By Teresa Onstott
 According to dicitonary.com, religion is a set of beliefs concerning the
cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the
creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving
devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code
governing the conduct of human affairs.
 The Igbo were exposed to Christian missionary activity since 1841 and
by the mid-twentieth century, most Ibo adopted Christianity faith
although some stayed to traditional practices that involved three
“supernatural beings”: God, the spirits, and the ancestors (Igbo
Religion)
 Some types of gods according to “The Ancient Igbo: Igbo Dictionary”
are:
“CHINEKE” (also known as Chukwu) is the Greatest of the Great Chi
“IGWE”: the great father god
“ANYANWU”: the sun god
“AMADIOHA”: the thunder and lightning god
“EKWENSU”: the trickster god
“CHI”: the soul of mankind (Ancient Igbo)
Christianity
Traditional Igbo
Practices
 Monotheism-belief of one God: one
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supreme creator of the heavens and
the earth that is named God
God cannot be seen
God is eternal
Monogamy- one wife
When a man and women marry,
they become united in Christ as one
If the Lord saves the soul from sin,
they will live in heaven with God.
Bury the bodies of the deceased in
the ground but believe the soul goes
to heaven if they have accepted God
in their heart.
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Polytheism-belief of more than one god:
various such as Ani, Agbala, and the
name of god as Chukwu
Gods can be seen
Gods are alive
Animate gods such as carve wood, the
Oracle of the Hills and Caves, the sacred
python
Polygamy- have many wives at one time
In Umuofia, the more wives means the
more wealthy and the wives and children
live in their separate huts
Ancestor worship
When a respected person of the clan
dies, they will be worshipped (Things
Fall Apart By Chinua Ac.)
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As said in “A Glossary of Ibo Words and Phrases” of the book, “Things Fall Apart”, a chi is a personal
god.
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An Ibo proverb used to define “chi” is: Nothing can stand alone; there must always be another thing
standing beside it. So, in a sense, humans must have company too. A chi is a person’s spiritual double
that links them to their ancestors, the not yet born, and the great God the Ibo refer to as Chukwu. The
Ibo believe Chukwu created humankind as well as the other gods (Background on the Ibo
(Historically Igbo) Culture).
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In the book, “Things Fall Apart”, a person’s chi determines much of a person’s success and character.
As said, “But the Ibo people have a proverb that when a man says yes his chi says yes also. Okonkwo
said yes very strongly, so his chi agreed. And not only his chi but his clan too, because it judged a man
by the work of his hands” (27). However, one cannot challenge his chi, as referred when Okonkwo
beat his wife during the Week of Peace and the priest of the earth goddess, Ezeani told him he did a
terrible wrong (30-31). It is believed a chi gets the last word in decision making.
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A chi reminds me of the Ying Yang symbol. I believe that everyone has a good side and a bad side and
they have to balance each other out. This is also like the little devil and angel that sits on people’s
shoulders on TV shows and in books. The chi could also be like a person’s conscious. The conscious
always has a say in your decision making and its always there to agree or disagree with you.
 While researching, the most common subject to come up was the married
man’s personal shrine, kept in his home, called an Ikenga (place of strength).
The Iknega represents a man’s chi (link to his ancestors) and his acha (his
personal power).
 All Ikenga have a set of horns because horns represent strength and vitality. As
a man grows, he replaces his Ikenga and makes it more descriptive. A man’s
Ikenga is never reused and destroyed once the man is dead (People: Married
Men).
 Superstitions are defined as customs or acts based on beliefs and
irrational fears of what is unknown or mysterious especially in
terms of religion (dictionary.com)
 Examples in my culture involve stepping on cracks on the
sidewalk, when dropping a salt shaker, to throw salt over both
shoulders, never breaking a mirror and not walking under
ladders.
 The Ibo superstitions are:
 “Darkness held a vague terror for these people, even the bravest among them.
Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits. Dangerous
animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark. A snake was
never called by its name at night, because it would hear. It was called a string”
(Achebe, 9).
 “Ekwefi!” a voice called from one of the other huts. It was Nwoye’s mother,
Okonkwo’s first wife.
“Is that me?” Ekwefi called back. That was the way people answered calls from
outside. They never answered yes for fear it might be an evil spirit calling”
(Achebe, 41).
 “The wrestlers were not there yet and the drummers held the field. They too
sat just in front of the huge circle of spectators, facing the elders. Behind
them was the big and ancient silk-cotton tree which was sacred. Spirits of
good children lived in that tree waiting to be born. On ordinary days young
women who desired children came to sit under its shade” (Achebe, 46).
 Ani is the earth goddess in charge of mortality; controls the fertility of people,
animals, plants, and serves as a symbolic womb for the dead before they are
reborn. The Ibo, who traditionally were farmers, held Ani in high regards
because they depended on her for food (Background on the Igbo (historically
Ibo) Culture).
 Ex: Unoka was asking the Oracle why his crops never were prosperous. “Every
year,” he said sadly, “before I put any crop in the earth, I sacrifice a cock to Ani,
the owner of all the land. It is the law of our fathers. I also kill a cock at the
shrine of Ifejioku, the god of yams. I clear the bush and set fire to it when it is
dry. I sow the yams when the first rain has fallen, and stake them when the
young tendrils appear…”( Achebe, 17).
 Ani is the daughter of Chukwu, the creator of the world and of all other gods.
Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, is the voice/messenger of Ani.
Although Agbala is a male, he is strongly associated with the female earth, and
he is served by a priestess. Agbala has an important role in the governing of
Umuofia because is pronouncements are considered unquestionable and must
be carried out by the clan (Background on the Igbo (historically Ibo) Culture).
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An oracle is someone who has wise information and intellect
“And so the neighboring clans who naturally knew of these things feared Umuofia, and
would not go to war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement. And in fairness
to Umuofia it should be recorded that it never went to war unless its case was clear and
just and was accepted as such by its Oracle- the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves. And
there were indeed occasions when the Oracle had forbidden Umuofia to wage war. If the
clan disobeyed the Oracle they would surely have been beaten because their dreaded
agadi-nwayi would never fight what the Ibo call a fight of blame” (Achebe, 12).
“The Oracle was called Agbala, and people came from far and near to consult it. They
came when misfortune dogged their steps or when they had a dispute with their
neighbors. They came to discover what the future held for them or to consult the spirits
of their departed fathers” (Achebe, 16).
The Ibo worship the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves
They believe they have to do whatever the Oracle says or they will be punished (Things
Fall Apart By Chinua Ac.)
Ex: The Oracle of the Hills and the Caves has said that Ikemefuna should be killed and
because the Oracle said so, all the men of Umuofia took the boy outside the village and
killed him ( Achebe, 57).
An oracle in today’s society would be a psychic or a priest in a Confessional.
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Sacrifices are the offerings of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity (a
god or goddess) as in propitiation or homage (dictionary.com)
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Sacrifices were offered to the gods as well as the ancestors to honor them.
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Sacrifices ranged from animal down to basic fruits from trees. Animals were a symbol of spiritual, as
well as the physical, means of sacrifice. The body itself is part of the living world, but it initially
belongs to the spiritual realm. Sacrifices were also used to cure illness, increase fertility, and even aid
in the defeat of a neighboring enemy. The death of Ikemefuna is an example of sacrifice used to avoid
war over an Umuofian woman who had been killed in Mbaino (Theme Elements in Things Fall Apart)
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A less dramatic sacrifice would be the sacrifice of a kola nut that is offered to the gods.
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“I have kola,” he (Unoka) announced when he sat down, and passed the disc over to his guest.
“Thank you. He who brings kola brings life. But I think you ought to break it,” replied Okoye, passing
back the disc.
“No, it is for you, I think,” and they argued like this for a few moments before Unoka accepted the
honor of breaking the kola. Okoye, meanwhile, took the lump of chalk, drew some lines on the floor,
and then painted his big toe.
As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against
their enemies” (Achebe, 6).