“A people without the knowledge of their history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots” – (Marcus Garvey)
For the Igbos, the New Yam Festival is one of the time-honored major cultural heritage celebrated by the Igbo community in all parts of the world they are domiciled both at home and abroad. Like a relay race, its button has transcended from generation to generation until the present era.
For the Igbo Ottawa/Gatineau Association, as we gather to celebrate this landmark event in the history of the Association, we must not fail to ponder on the Cultural, Spiritual, Social and Economic impact and significance to us.
Before we proceed, we must express our gratitude to “He That Makes To Be” (Jehovah), Olisa Di N’elu, for making this to be.
“Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain”
We shall not fail to acknowledge the labor of our heroes past and the diligence of the successive leadership and members of the Igbo Ottawa/Gatineau Association who have over the years labored to sustain and held the ladder for the Association to thrive to the present time. For the entire members of the Igbo Ottawa/Gatineau Association, you are the champions!
For this maiden event, our credit goes to the wisdom and visionary leadership of the new Executive of the Igbo Ottawa/Gatineau Association led by High Chief Engr. Chidiebere Obiaku, the dynamic P.R.O, Mazi Chikezirim Nwakanma and the executive, for deeming it wise to resonate our cultural heritage in the land of Canada and the city of Ottawa in particular.
To the Igbo in general and for the Igbo Association of Ottawa/Gatineau respectively, the question arises;
Why do we celebrate the New Yam Festiva? what is the cultural symbolism of the ‘Yam’? And what is the significance of this Festival to us?
Before we proceed to dwell on the above questions, it is pertinent for us and for the benefit of our guests and our children to have a brief insight and knowledge of our origin, ancestry, and who we are.
Who Are The Igbo?
To describe the Igbo or N’digbo as we are called could be likened to the story of “the six blind men who went to see an elephant”. One touched the body and said the elephant was like a house. Another touched the trunk and said the elephant was like a tree…
Depending on the part that was touched, the elephant meant different things to the six blind men. But despite their divergent perceptions, on the whole, the elephant remains an elephant. In like manner, N’digbo means different things to different people depending on the direction they are viewed.
Many attempts by many scholars, archaeologists and historians to trace the origin of N’digbo have never arrived at a consensus. So many varying hypotheses have been postulated in the past about the origin of the Igbos.
According to Prof. Emmanuel Onwu (2002), “the Igbo tribe is the most difficult to place in terms of origin”.
Some claimed they migrated from Southern Sudan, Egypt, and Israel among others. However, l believe that no foreigner can describe or trace our origin better than we ought to because according to an Igbo idiom, it is said that;
“Onye na anoghi elie ozu anaghi ama ebe is ozu di”
(a person who was not present when a corpse was buried does not know where the head of the corpse is)
Among the Igbos, there exists strong historical evidence of “Nri” as their origin. Nevertheless, while the puzzle about the origin of Igbos lingers, the Igbos are happy just being Igbo. And they have found themselves in the southeastern part of Nigeria and are indeed Nigerians like any other tribe.
Considering how the ancestry of N’digbo has bothered many for a long time, that makes N’digbo unique.
As stated by Prof. Donatus Nwoga (1984), “It is not an overstatement to say that the Igbo people are the most important people in the world today (but unknown to themselves). We have a language structure that is so efficient that some say it was first spoken in Eden”.
No people on Earth including the Igbo can lay claim to ethnic or racial purity. The Igbos as a people have their character traits embedded in their system which often is misconstrued by others. They have stood out in their own way throughout their history.
The pre-colonial Igbo political system was based on a quasi-democratic republican system that guaranteed equality of the citizenry. The Igbo society is an embodiment of true liberty. The traditional Igbo man or woman was a community dweller and a team worker.
“I am because we are and since we are, therefore lam”
The lgbos adapt to changes easily as you can find an Igbo man in almost everywhere on planet Earth. In fact, it is said, in any place where the lgbo man is not found, don’t hesitate to leave as the place may be doomed for destruction.
Dr. James Africanus Horton, an Igbo ex-slave who was the first Black medical doctor wrote;
“The Igbo cannot be driven to an act but with kindness, they could be made to do anything, even to deny themselves of their comforts. They would not, as a rule, allow anyone to act superior over them, nor sway their conscience by coercion to the performance of any act, whether good or bad when they do not incline to do so”…
That could be attributed to the reason why the Igbo resisted colonialism as it was an affront by the White man to invade his liberty and impose his system on him.
Prof.Chinua Achebe, of blessed memory, a great Igbo son and one of the best Authors of the 19th century, wrote about the pre-colonial Igbo in “Things Fall Apart”, a novel whose its readership and spread are almost second to the Bible.
While some people have tried to link the Igbos to the Jewish race, others simply see them as the “Jews of Africa”. It may not be a mistake to mention that the Igbos have a genealogical and historical resemblance to the Jewish race.
Among all, they are adventurous and aggressive like the Jews. Igbos and the Jews have the same eight-day circumcision custom for male children. The Igbo and Jewish customs permit a man to raise children from his brother’s widow.
According to Oladuah Equiano, an Igbo ex-slave who travelled far and wide, some names among the Igbos such as, “Uburu” and even the “Igbo” itself, are derived from Hebrew words.
As stated by ‘Mazi Nweke, od’Ivoirehe Igbos come from? “Majority of Igbos are satisfied to accept the Israel hypothesis supported by the triple testimonies of oral tradition; “Eri’ migration and archaeological evidence”
While the puzzle about the origin of N’digbo remains, certainly they are from somewhere, either heaven or Earth.
The Symbolism of Yam In The Igbo Society And The Origin Of The Festival.
For the benefit of our guests and others, it is important to give a brief insight ointothe origin of Yam and the New Yam festival in the Igbo society.
As the Lion is the king of animals in the forest, so is ‘Yam’ the king of crops on the farm in the Igbo society.
The purpose of the festival is to offer thanks to the Supreme deity, “Chukwu Okike Abiama” for a bountiful harvest in the outgoing season and to usher in His blessings for the upcoming season.
The Cultural Values,
the symbolic importance of Yam and the New Yam festival,’ Iri Ji Ohuru’ is entwined in our culture.
In the past, a man’s prowess and wealth is measured by the number of yam barns he owns.
Yam, as a symbolic major crop, holds a sacred position among the lgbos, as it is reflected in the anthropology of Igbo names. Hence we have names such as; Ezeji, Diji, Osuji, Oriji, Nwaji, Ohuoba, and Nmaji, among others.
The origin of yam and the New Yam Festival “Iri Ji Ohuru” could be traced back to the advent of agriculture in Igbo land and the cultivation of yam as a means of livelihood and economic benefits. Although there are many accounts as the source differs from the history of this festival.
One account has it that, the Yam was the reincarnation of the first son of the “Afikpo” woman who was sacrificed at the order of the oracle, “Ibu Ukpabi”. The woman first sacrificed a slave and the community got a wild yam, “Ji Abani”, when she sacrificed her own son, a man’s yam sprouted up, “Ji Amadi”, a gift of the god to the starving community.
A further account of the rituals surrounding the eating of new Yam is the one that tells when it was first brought into our communities.
Yams were unproven food items. In fear of the entire community being wiped out by food poisoning, domestic animals and slaves were forced to eat the yam first. Not until it was recognized as a safe food item, did the leaders of the community permit the majority of the public to share of it.
Nonetheless, there may be variations to these accounts. It is noteworthy that the new Yam festival which we celebrate is not solely an Igbo event.
There is the West African Yam belt which cut across the Camerouns to Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. That this ceremony is celebrated over much of West Africa implies that these local explanations be taken with moderation.
The yam is not a cheap crop to cultivate and is truly a man’s job. Only one harvest a year. Unlike cassava, Yam depends on its own tubers for reproduction. That entails that a considerable portion of each harvest is preserved for the next year’s planting.
Yam is a very precious crop. If for any reason its yield fails, the community is destined to starvation. Your harvest can always be as good as your labour.
Chinua Achebe told us in “Things Fall Apart” about ‘Unoka’ who went to consult ‘Agbala’ over his yearly poor yam harvest and the reply he received. The priestess replied;
“You have offended neither the gods of your fathers nor your ancestors. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm. You Unoka are known in all the clan for the weakness of your machete and your hoe”.
Iriji is one of the major festivals celebrated by N’digbo. It is a
sacred event used to thank God for a successful farming
season and harvest. It marks the end of the season of scarcity and
the season of bounty.
‘Iriji Ohuru’- The New Yam Festival, Its Significance To Us:
The New Yam Festival plays a pivotal role in the promotion and preservation of our cultural heritage.
As written by our own Chinua Achebe:
“Aman who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving. They all have food in their own homes. When we gather together in the moonlit village ground it is not because of the moon. Every man can see it in his own compound. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so”.
As the above citation implies, we celebrate the New Yam festival because of its significance to us.
“If you never say here am I, no one will say there you are”
For the Igbo Ottawa/Gatineau Association;
“Ebe onye dara ka akuturu ya”.
This year’s Festival is very significant and very important to us, as it is a landmark event as the first New Yam Festival in the history of the Association to be celebrated in Ottawa.
Moreover, it is very important, as it is coming at a time when the Igbo Language has just been elevated and accredited as a credit subject in the Canadian education curriculum. This is a time to consolidate the gains by letting our Host country know that we are here through our cultural heritage.
It is a time we will showcase our rich cultural music, dances, attire and costumes.
It offers an opportunity for our children and the younger generation to learn about our cultural heritage and values for preservation.
The New Yam Festival is a happy moment for social interaction, that offers the opportunity for families and friends to come together.
This year’s event will be a time for the Igbo community to interact with their fellow brothers and sisters from various parts of Canada, outside and with other Ethnic communities within Canada.
The New Yam Festival is a very important Festival that promotes unity and preserves our traditions and customs as a people.
We use this maiden edition as an opportunity to invite and make a clarion call to all our Igbo brothers and sisters in Ottawa/Gatineau who are still sitting on the fence as onlookers, to please come on board and join the Association as together, we can make our community great because:
“Ofu onye adighi nma n’ije”
For the Igbo;
Paradise will not be complete without Yam and the New Yam Festival!!!
Igbo kwenu!
Kwenu!
Kwezuonu!
By:
Hon. Uchendu Precious Onuoha
Writer, Author/Poet.