadomhe agues that Chief Itsueli who at a time was a Chief Priest, (Ogiobo) removed all the aspects that involved serious sacrifices. Very Rev. Fr. Laurence Balogun who was the parish priest of Fugar at the time of this book observed that Chief Itsueli did not succeed in removing all the aspects that involved serious sacrifice. According to Fr. Balogun, Okhe is a ‘god’ that accepts only sacrificial victims. The mere saying of it is not sufficient. Since Okhe is the people’s baptism a more radical action is required since children are also involved in it. When Bishop Anthony Gbuji (now Emeritus Bishop of Enugu) was the Parish priest of Fugar, he set up a committee to look into the possibilities of Christianizing the Okhe title. This committee did not arrive at positive results before the transfer of the then, Rev. Fr. Anthony Gbuji. For Mr. Umole Okhe title is an enigma. Even though it involves a lot of sacrifices, Christians find it difficult to shy away from it because almost every privilege in the land depends on this title. For instance, No honour is accorded any body in the land that has not been initiated into the okhe priesthood. Mr. Simeon Nasamu believes that a Christian has nothing to do with Okhe except if the sacrifices are genuinely removed.
It is observed that if the theology of the blood of Jesus is well expounded to the Etsakọ people, namely, that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has taken over all forms of sacrifices, Okhe initiation can become a ceremony whereby the Holy Mass is celebrated as a substitute for the traditional sacrifices. Moreover, Christians who wish to take Okhe title should know that baptism in the Church enables one to share the three fold functions of Christ By baptism one becomes a priest, a prophet and a king. It might be true that some aspects of sacrifices have been removed from the Okheinitiation. For example, the sprinkling with blood and sleeping on bare floor for seven days. It is hoped that more improvement will be made such that Christians may be able to publicly perform this ceremony instead of doing it in hiding.
5.3Theological reflection
It is possible to locate the Christian sacraments of initiation within the context of the African rite of initiation of children, adult and the old people. Infant baptism can be celebrated within the context of Childhood initiation. First Holy Communion and confirmation can find a place in the sacrament of confirmation. The social aspects of these initiations can be preserved while the Christian rite of initiation takes the place of the offerings and sacrifices in places where they exist The seven sacraments in the Church can be compared with the seven rites of initiation in Etsakọ.
5.3.1Baptism (Childhood initiation – Uruemhi): The Church believes that “baptism is a sacrament that cleanses us from original sin, makes us Christians and members of the Church”. In Africa, especially Etsakọ, the child initiation makes a child a member of the family. The child is also free from the greed of Ọvhabumhẹ, a woman who caused God to be far away from human beings. Consequently the sin of Ọvhabumhẹ can be likened to original sin.
The Church is the body of Christ and Christians are members of that body. The Holy Eucharist is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine. It is a communion of hearts and minds (agape). Jesus instituted the Eucharist within the context of the Jewish Passover. Adult initiation is celebrated on the festivals of Esiand Otsa. This ceremony brings men of the same age group together to learn words of wisdom and share food and drink together. Adult initiation (uruamhi) is an agape festival where people eat from the same plate and drink from the same cup. In the Holy Eucharist , communicants share the body of Christ from the same ciborium and the same chalice.
In the Church, Confirmation makes the Christian a soldier of Christ Adult initiation qualifies a man in Etsakọ to be a warrior. Ikpelo/Ibaki are initiations that confirm the fact that a man has lived a fulfilled life as a warrior and an achiever.
The sacrament of reconciliation brings a penitent back to God and reconciles him to the Church. This in the Church is by way of confession, penance, absolution and satisfaction. In Etsakọ, the sinner confesses sins openly and he is reconciled to the individual, the community, the land and the ancestors.
In the Church this sacrament helps the sick to recover and if it is the will of God that the person should die, the person dies peacefully. In Etsakọ, this ceremony is a sign that the patient is healed. It also means that the patient is guarded against a similar illness. It does not prepare the sick for death. It is a confirmation of healing.
Both involve the ordination of priests. In the Church the body and blood of Jesus is offered as sacrifice. In Etsakọ, the blood of animals is sacrificed.
5.3.7 Marriage (Isomhi):
In the Church, this ceremony brings a man and woman together in an indissoluble bond. Isomhi, in Etsakọ means goodness. Marriage in Etsakọ brings a man and woman together to produce children and share life together. The woman is married to the family. This means that if the husband dies the woman still enjoys the protection of the extended family. However, the aspect of remarriage whereby the widow is compelled to marry the brother of the deceased husband against her will is not compatible with the teaching of the Church. If the widow must remarry it should be her free choice and with a single man with whom their marriage can be blessed in the Church.
5.4 Recommendations
Etsakọ offer sacrifices directly to God. Such offerings are made at any place, forest and river or even at the foot of any tree dedicated solely to God. At such a sacred place, divinities, deities, spirits and ancestors are not used as intermediaries. Sacrifices are however offered more through the divinities and the ancestors. Divinities are sacramentals in African primal religions. They are outward expressions of divine operations. Being perceptible by the senses, they project the mind and heart to God. Sacrifices are offered to God through the ancestors because they are believed to be closer to God. I recommend therefore that the Etsakọ Christian should use this traditional belief as a basis for faith in the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints and angels to assist us in the hour of our death and to secure a place for us in heaven.
Sacrifices are offered to God on ewo days and annually on days for Esi festival. Ewo is one day in a week set aside for rest A week is the number of days from a market day to another market day. A market day is called elumhi. The day following the market is ewo. Other festivals where Etsakọ offers sacrifices are: Ukpe, Otsa, Ikpelo/Ibaki (especially for the Ekperi people), Uruamhi, Akhe (especially for women of Weppa-Wanno), Itolimhi, (rite of passage) and Okhe(especially for the people of Avianwu). Esi is an annual festival in Etsakọ. It marks the beginning of harvest (especially new yam). It is also called new yam festival. In Nigeria, the Ibos also celebrate the new yam festival (Iriji ọfụụ) and they have Christianized it to some extent. Ukpe is also an annual festival especially among the people of Weppa-Wanno. Otsa is also an annual festival especially among the Ekperi. Ikpelo/Ibaki is a festival of initiation into old age among the people of Ekperi. Uruamhi is initiation into manhood. Akhe is a cooking festival among the women of Weppa-Uwanno. Okhe is a title in Avianwu. Itolimhi is the rite of passage for the dead. This rite is compulsory for every adult that dies after burying the parents. This is done almost everywhere in Etsakọ. Christians are still finding it difficult to escape from these ceremonies. I suggest that in the celebration of all these festivals, the Etsakọ Christian should make Jesus Christ normative by offering the sacrifice of the Mass in the place of goats and other animal sacrifices. The meat and food items to be used for this ceremony may be blessed by the priests. Some of these items should also be used as thanks giving in the Church.
From available field work among the people of Uzairue, Avianwu, Weppa-Wanno and Ekperi, we can deduce the rite of sacrifice among the Etsakọ people as follows:
Introduction: The priest greets the people and explains the reason for the sacrifice. He narrates what God has done for the land. This brings out the power of God.
Invocation: The priest calls on the ancestors to witness and partake in the sacrifice.
Offering: Pounded yam and egusi soup is offered along with the prescribed animal like a cock, goat, lamb in the case of murder and suicide or a tortoise in extraordinary cases.
Libation: Palm wine is poured and the ancestors are invited to drink.
Communion: The food and wine are shared among the people who partake in the sacrifice. Children are invited to eat the food, the wine is shared among the elders while the animal is either cooked for further sharing or the uncooked meat is shared among the elders.
The sacrifice made for murder is performed with a lamb. It is believed that the lamb is innocent and peaceful. The blood of the lamb is capable of ushering in peace into the community again. This also applies in the case of suicide. The Etsakọ people believe in the efficacy of blood for the remission of sin. Blood for the people of Etsakọ is sacred. This has some resemblance to the Jewish understanding of blood and sacrifice.
The mediatory role of the ancestors could be a starting pointof book for the Liturgists and the contextual theologians. In Eucharist ic prayer 1, the Church prays: “Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven.” In all the Eucharist ic prayers, the intercessory role of the Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary are invoked. Justin Ukpong explains why the Africans offer Sacrifice to God as follows:
In communicating with God through prayer, it is as if one were speaking with God over the fence. In communicating with God through sacrifice however, the fence is removed and one enters into the presence of God, and to do that often is simply not acceptable.
In the Holy Mass, the sacrificial species are bread and wine. These become the body and blood of Jesus after the prayer of consecration. This change is theologically called transubstantiation. The Sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is for all peoples. This sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus may replace that of food and animals in Africa while other aspects of the festivals and ceremonies should be closely studied to see the aspects that are acceptable to the Christian faith and socially healthy. This will help the church in the efforts of inculturation.
It should be noted however, that all these ceremonies of initiations are various ways the Etsakọ and the Judeo Christian religion prepare for their final destiny which is a perfect rest with the saints, ancestors, the angels of God and finally to behold the face of God in heaven. This final encounter is called the beatific vision. The opposite of this experience for those who were alienated from culture, humanity and God by living a meaningless life find themselves losing the final vision of God. These disobedient people experience hell which is a total separation from God and humanity. It is hoped that this comparative study will helped inculturation in Etsakọ.
