BY: NWABUGWU OKEY ANTHONY
Exhibition Unit, Department of Museums,
National Museum of Unity, Enugu, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Material objects occupy an important place in Igbo traditional worship, where certain natural and manufactured materials acquire ritual, symbolic and spiritual meanings. This paper examines what it terms “sacramentals” in Igbo traditional worship, focusing on oji (kola nut), nzu (white chalk), edo (camwood), ose oji (alligator pepper), bitter kola, spirit drinks and incense. The term “sacramentals” is used comparatively to describe objects that function within ritual contexts as mediums of prayer, invocation, purification, communication and interaction with the spiritual realm. Particular attention is given to kola nut, whose presentation, prayer, breaking and distribution are significant in Igbo social and religious life. The paper also examines the symbolic interpretations associated with different numbers of kola-nut lobes and highlights the variation of such practices across Igbo communities, with particular reference to Ihiala. It further discusses the ritual meanings attributed to nzu, edo, ose oji, hot drinks and incense and demonstrates how these materials form part of a wider system of indigenous knowledge. The paper argues that the significance of these objects extends beyond their physical form to include the beliefs, language, rituals and cultural knowledge associated with them. It concludes that documenting both the objects and their associated indigenous knowledge is important for the preservation and interpretation of Igbo cultural heritage, particularly within museums and other heritage institutions.
Keywords: Igbo traditional worship; sacramentals; ritual objects; kola nut; symbolism; spiritual communication; indigenous knowledge; cultural heritage.
1. INTRODUCTION
Religion is expressed through beliefs, prayers, rituals, symbols, gestures and material objects. In many traditional African societies, physical objects are not understood merely in terms of their material composition or practical uses; they may acquire deeper meanings within systems of belief and ritual practice. Among the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria, objects such as kola nut, white chalk, alligator pepper, camwood, bitter kola, drinks and incense occur in different social, ceremonial and spiritual contexts. Their significance derives from the cultural knowledge and religious meanings attached to them.
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| Kola But (Oji) |
The kola nut (oji) provides one of the most prominent examples. Its presentation to a visitor is traditionally associated with hospitality, friendship and acceptance, while its ritual presentation, prayer, breaking and distribution may also constitute an important form of spiritual and communal communication. The meanings attached to the different lobes of the kola nut further demonstrate the symbolic significance that a natural object can acquire within a cultural system. Eze (2021), for example, documents a range of social, ritual and cosmological meanings associated with Oji Igbo, including its use in ceremonies, traditional gatherings and spiritual practices.
Other materials discussed in this paper similarly acquire meanings that extend beyond their physical characteristics. Nzu, or white chalk, may be associated with purity, peace and ritual invocation; edo (camwood) is associated in the tradition described here with coolness and calmness; ose oji (alligator pepper) may accompany ritual prayers and cleansing practices; while drinks and incense may form part of libation, invocation and other spiritual exercises.
The term “sacramentals” is used in this paper as a comparative description of these ritual objects and materials. The term originates from Christian religious vocabulary, particularly Catholic theology, and therefore does not imply that Igbo traditional ritual objects are identical to Christian sacramentals. Rather, it draws attention to the way certain physical materials become meaningful within religious practice and are used as tangible media of ritual expression and spiritual communication.
It is also important to recognise that Igbo traditional religious practices are not completely uniform throughout Igboland. Interpretations of ritual objects, the procedures associated with them and the meanings attached to particular symbols may differ from one community to another. Consequently, some of the practices discussed in this paper, particularly the interpretations of kola-nut lobes, are presented as traditions associated with particular communities, especially Ihiala, rather than as universal practices among all Igbo people.
This paper therefore examines selected ritual objects associated with Igbo traditional worship and discusses their symbolic meanings and perceived roles in spiritual communication. It focuses particularly on oji (kola nut), nzu (white chalk), edo (camwood), ose oji (alligator pepper), bitter kola, spirit drinks and incense. Beyond their ritual functions, the paper draws attention to these materials as components of indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage. This is particularly relevant to museums, where the preservation of an object should ideally be accompanied by documentation of the knowledge, beliefs, language and practices that give the object its cultural meaning.
2. “SACRAMENTALS” IN IGBO TRADITIONAL WORSHIP
The following are some of the ritual objects and materials discussed in this paper:
Oji – Kola nut
Nzu – White chalk or kaolin
Edo – Camwood
Ose oji – Alligator pepper
Aki ilu – Bitter kola
Spirit – Hot drink
Incense
These materials are considered in this paper not simply as physical objects or substances but as components of ritual practices through which practitioners express beliefs, make invocations, seek protection, establish relationships and communicate with the spiritual realm.
3. KOLA NUT (OJI)
Kola nut is very important and significant in the life of the average Igbo person, such that it traditionally forms part of the beginning of the day in many Igbo homes and families. Kola nut is used for prayers, to call upon ancestors and to make requests according to the beliefs and trust of practitioners in the spiritual realm and their ancestors.
The importance of kola nut in Igbo culture has also been documented by Eze (2021), who describes Oji Igbo as having important socio-cultural and cosmological meanings. The kola nut may serve as an object of communion between human beings and between human beings and the spiritual world, while also symbolising love, loyalty, unity and social stability (Eze, 2021).
There are different kinds of kola nut in existence. We have Gworo, which our Igbo people call Oji Hausa because it comes primarily from the northern part of the country. It usually has only two lobes when broken, so it is not used in Igbo traditional worship.
Other types of kola nut, which we refer to as Oji Igbo, do not necessarily originate from Igboland, as traditional worshippers in Yorubaland and other parts of the country also have access to and use them in communicating with their ancestors and ancestral energies. Much of the kola nut referred to as Oji Igbo is grown in Cameroon and brought into this region by traders.
Eze (2021) identifies Cola acuminata with Oji Igbo and Cola nitida with Oji Hausa or Gworo, while noting the particular cultural importance attached to Oji Igbo in Igbo society.
Kola nut represents many things in Igbo cosmology, depending on the perspective from which it is considered. It is one of the most important ritual objects in Igbo traditional worship. It is used to invoke the name of God Almighty and ancestors during traditional spiritual worship (Eze, 2021).
Other uses of kola nut include:
Hospitality: It is used to welcome visitors into a home because it is regarded as a sign of love, trust and togetherness within a family or community.
Marriage ceremonies
Installation of traditional rulers
Resolution of disputes
Cultural festivals
Traditional spiritual worship
Eze (2021) similarly identifies welcoming visitors, marriage rites, coronations and Ofala engagements, title-taking, naming ceremonies, rituals, sacrifices and traditional gatherings among the contexts in which kola nut is used.
During any of the above-mentioned festivities and ceremonies, prayers offered with kola nut are traditionally done in the native dialect of the particular area where the person praying with the kola nut is located. In the Igbo context, this is usually the Igbo language. This is believed to increase the efficacy of the prayers directed towards the spirits.
When the kola nut is broken after the prayer, the number of lobes it has may carry different meanings in different parts of Igboland.
Eze (2021) also documents different interpretations associated with the number of cotyledons or lobes of the kola nut, although these interpretations may vary from one community to another.
3.1 Three-Lobed Kola Nut
The three-lobed kola nut represents equity and justice in some traditions. It is called Oji Ikenga. Oji Ikenga is usually used when one is calling upon his or her chi, understood as a spiritual advocate in the spiritual realm.
It is believed to connect the person calling upon his or her chi directly to the particular spiritual energy being invoked to render different kinds of services as may pertain to the person's physical needs at that particular point in time. As the saying goes, “The spiritual controls the physical.”
Eze (2021) also identifies the three-lobed kola with Oji Ikenga or Oji Ike and associates it with strength, valour and particular ritual meanings in Igbo tradition.
3.2 Four-Lobed Kola Nut
The four-lobed kola nut represents the four market days of Eke, Oye, Afor and Nkwo in Igboland. It is known as Oji nwanne na nwanne, symbolising togetherness and love within a family or group.
Oji nwanne na nwanne goes beyond its physical interpretation or perception. Once it is broken among a group of people gathered in a place and they eat from it, it is traditionally believed that none should act against another person, either physically or spiritually. Otherwise, repercussions that were neither planned nor envisaged may follow. It is therefore regarded as a powerful number in Igbo cosmology.
The association of the four-lobed kola with the four traditional market days is also documented by Eze (2021), who describes four as an important number in Igbo cultural symbolism.
3.3 Five-Lobed Kola Nut
The five-lobed kola nut represents fertility, wealth and open doors of blessings, both financial and otherwise, according to the tradition described in this paper.
There is a ritual that is usually performed by the dibia, or traditional spiritual priest, when a six-lobed kola nut is broken before it can be brought into play in the lives of his family, clients and friends. The practice differs from place to place in Igboland.
In my own town of Ihiala, if a dibia or a householder breaks a kola nut and it comes out in six lobes, he takes one of the six lobes, prays over it, and banishes the spirits of negativity, backwardness and blockage. He then takes it around his head four times, representing the four market days of Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo, before throwing it far away from his compound.
He then welcomes the remaining five lobes as heralds of blessings and distributes them among his ora mmuo, meaning his spiritual entities. He does not share these with anybody outside his immediate family. He then breaks another kola nut, which he can distribute among those present.
This is the tradition as practised in my own town of Ihiala.
The five-lobed kola is also associated with increase, prosperity, protection and good fortune in the account provided by Eze (2021). However, the particular ritual procedure described above is presented here specifically as an Ihiala tradition.
3.4 Six-Lobed Kola Nut
The six-lobed kola nut is usually controversial and represents different things in different areas of Igboland. Some communities regard it as something good that should be received, while others may see it as representing something negative and may therefore reject it.
Eze (2021) likewise records a distinct interpretation of the six-lobed kola, associating it with covenant or communion between human beings and spiritual beings. This demonstrates that interpretations of kola-lobe patterns are culturally specific and may vary across communities.
3.5 Seven-Lobed Kola Nut
The seven-lobed kola nut is considered very spiritual and, according to the tradition described here, requires the sacrifice of a live animal to draw down the blessings it represents.
It usually heralds the coming of great positive events in the life of the householder who broke the kola nut. It is usually wrapped up and kept until the householder is able to obtain either a goat or chicken to sacrifice to the ancestors before the kola nut can be eaten and the good tidings accessed or released to him or her.
If, as time goes on, the dibia or householder is unable to raise enough money for a goat, he approaches his spiritual entities and pleads with them to allow him to settle the matter with a chicken, either male or female, so that he can access the blessings believed to be contained in the seven-lobed kola nut.
Eze (2021) also associates the seven-lobed kola with positive meanings and prosperity, although the particular ritual requirements may differ from those described in the Ihiala tradition presented in this paper.
3.6 Eight-Lobed Kola Nut
The eight-lobed kola nut represents, in the tradition described here, more good things to happen in the very near future. It is usually considered good to harness the goodness associated with it by performing the necessary spiritual rites to bring the blessings into play.
Eze (2021) also records positive symbolic meanings associated with an eight-lobed kola nut, including joy, happiness and royalty.
Traditional Igbo worship is understood by practitioners as a natural and organic way of connecting with ancestors and seeking solutions to problems through them, provided that one understands their language, codes and ritual procedures and acts appropriately and at the right time.
The number of lobes can continue to increase, but any number from eight upwards usually portends good things to come according to the tradition described. In very rare cases, one kola nut has been known to break into sixteen pieces, although it is very rare to encounter such a kola nut.
4. NZU (WHITE CHALK OR KAOLIN)
Nzu is usually obtained from a particular kind of water body known as Ngene. It is regarded as a powerful spiritual sacramental used during traditional worship.
It is used during invocations to call upon ancestors and attract their attention before praying with the kola nut.
There is another form known as Ekete or Uro, which is usually eaten by pregnant women in the village because it is believed to have medicinal properties. This type is hard and slightly darker in colour, while the one used for spiritual purposes is usually pure white and softer.
Nzu can be moulded or used in powdered form during invocations, including drawing vertical lines on the ground representing the market days.
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| White Chalk (Nzu): used as a ritual and symbolic material in Igbo traditional practice |
Four lines represent Eke, Oye, Afor and Nkwo, while eight lines represent these four market days together with Eke Ukwu, Oye Ukwu, Afor Ukwu and Nkwo Ukwu, making eight.
According to the tradition described here, a fully titled man or practising dibia may draw nine lines to represent his spiritual ascendancy and grade. An ordinary Igbo householder may draw four lines to represent the four market days while involving his ancestors and gods of the land. A practising dibia, however, may draw eight or nine lines according to his spiritual status or level of ritual knowledge.
5. EDO (CAMWOOD)
Edo is another powerful spiritual sacramental used in traditional Igbo worship. It is usually soft to the touch and breaks up easily when held in the hands.
It usually comes in two colours. One is reddish in colour, while the other is yellowish in colour. According to the tradition described, both serve similar purposes during spiritual invocations.
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| Camwood (Edo): used in Igbo traditional ritual practice |
Edo, as the name implies in this interpretation, represents coolness or calmness. It is used to invoke calmness or coolness in a very hot or troublesome situation during spiritual worship.
Words such as:
“Ka ihe dị ọkụ na ndụ m jụọ oyi ma doo m edo.”
may be used, translated as:
“Let everything that is hot or rough in my life become cool, calm and quiet.”
It is believed to perform important work during difficult spiritual exercises by calming spirits that may be perceived as causing trouble in a person's work, business or life in general.
6. OSE OJI (ALLIGATOR PEPPER)
Ose oji is one of the powerful sacramentals traditionally used during spiritual exercises and prayers. It usually comes in a bunch containing tiny black seeds when opened.
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| Alligator Pepper (Ose oji): showing the fruit and seeds used in Igbo traditional practice |
In Igbo traditional worship, the expression:
“Ose oji adị eje ije ifere, aru ụfụ adị afụ ose oji.”
is traditionally interpreted as meaning:
“Ose oji does not embark on a journey of shame, and ose oji is never bothered by discomfort.”
It is used, according to the tradition described, to banish negative spirits and remove negative energies from the human body.
It can be chewed while invocations are being made, after which the chewed material is spat out. This is believed to activate the spoken words and bring them into being.
It can also be put into bathing water as part of traditional cleansing practices intended to remove negativity from the body and recharge one's life force and aura positively.
7. SPIRIT (HOT DRINK)
From the days of our forefathers, spirit drinks such as dry gin have been part of certain spiritual invocations and prayers.
One of the commonest drinks known to us is Seaman's Aromatic Schnapps, which a householder may present to visitors alongside kola nut before any discussion begins.
It is used to summon spiritual entities during invocations and to make them active during spiritual work or exercises, according to the beliefs of practitioners.
The use of alcoholic drinks in this context therefore extends beyond their function as beverages. They may form part of a ritual process involving prayer, invocation and libation.
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| Spirit Drink: used in social and ritual contexts in Igbo traditional practice |
8. INCENSE
Incense, as a spiritual sacramental, is also regarded as a powerful item used in some traditional spiritual exercises. According to practitioners, it is used to banish the presence of negative energies and auras and to activate positivity during spiritual exercises.
Incense comes in different shapes, designs and sizes. In the olden days, and even now in some villages where they can easily be obtained, the dry tips of palm tendrils are burnt as incense.
The spiritual plant known as ogilisi can also be dried and mixed with dried nchu anwu (scent leaf) and used as incense.
Plate 5: Dried Ogilisi plant used as incense
According to the practitioners who use these materials, they can achieve results similar to those associated with modern incense during spiritual exercises.
9. CONCLUSION
The objects discussed in this paper demonstrate the important relationship between material culture and spirituality in Igbo traditional worship. Kola nut, nzu, edo, ose oji, bitter kola, spirit drinks and incense are not regarded merely as ordinary physical materials. Within particular cultural and ritual contexts, they acquire symbolic meanings and are incorporated into prayers, invocations, purification, communication and other spiritual practices.
Kola nut occupies a particularly important position because of its widespread social and ritual functions. Its presentation, prayer, breaking and distribution provide opportunities for hospitality, unity, communication and spiritual invocation. The interpretation of the different numbers of lobes further demonstrates the depth of symbolic meaning that may be attached to a natural object (Eze, 2021).
At the same time, these practices should not be assumed to be exactly the same throughout Igboland. The examples presented, particularly those concerning the interpretation of kola-nut lobes and the use of particular ritual materials, reflect traditions that may vary from one community to another. The Ihiala examples presented in this paper are therefore important as expressions of local indigenous knowledge.
For museums, these ritual objects deserve documentation not only as physical artefacts but also in relation to the knowledge, beliefs, language and practices associated with them. Preserving the object without preserving the knowledge surrounding it may result in the loss of an important part of its cultural meaning.
The continued documentation of these materials and their associated indigenous knowledge can therefore contribute to the preservation and interpretation of Igbo cultural heritage for present and future generations.
REFERENCES
Achebe, C. (1958). Things fall apart. Heinemann.
Awoonor, K. (1975). The breast of the earth: A survey of the history, culture, and literature of Africa south of the Sahara. Anchor Press.
Awoonor, K. (1992). Comes the voyager at last: A tale of return to Africa. Africa World Press.
Eze, J. (2021). The cosmology of kola nut (Oji-Igbo). Journal of Archaeology and Tourism Research, 1(2), 139–143.
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