The Igbo culture & traditions are very rich and rewarding particular that of Oraifite people. Oraifite kwenu!...yaa! kwezuo nu! ya ya!
Be proud of Your Culture, for it is Your Way of Life
The Oraifite (Ibo land) have a very rich and unique tradition. Below, we try to give you a snap
shot of our traditional ways of live and believes.
HOSPITALITY:
Guests/Strangers/Visitors are often astonished by the way Oraifite people receive them. This way of life is
inherited from their ancestors who hold that the gods can only help the villages if the villagers themselves
are kind and open-hearted.
There is an old teasing myth which says "Oraifite buru ngwo ekwero ekene"...meaning when an
Oraifite man returning from Ose (or mgbo) with his raffia palm wine. If you greet him, he will not reply...cause he will
be oblige to offer you a cup of the palm wine to taste. This is only a myth!
Neighbours come together in the evenings to chat. If any family has any wine to spare it informs the neighbours who come and drink. Women are even more hospitable than the men. A house wife who has just finished preparing a new soup sends some to the house wives living nearby. As an excuse she would asks them to tell her whether or not there is enough
salt or if there is too much pepper.
On important occasions every family sends food to their neighbouring families. If a family has a visitor/guest
the neighbours will all entertain the visitor in turn. The wife goes to the house where the visitor is lodging
and asks the host or hostess to bring the visitor to her house. Secretly she will find out what the new-comer
likes and then prepares that food. When the guests arrive, kola is served and food is brought.
As always,
palm wine is used to wash down the food. It is a sign of disrespect for the visitor to refuse food. On the
other hand, visitors are not supposed to finish all the food. They are expected to leave morsel of it. Otherwise
the impression is created that the guest has not had enough food to eat for a long time. As a rule enough food
is provided.
RELIGION:
Oraifite people are predominantly Christians. It is estimated that they constitute the one of the largest block
of Christians found anywhere on the Nigeria (possibly on African continent). Before the advent of Christianity,
the Igbo and Oraifite people belief system revolved around one God, "Chi".
Because Chi is an
omnipotent and omnipresent God, symbols or sanctuaries representing Chi can be found in every home,
compound or village square. These sanctuaries are called different names in different parts of Oraifite and Igbo
land due to the dialectical wealth of the people, the fact that Chi can be personalised as well as shared
by the community, may explain the Igbo acceptance and affinity for the Christian religion.
LEADERSHIP:
Historically Igbo and Oraifite people have a complex and very sophisticated form of political life. Governmental
power and governance was much more diffused in this region than elsewhere in Africa owing to a strict representative
and republican nature of the people, at the lowest level of governance or community life, Oraifite people
adhere to a strict "No representative no support" form of community involvement. Representation evolves from Elders through Chiefs and then the general populace.
PATROTISM:
Oraifite (and generally Igbo) society is very patri-lineal. The husband is the head of the household, and the
well-being of the family is the man's foremost responsibility not only to his family but also to the larger community.
The extended family system is practised extensively and has been perfected by Oraifite people for
community development and through every facet of life incuding commerce. Prior to the amalgamation of Nigeria,
Igbo and Oraifite people were involved in Iron works, farming and commerce. Communities were organised in trading
blocks for the exchange of goods and services.
Movement by people was minimal and largely unnecessary. As people moved around it was mostly out character to
resettle permanently outside of one's place of birth. This may explain the Igbo and Oraifite penchant for general
returns in recent days. Communities often encourage their sons and daughters from far away to return and as much
as possible bring their offspring back to the ancestral home.
Recent Igbo and Oraifite history in Nigeria has made this custom much more compelling, as communities dedicate
these returns to general stock taking as well as establishing societal priorities.
PRIVACY POLICY:
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Success To You,
Sam Odiaka
Oraifite.com
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