Located in Ovia South LGA, the park which lies about 50km west of Benin City, Okomu National Park, formerly the Okomu Wildlife Sanctuary, is a forest block within the 1,082 km² Okomu Forest Reserve.
The park holds a small fragment of the rich forest that once covered the region, and is the last habitat for many endangered species.
The park holds a remnant of the Nigerian lowland forests that once formed a continuous 50–100 km wide belt from the Niger River west to the Dahomey Gap in Benin.
OKOMU NATIONAL PARK ECO-TOURISM
To the south and southeast the forest was separated from the coast by mangrove and swamp forests, while to the north it merged into the Guinean Forest-Savanna Mosaic eco-region.
Okomu National Park is about 200 km² of wildlife sanctuary, a rainforest ecosystem that is the habitat for many endangered species of flora and fauna.
The state government formally defined the sanctuary in 1986, with an area of just 66 km2 before the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) took over management of the sanctuary in 1987, and extended it to 114 km2 by adding a one-mile wide buffer zone.
The sanctuary was later taken over by the National Parks Service in 1999.
OKOMU NATIONAL PARK ECO-TOURISM
Okomu is a home of forest elephants, buffaloes, red river hogs, chimpanzees, leopards, bush baby, putty nosed guenon, porcupine, pangolins, duikers, antelopes etc.
The white throated monkey which is one of the rarest monkeys in the world today is found at the park as well. Butterflies and birds are abundant making it one of the best places for bird watching in Nigeria.
UDO AND ARAKHUAN VILLAGES
These are the villages within the location of Okomu National Park where visitors can learn and feel life in the rural communities. The villages provide visitors an insight into authentic African village life; meeting the locals and share their historical values.
SOME FEATURES:
THE NATURE RESERVE
The park is made up of Guinea–Congo lowland rain forest, which includes areas of swamp-forest, high forest, secondary forest, and open scrub.
Common trees are Kapok, Celtis zenkeri, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Antiaris africana, Pycnanthus angolensis, Alstonia congoensis etc.
The park is probably the best example of mature secondary forest in southwest Nigeria that is home to a number of forest elephant and buffalo, as well as a large variety of primates including a small (and very wary) troop of chimpanzees. It is also home to over 700 different butterfly species.
TREEHOUSE
The park has two treehouses, one 140 feet high in a silk-cotton tree, from which visitors can view the park from above and observe bird life.
The treehouse is the most intriguing feature anyone is likely to see in the park. The houses are additional pep to visitors gaining a vintage spot from where to relax and savour the beauties of nature that the park present.
The Treehouse has a base with some measure of space and platform to sit on while contemplating how to conquer the 140 feet height.
BIRD WATCHING
With over 200 species of birds recorded at the park, Okomu National Park is very rich in birdlife. These include Angolan Pitta, Grey Parrot, Wrinkled Hornbill, Fish Eagle, Hawks and woodpeckers.
You can also find Great Owl, Grey Hornbill, Cattle Egret, Black-casqued Hornbill, Yellow-casqued Hornbill, Sabine’s Spinetail, Cassin’s Spinetail and Black Spinetail.
Other species include White-breasted Negrofinch Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, Pale-fronted Negrofinch and Yellow-throated Cuckoo etc. The bird hide enables avid bird watchers snipe at unaware avifauna that are wading through the pool overlooked by the hide or foraging within the vicinity.
NATURE TRAIL (SAFARI)
The park is accessible to tourists, and has well marked trails for visitors.
Visitors can stay at chalets built on stilts, just outside the park entrance, surrounded by big trees that are often occupied by Mona monkeys.
Guides are available for forest walks, and will point out such things as termite nests and the many medicinal plants that can be spotted all over the Okomu forest.
It is home to endangered forest Elephants and one of the rarest monkeys in the world, the White-throated monkey is one of the few remaining pristine rainforest areas in southern Nigeria.
OKOMU AND OSSE RIVERS AND ARAKHUAN STREAM
The Okomu River which flows across the length of the park as well as the Arakhuan stream provide visitors opportunity to engage in water sports such as fishing, boating / canoeing and other water related activities.
OKOMU ECOTOURIST RESORT
Located within the Okomu National Park, Okomu Ecotourist Resort is well appointed with comfortable chalets, high class catering and bar service and a swimming pool for visitors comfort.
Situated within the lush rainforest, visitors will be able to relax to the sounds of nature or if you feel adventurous, you can explore the National Park to look out for the many animals and birds that can be found here.
Swimming pool is located at the A.P Leventis Conservation Centre at Arakhuan and it also houses artifacts and other basic materials including information about the park numerous offerings. The resort services are provided through public private partnership with private investors.
The modern tourist facilities have 12 chalets and 3 family apartments cosy restaurant and a mini conference centre. The catering services are both continental and African cuisines.
Source: Come to Nigeria
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What
is the best way to find a wife? There are a lot of variants. But one of the
most unusual is a naked fighting ritual in Ethiopia.
That’s one way to find a wife! Imagine the
tribesmen in Southern Ethiopia taking part in the dangerous naked fighting
ritual.
Members of the Suri tribe are involved in the
‘Donga,’ or naked stick fighting ritual to impress a mate.
It is very dangerous for fighters wearing little
or no clothing or protection. The naked fighting can result in bloodshed – and
even death.
The tribe’s way of life is under threat with new
pressures on the Omo river, especially following the completion of the Gibe III
dam – Africa’s third largest hydroelectric plants.
SURI LIFESTYLE
Suri villages range between 40 and 2,500 people.
Village decisions are made by an assembly of the men, though women make their
views known in advance of the debates. Village discussions are led by elders
and the komoru – a ritual chief. The korumus all come from the same clan and
are chosen by consensus.
Each household is run by a woman. The women have
their own fields and dispose of the proceeds as they wish. Money they make from
selling beer and grain can be used to buy goats, which they then trade for
cattle.
The men of the village are divided by ‘age-set’:
children, young men (tegay), junior elders (rora) and senior elders (bara).
Each set has its role. Children start helping with the cattle when they’re
about eight years old. The tegay age-set are unmarried and not yet known as
warriors. They do the herding and earn the right to become young elders by
their stick fighting and care of the cattle. Initiation ceremonies for those
moving into the next age-set only happen every 20 or 30 years. The initiation
ritual for the group becoming rora is particularly violent; the candidates are
insulted by the elders, given menial tasks, starved and sometimes even whipped
until they bleed.
Cattle are enormously important to the Suri. They
bring status; when two Suri meet they’ll ask each other how many cows they
have. Cows are a store of wealth to be traded, and a source of milk and blood.
Bleeding a cow is more efficient than slaughtering it for meat, and blood can
be drawn during the dry season when there’s less milk. An animal can be bled
once a month, from the jugular.
The animals aren’t generally sold or killed for
meat, though they are slaughtered for certain ceremonies. They are treated with
reverence. Fires are lit to keep them warm and to protect against insect bites,
they are covered with ash. Every boy is given a young bull to look after, and
his friends call him the name of his bull. The Suri sing songs in praise of
their cattle, and mourn them when they die.
The average man owns between 30 and 40 cows. In
order to marry, he needs about 60 cows to give to his wife’s family. Suri men
will fight to the death to protect their herd, and some risk their lives to
steal from other tribes.
As well as cattle, the Suri trade. In the 1980s
they smuggled automatic weapons from Sudan.
These days, the Suri are used to tourists visiting
their villages but they have a very low opinion of their behaviour. It’s
offensive, for instance, that people take pictures without asking permission
and the Suri insist on being paid a fee. ‘They must be people who don’t know
how to behave,’ one Suri told an anthropologist. ‘Do they want us to be their
children, or what? This photography business comes from your country. Give us a
car and we’ll go and take pictures of you.’
The Suri have some extremely painful rituals,
including lip plates, scarification and dangerous stickfighting. Some
anthropologists see these as a kind of controlled violence to get young Suris
used to feeling pain and seeing blood. These are, after all, people who live in
a volatile, hostile world, under constant threat from their enemies around them.
No one knows why lip plates were first used. One
theory goes that it was meant to discourage slavers from taking the women. It’s
undoubtedly painful. Once a girl reaches a certain age, her lower incisors are
knocked out and her bottom lip is pierced and stretched until it can hold the
clay plate.
‘We get a stick and make a hole’, explains
Nabala, the wife of Bruce’s host. ‘Then we gradually make the hole bigger….
My lip was cut a long time ago. My brothers and father made me get it done.
Without a lip plate I wouldn’t get married, and they’d get no cattle. My lip is
big, Dongaley’s is smaller. My lip plate is worth 60 cattle. Hers is worth 40.’
A few girls are beginning to refuse to have a lip plate.
As well as lip plates, the girls of the village
mark their bodies permanently by scarification. The skin is lifted with a thorn
then sliced with a razor blade, leaving a flap of skin which will eventually
scar. The men, meanwhile, scar their bodies to show they’ve killed someone from
an enemy tribe. There are particular meanings assigned to these scars. One
group, for instance, cuts a horseshoe shape on their right arm to indicate
they’ve killed a man, and on their left if for a woman.
When it comes to religious beliefs, the Suri have
a sky god, Tuma, an abstract divine force. There is no real veneration of the
earth or earth spirits.
THE STICK FIGHT COMPETITION (DONGA/ZAGNE)
A sport and ritual the Suri take extremely
seriously is stick fighting. It’s said to be one of the fiercest competitions
on the entire African continent. Here among Ethiopia’s Surma tribe,
the Donga, Stick Fight takes place in the name of love in most cases, stick fighting is
done so young men can prove their masculinity and to find wives. It is a way
for young men to prove themselves to the young women. This ritual is called
Donga or Zagne. Donga is both the name of the sport and the stick they use for
the fight. Stick fight is central in Suri culture. In most cases, stick fight
is a way for warriors to find girlfriends, it can also be a way to settle
conflicts. On these occasion men show their courage, their virility and their
resistance to pain, to the young women.
The fights are held between Suri villages, and
begin with 20 to 30 people on each side, and can end up with hundreds of
warriors involved. Suri are famous for stick fighting, but they are not the
only ones to respect such a custom, as the neighbor tribe, the Mursi were also
practicing these traditional fights. But Nowadays because of unknown reason the
Mursi stop the tradition of stick fight.
The day before the Zagnei, fighters have to pure
themselves. They do it by drinking a special preparation, called Dokai, which
is made of the bark of a special tree, which is mixed with water.
After taking it, warriors make themselves vomiting the drink. The water is
supposed to bring with it many of the body’s impurities. After this ritual they
don’t eat until the following morning. Warriors walk kilometers to come
fighting at Zagnei, which takes place in a clearing. They stop when crossing a
river in order to wash themselves, before decorating their bodies for the fight.
Some years ago the Ethiopian Federal government
tried to ban most of the ‘harmful customs’ all over the country in different
tribal people, such as cattle-raiding, lip plates and stick-fighting in Surma,
but effort ended without any result.
They decorate themselves by sliding the fingers
full of clay on the warrior’s bodies. This dressing up and decoration is meant
to show their beauty and virility and thus catch the women’s attention. The
phallic shape ending the sticks contributes to that virile demonstration.
Fighters arrive on the Donga field all together,
carrying the strongest man, dancing and singing. Some fighters wear colorful
headdresses sometimes with feathers on it, and also knee-protectors. But most
of them use no protection at all and fight completely naked in order to show
their bravery. They also wear strings of decorative colored beads around their
necks given by the girls and waist, but their genitals are most of the time
uncovered and they are barefoot.
All of them get a chance to fight one on one,
against someone from the other side. In the beginning each fighter looks for an
opponent of the same stature, and exchanges a few held back blows with him in
order to test him. If both fighters feel they have found a match, they suddenly
throw themselves into the fight, hitting ferocious fast strokes with their
sticks. If one of the warriors knocked out or puts paid to his opponent, he
immediately declares himself the winner. Zagne consists in qualifying rounds,
each winner fighting the winner of a previous fight, until two finalists are
left.
It is strictly forbidden to hit a man when he is
down on the ground. During these fighting competition, there are referees
present to make sure all rules are being followed. Many stick fights end within
the first couple of hits. Nevertheless, the fights are really violent, and it
is quite usual to see men bleeding. Stick fighting has proven to be dangerous
because people have died from being hit in the stomach. Losing an eye or a leg
during the fight is quite common, although it is strictly forbidden for a
fighter to kill his opponent, and if a fighter gets killed during the fight,
his opponent and all his family are banned from the village for life.
CONCLUSION
For the other locals, especially teenagers, Zagne
is a great outing. Girls watch the fights, but it is also the occasion to check
out the men, and to meet in order to chat or even gossip.
At the end of the fights, the winners point their
phallic sticks in direction of the girls they want to date with, if the girl
put a necklace around the stick, it means she is willing to date the champions.
Warriors are seen participating in the ‘Donga,’
or naked stick fight, which has traditionally been a way men impress women and
find a wife.
They fight with little or no clothing, and the violent
clashes sometimes result in death.
The clashes are usually between two villages,
with fighters taking it in turns to face each other.
Large crowds gather to watch as the Ethiopian
naked fighting.
They are usually held after the rains, and there
are often 20 to 30 fighters on each side, with tribesmen taking it in turns to
fight one-on-one.
Referees enforce a code of conduct – it is
against the rules to hit someone while they are on the floor.
References:
BBC Africa
answersafrica.com
By
Johnson Okunade
About Me
Passionate,
Curious mind, young blooded, writer, historian, computer scientist, blogger,
culture activist, proud Bowenite, and a friend-to-all, …
The name “Asmat” most probably comes from the words As
Akat, which according to the Asmat means: “the right man”. Others say
that that the word Asmat derives from the word Osamat meaning “man from
tree”. Asmat’s neighbors to the west, – the Mimika- , however, claim that
the name is derived from their word for the tribe – “manue”, meaning
“man eater”. The approximately 70,000 Asmat
people of the south-central alluvial swamps of Papua Province are of a Papuan
genetic heritage. They are scattered in 100 villages across a 27,000 square
kilometer area in one of the worlds’ largest and most remote alluvial mangrove
swamps— a wet, flat, and marshy place, much of it covered with dense lowland
tropical rain forests. Many of the rivers near the coast rise and fall with the
tides. The Asmat are muscular and tall by New Guinea standards. They average
five feet six inches tall.
Until the
1970s, the Asmat tribe did not have regular contact with the western world.
During this time, they were not living in the Stone Age [yet]. This is because
stone itself was highly unavailable. It wasn’t until the regular visit of the
missionaries [in the 1970s] that they were introduced to knives, axes, and
other metal items.
The area where the Asmat live encompasses some the
last unexplored regions of the world. The land is covered with bog forests and
mangrove and is serrated by many meandering rivers that empty into the Arafura
Sea. The tides submerge an area 100 miles inland. During high tide in the rainy
season, sea water penetrates some two kilometers inland and flows back out to
two kilometers to sea at low tide. During low tide the plains are muddy and
impassable. Here is the habitat of crocodiles, gray nurse sharks, sea snakes,
fresh water dolphins, shrimp, and crabs, while living along the banks are huge
lizards. The forests contain palms, ironwood, merak wood and mangroves and are
home to the crown pigeons, hornbills and cockatoos. There are grass meadows and
orchids. The Asmat have share the region with the Marind-Anim and the Mimika
tribes.
The Asmat have been described as a wood-age culture.
They traditionally have not used stone tools, simply because stones are hard to
find where they live. Up until white missionaries introduced steel fishing
hooks, knives and axes, the only metal or stone items they had were obtained by
trading with highland tribes, and these items were so precious that they were
usually reserved for ceremonial purposes.
The Asmat speak a language that belongs to the
Asmat-Kamoro Family of the Non-Austronesian languages. Bahasa Indonesian is
spoken by many. The population growth rate among the Asmat is estimated at
around 1 percent. There is little migration into and out of the area where the
Asmat live.
ASMAT HISTORY
First
contact with the Asmat was a sighting from the deck of a Dutch trading ship in
1623. Captain Cook later landed in Asmat territory on September 3, 1770, but
the fierce display by the Asmat so frightened the crew that they made a hasty
retreat.
The
Dutch controlled the Asmat territory from 1793-1949, but did not begin
explorations of the area until the early 1900s. The first explorers sent
zoological and artifact specimens back to Europe, where they were received with
curiosity and enthusiasm. The Dutch eventually established a colonial post in
1938. During World War II the post was temporarily closed.
In 1953,
Fr. Zegwaard, a Dutch missionary, reestablished the post at Agats, to serve as
both a government center and a base for missionaries. Agats became the
permanent post of the Catholic Crosier Brothers in 1958. The Crosier
missionaries, who often had anthropology degrees, discouraged the traditional
practices of headhunting and cannibalism, while encouraging the Asmat to retain
many other traditional rituals and festivals. Some of these were eventually
incorporated into the local Catholic practices.
Indonesia received its independence from the Dutch in 1949, but the Dutch
retained control of the western half of New Guinea, including the Asmat region,
until 1962. Then the Asmat area became part of Indonesia. In 1963, to end
headhunting, the Indonesian government burned down all ceremonial houses (jeu),
actively discouraged Asmat ritual and festivals, and severely limited dancing
and drumming. This crackdown lasted until 1968.
The
Crosier Brothers, with Bishop Sowada as their lead spokesperson, intervened to
stop the destructive policy of the Indonesian government. The bishop expressed
the importance of ceremony and ritual in Asmat life, declaring that “without
art and ritual the Asmat culture could not survive”.
To
aid in the resurgence of Asmat art and ritual, the United Nations underwrote a
project from 1968 to 1974 to encourage wood carving. Later, under the combined
efforts of Bishop Sowada, Tobias Schneebaum, Gunter and Ursula Konrad, the
Asmat Museum for Culture and Progress was opened in the early 1980s. Today, the
Museum hosts an annual woodcarving competition and auction that has stimulated
artistic creativity among the Asmat, and has become an economic boon to the
carvers, who are recognized throughout the world for the richness and quality
of their carvings.
In
2000, the Asmat founded the Lembaga Musyawarah Adat Asmat (LMAA) to work with
the Indonesian government on behalf of the interests of the Asmat people. In
2004, the Asmat region became a separate governmental administration, with its
own elected head
ASMAT AND THE DISAPPEARANCE OF
MICHAEL ROCKEFELLER
One of the most famous missing person cases is the
1961 disappearance of Michael Rockefeller, the heir to the Rockefeller oil and
US Steel fortune and the son of Nelson Rockefeller, the American vice president
during the Ford administration. After graduating from Yale with a degree in
ethnology, the twenty-two-year-old Michael went on an expedition to the Asmat
area of New Guinea, where he traded tobacco and steel fishing hooks for carved
Asmat bis-poles to add to the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York.
Rockefeller disappeared on his second expedition to
New Guinea. One of the goals of the expedition to the Asmat region was to
purchase as many woodcarvings as possible. On his first visit Michael had been
deeply impressed by the Asmat sculptures, and planned to display these at an
exhibition in the United States. Today the Metropolitan Museum has an
outstanding collection of Asmat art, the majority of which was collected in
1961 by Michael C. Rockefeller. A group of 17 poles from the village of Otjanep
was delivered to the museum after his disappearance.
Michael Rockefeller was last seen on November 16, 1961
in a jerry-rigged catamaran bound for the village of Otjaneps. He had left the
town of Agats with two mission boys and the Dutch anthropologist Renee Wassing
when the boat’s 18-horsepower motor conked out in the mouth of the Sirets
river. The two boys immediately started swimming for shoreline to get help and
Rockefeller and Davis spent the night on the boat as it drifted out to sea. The
next morning Rockefeller could still see the shore. He tied his steel rimmed
glasses around his neck and attached himself to empty oil cans for buoyancy.
His last words were “I think I can make it.”
Rockefeller was never seen again. The Dutch navy,
various missionary boats, the Australian Air Force and an American aircraft
carrier participated in the search. Nelson Rockefeller and Michael’s twin
sister Mary arrived in a chartered plane and hired 12 Neptune aircraft to
search the sea and paid the Asmat large amounts of black tobacco in return for
participating in search parties. The search lasted for 10 days before it was
abandoned.
The Lawrence and Lorne Blair suggest that Rockefeller
was either eaten by sharks, drowned or was eaten by Asmat headhunters. To back
up the last hypothesis they suggest he might have been killed in revenge for
the murder of four Asmat warleaders by a Dutch government patrol in 1958. They
also point out that seems likely he made it to land because it is possible to
touch the sea bottom three kilometers from shore and wade in from a kilometers
and half out. Locals say there are few sharks in the water and the only thing
they worry about is stepping on a stingray.
An elder war leader in Otjanep told the Blairs that
after returning from fishing some of his friends found Rockefeller laying in
the mud, breathing heavily. Relatives of the friends had been killed by the
Dutch and they speared Rockefeller out of revenge and then dragged his body back
to the village where his head was cut off with a bamboo knife. The cuts were
cleaned out and the body was thrown on a fire. The meat was divided among the
people of the village and the most important men ate the brains.
ASMAT RELIGION
Many Asmat have converted to Christianity, although a
large number continue to practice the religion of their ancestors. For example,
many believe that all deaths—except those of the very old and very young—come
about through acts of malevolence, either by magic or actual physical force.
Ancestral spirits demand vengeance for these deaths. The ancestors to whom they
feel obligated are represented in shields, in large, spectacular wood carvings
of canoes, and in ancestor poles consisting of human figurines. Until the late
1980s, the preferred way for a young man to fulfill his obligations to his kin
and his ancestors and prove his sexual prowess was to take the head of an enemy
and offer the body for cannibalistic consumption by other members of the
village The Asmat have traditionally been animists who believed in a
pantheon of spirits that dwelled in trees, rivers or natural objects or were
spirits of deceased ancestors. The goal of religion was to bring about harmony
and balance with the cosmos. This was achieved through a variety rituals and
practices interwoven with daily life that traditionally included things like
woodcarving, warfare and headhunting. The spirits of ancestors are believed to
be the cause of many illnesses and some rituals are meant to appease them. Asmat
religious practitioners include sorcerers and shaman, whose primary duties are
to mediate between the human and spiritual world, often in the form of healing
and exorcisms. To become a shaman requires a long apprenticeship. Clan leaders
preside over rituals and ceremonies such as adult adoption, initiation and the
construction of men’s houses. Asmat rituals have traditionally been performed
in accordance with a two- or four-year cycle and included dancing, epic poem
singing and woodcarving. Revenge warfare and headhunting raids were often
performed in accordance with the ritual calendar. ~
The Asmat equate a human with a tree. The legs are the
roots, the torso is the trunk, the branches, arms, and the head, fruit. In the
old days in some parts of the Asmat world a freshly severed head—the fruit—was
needed for initiation rites in which a boy became a man by placing the head
between his thighs to draw its power
ASMAT CREATION MYTH
In the beginning, according to the Asmat creation
myth, a corpse of a man floating in the sea was brought to life by a great
bird. In a previous life the man had seduced his brother’s wife and was
banished from his community and drowned when his boat capsized during his
escape. On returning to life he floated to the land where the Asmat live today.
But there was on one there and he grew bored. He tried bring to life some
statues he carved but no luck, finally the spirit told him to go into the
jungle to seek out the “tree woman.”
The man was told to chop off the tree woman’s head and
return it to village where it would bring the statues he made to life. The man
did what he was told. The spirit was right and soon the statues were dancing
around to his delight. Then, one day a crocodile showed up and it and the man
engaged in a horrible battle. The man eventually emerged the winner but he was
so angry he chopped the crocodile in three pieces: one he hurled so far it lost
its color. This produced the white race. Another was tossed a little less hard
so it lost only part of its color. This produced man with brown skin. The third
was left where it was giving rise to black men.
ASMAT IS THE DESCENT OF THE GOD
In ancient times, a God
named Fumeripitsy came down to earth. He explored the earth and started his
adventure from the western horizon of the sunset. In his adventure, the God had
to confront a giant crocodile and defeat him. Despite the victory, the god was
badly wounded and washed up on a river bank.
Although felt hurt, the
God tried to survive until he met a flamingo bird that is noble. He helped the
Gods to recover from the wound. After recovering, the gods lived in that area
and built a house then carved two very beautiful statues. He also made a very
loud drum sound to keep him dancing endlessly. The dance movement of the God
was so powerful that it makes the two sculptures carved into life. Soon after,
the two statues joined in the dance and moved to follow the God. The two
statues were the first human couple to be the ancestors of the Asmat tribe.
THE REASON WHY ASMAT DECLARED THEMSELVES AS THE DESCENDANTS OF GOD
The mythological about
the descents of the God is a trust owned by the Asmat Tribe, one of the largest
tribes in Papua. This myth keeps the Asmat tribe believing that they are gods
until now. It is not excessive, because Asmat does have a culture that is highly
respected. In fact, this tribe has been known to foreign countries. That
is why it’s not surprised if there are many researchers from around the world
often visit the village of the tribe Asmat. They are generally interested in
studying the life of the Asmat, its belief system, and the unique customs of
the Asmat tribe.
ASMAT AND CHRISTIANITY
Many Asmat have converted to Christianity. There has
been a great effort to adapt Christianity to the needs of the Asmat. One
missionary said, “We can stretch our minds as far as possible and still we
can never see the world as the Asmat do.” In an effort to help the Asmat
“find God in the natural world,” Father Vince Cole wears and tooth
necklace and fur headband over his red shirt and cut-off blue jeans.
Attempting to rebuild the Asmat culture, which was nearly
destroyed in the 1960s by the Indonesian government, which tore down men’s
house, outlawed feasts and destroyed sacred objects, the Crosiers incorporated
Asmat rituals into their Catholic services. They also acted as mediators in
clan conflicts and as intermediary between the Asmat and the Indonesian
government. Some Catholic churches have been modeled after the traditional
men’s house with fire pits, ancestor poles and altars made from huge tree
trunks. Christ is depicted with a crown of feathers. Worshipers at one church
are called to prayer with a bell made from an old brake drum. At prayer
meetings held at the traditional men’s house men come with painted bodies,
egret feathers stuck in their headbands, and daggers made from cassowary
shinbones. The worshipers drum, dance, pass around roasted sago as a sign of
sharing, and read passages from a Bible translated into the Asmat language.
The Asmat believe that when they killed and ate a
person, they became that person and absorbed his skills. This is similar, of
course, to the Catholic belief that we eat the body of Christ to become Christ.
So missionaries say, ‘Look you don’t have to go out and kill. You now have
Christ’…What are Catholics after all, but ritualist cannibals?”
The Asmat have also done their bit to adapt to Christian
Western culture. In the village of Agats they are forbidden from appearing
naked. Some worked for several weeks to earn money for shorts.
ASMAT FUNERALS
Asmat funeral ceremonies feature ceremonial shields
which represent the revenge of the dead, ancestor poles (bis) and
ancestor figures (kawa). There is often intense grieving and physical
expressions of loss. To express their grief over the loss of a husband Asmat
women traditionally rolled in patches beside their house. The ritual was
intended not only as an expression of grief but also a way to mask the woman’s
scent from his ghost. Other mourners cover their head with red clay and stab
the earth with bone daggers.
Sometimes the Asmat begin mourning the dead before
they are dead. There was a story of a man who was dying when the villagers
rushed into his house to wail over him and “suffocated the poor
fellow.” Another time a woman collapsed in front of her house. Her family
gather around inside the house expressing their grief and received a terrible
shock when the “dead” woman walked in demanding to know what was
going on. Apparently she only fainted.
The purpose of an Asmat funeral is to placate the
spirits of the dead so they don’t bother the living. Those successfully
placated enter safon; “the other side.” The bodies of Asmat dead
used to be wrapped in pandanus leaves placed on platforms to rot after the head
had been removed and was worn as pendant or used as a pillow.
ASMAT HEADHUNTING AND CANNIBALISM
Until the 1950s, warfare, headhunting, and cannibalism
were constant features of Asmat social life. The people would build their
houses along river bends so that an enemy attack could be seen in advance. Many
Asmat believe that all deaths—except those of the very old and very young—come
about through acts of malevolence, either by magic or actual physical force.
Ancestral spirits demand vengeance for these deaths. The ancestors to whom they
feel obligated are represented in shields, in large, spectacular wood carvings
of canoes, and in ancestor poles consisting of human figurines. Until the late
1980s, the preferred way for a young man to fulfill his obligations to his kin
and his ancestors and prove his sexual prowess was to take the head of an enemy
and offer the body for cannibalistic consumption by other members of the
village.
The Asmat have traditionally practiced headhunting,
cannibalism as part of their ritualized warfare scheme which usually involved
revenge rectification of cosmic or clan imbalances. The heads from captured
enemies were baked and skinned; a hole was cut in the skull and the brain was
scraped out and eaten. The lower jaws were ripped off and worn as a pendant
advertising prowess in war, and the skull was used as a pillow. Asmat believe
they are related to praying mantises which also eat their own kind. Trophy skulls,
bone daggers, stone clubs are all associated with headhunting. As a symbol of their
headhunting skills men often wear bamboo and cassowary-quill pendants decorated
with human vertebrae. Women sometimes borrow the pendants during feasts and
wear them with dog-tooth necklaces and possum fur bonnets.
Officially headhunting ended the Indonesian part of
New Guinea in the 1960s. But it still seemed to be going on in the 1970s and
who knows perhaps it goes on from time to time even now in remote areas. Some
anthropologists have said prohibition of clan warfare and headhunting has left
a huge void in Asmat culture that the modern world has yet to replace.
ASMAT REVENGE WARS
The Asmat have traditionally believed that only the
very young and very old die from natural causes. Everybody else died as a
result of black magic or tribal fighting. Therefore, almost every death needs
to be avenged. In the old days this concept resulted in headhunting raids and
revenge wars. These day the power of the dead is still taken very seriously but
is dealt with ceremonial rituals but “avenging” still may occur.
Asmat warfare was traditionally in the form of raids,
ambushes and skirmishes. Head hunting raids were usually organized to avenge
the killing of a member of the raider’s tribe. Before the raid began the men
painted themselves and decorated their canoes while women prepared a victory
feast and exhorted their men to fight bravely. If you don’t fight, you can be
branded a coward, a traitor. The young people grow up hearing their leaders
talk about the great wars. Then they go out and fight too.
Another way for one tribe to make peace with another
is for a chief in one tribe to give a child to another, often to make amends
for a child killed in a previous raid. To ease tensions sometimes neighboring
villages adopt members of each other’s tribe. During the “adoption”
“children” paint their faces with ocher and cover their heads with
palm leaves. Men of the other tribe lay naked and face down and their women
stand above them. The “children” then climb over the men’s bodies and
through the women’s legs in an act meant to symbolize coming through the womb.
The woman moan as if they are in labor and the “children” keep their
eyes closed until they have emerged. When a child is through the woman’s legs
the “father” announces the successful birth. The “children” continue
playing their roll for several more days, acting childish and learning how to
fish and hunt.
ASMAT RAIDING PARTIES AND REVENGE
WARS
An Asmat raiding party typically took off in canoes
and parked them a couple of river bends before the village they planned to
attack. One of the chiefs got out to scout a good route. The raiding party then
broke into two groups: one heading through the forest and other advancing in
canoes. When groups were in position a handful of lime was thrown into the air
signaling the raid to begin. Surprise was important. The idea was to kill everybody
before they had a chance to get their weapons. As many as forty or fifty people
were killed in some raids, including women and children. While the bodies
of the dead were dragged to trenches for burial the headhunters sang: “We
have killed a man, we have killed a man, we are happy.” Dragging the
bodies through the trenches the warriors shouted, “There’s no need for you
to attack us again. We’ve revenged our dead now, so let’s live in peace.”
The heads were then cut off with bamboo knives and carried home. Once in the
villages the warriors went into their ceremonial house and displayed each head
and related the story of how it was captured.
Journalist Malcolm Kirk landed at a village in the
Asmat area in the 1970s. The atmosphere he said was disturbing. The town was
unnaturally quiet and the men who greeted them were armed with bows and arrows.
His guide told him that they had better get out of there, “I’ll explain
why later.” When they were safely around a bend in their boat the guide
said, “We walked right into a head hunting raid. Everyone we saw was from
another village. The [villagers] heard them coming and fled.” Kirk then went to
another village, called to, and traded some tobacco and fishhooks for some bone
and crocodile jaw daggers. When they went back to their boat their guide told
them that 15 bowmen watched them from the jungle ready to kill on signal. But
why? “The Two people had recently gone head hunting and killed five
people. They thought we might have come to punish them,” the guide said
The Indonesian government no longer allows revenge
killing and the consumption of human brains. To end Asmat clan warfare, the
government banned Asmat festivals and burned their carvings. Attacks, ambushes
and skirmishes still occur from time to time. Missionaries complain that if the
Asmat were left to their own devises they would spend all their time drumming,
dancing and plotting wars.
THE GOVERNMENT STARTED TO PAY ATTENTION TO ASMAT
TRIBE
Although the Dutch
colonial government did not cover the territory of Asmat until 1938, and
Catholic missionaries also just started their mission in 1958, in fact major
changes occurred in the region after the 60s. In the early 90s, Asmat tribes
began to follow education programs from the government and began to embrace
Christianity.
As the wood and oil
processing industries began expanding into this region, fragile environmental
conditions and mangrove forests in their coastal areas are threatened with
destruction due to waste disposal and soil erosion. Although the Asmat have
succeeded in achieving national and international awards for their artwork,
this fame has not provided significant input to the Indonesian government in
making decisions affecting land use in the Asmat territory until the early 90s.
Those are the history of
Asmat Tribe Indonesia. Behind the admiration of Asmat’s art it might embedded
in the minds of the people that Asmat tribe is a primitive tribe and cannibal
humans who like to head enemies. Today Asmat tribe is more famous for its work
art in the field of sculpture and carving. No matter what cultures that Asmat
people have, it is one of the Indonesians culture that must be preserved.
Source: Peter and Kathleen Van
Arsdale, Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Oceania edited by
Terence Hays, (G.K. Hall & Company, 1991)
Source: Malcolm Kirk, National
Geographic, March 1972
Source: “Ring of Fire” by
Lawrence and Lorne Blair, Bantam Books, New York
Slim might be in elsewhere but for Ethiopia’s Bodi or Me’en people, bigger is always better
Ethiopia is a land of many cultures that have been preserved despite western civilization. Along the Lower Omo valley river in Southern Ethiopia resides one of these kinds: the Bodi Tribe. The Bodi people are neighbours to the Mursi Tribe. The Bodi people are agriculturalists who still engage in trade by barter system.
These pastoral people revere their cows. Their cows are so special to them that its blood together with fresh milk is a source of food for this people. Rather than kill the cows, they make a hole in one of its veins to get the blood out and close it back with clay.
These animals are also used in certain ceremonies. Among the ceremonies is the peculiar new year celebration. the tribe, which lives in a remote corner of Ethiopia’s Omo Valley, is home to an unusual ritual which sees young men gorge on cow’s blood and milk in a bid to be crowned the fattest man. Six months after starting the regime, the men emerge to show off their newly engorged physiques and for a winner to be chosen. The champion fat man is then feted as a hero for the rest of his life.
THE KA’EL CEREMONIAL COMPETITION
At the start of each year [the month of June in the Gregorian calendar], they hold a “Ka’el ceremony” (ceremony of fat men) to mark the new year celebrations. The Ka’el ceremony is a competition for men who are not married which involves drinking the blood mixture. The 14 clans present a man who is single and they deem fit for the competition. Those who are contesting prepare for six months. During this period, he must not have sex and must not be seen outside his hut.
There is a procedure for drinking the first bowl of 2 litres at sunrise while the rest comes easy and is taken all day.
It is not unusual to see some of these contestants vomit the mixture because two litres was more than they can drink.
Sadly, the Ka’el ritual and the Bodi’s traditional way of life is under threat from the Ethiopian government who plan to resettle 300,000 people from all over the country on their lands. Despite this, the tribe continue as they always have, and still celebrate Ka’el in traditional style each June.
The contest begins six months before the ceremony. Every family is allowed to present an unmarried man for the challenge, who, after being chosen, retires to his hut and must not move or have sex for the duration.
Food comes in the form of a cow’s blood and milk mixture, served regularly to the men by women from the village. The cows are sacred to the Bodi tribe so they are not killed. The blood is taken by making a hole in a vein with a spear or an axe, and after that, they close it with clay.
Because of the scorching temperatures, the men have to drink the two-litre bowl of blood and milk quickly before it coagulates, but not everyone can handle drinking so much at speed. The fat men
drink milk and blood all day long. The first bowl of blood is drunk at
sunrise. The place is invaded by flies. The man must drink it quickly before it
coagulates but some cannot drink everything and vomit it. On the day itself,
the men cover their bodies with clay and ashes before emerging from their huts
for the walk to the spot where the ceremony will take place.
Decoration: The dress code for the ceremony also includes a selection of beautifully worked headdresses, in this case, one made from cowrie shells and ostrich plumes
Every part of the men’s bodies are daubed with the ash and clay mixture and the men also wear colourful beaded necklaces and bracelets
Thanks to the weight gain, many of them find covering the short distance tougher than the weeks spent fattening up. ‘Some fat men are so big that they cannot walk anymore,
On the day of the competition, they cover themselves with clay and ashes and display their acrobatic skills.
As part of the competition, they run around sacred trees for hours sometimes with the assistance of women. While at it, they are under the watchful eyes of their judges. After this, the people use a sacred stone on a cow before killing it. The intestines are then used to predict what the year holds. When a winner is chosen by the elderly judges, they crown him, “fat man of the year title.”
Just like other beauty pageants, there is a prize only this time, it is the lifelong admiration of the Bodi people.
Did you know that there exists a
tribe in Namibian where sex is offered to guests to express honour and foster
relationships?
The people of Ovahimba and Ovazimba tribes in the
Kunene and Omusati regions in Northern Namibia have an upheld culture that has
defied western influence and agitation.
With a population of over 50,000, the women engage in the daily activity of
milking their cows, taking care of the children and other extensive duties
while the men go hunting leaving, sometimes, for an extended period of time.
These nomads’ wealth is determined by the number of cattle one has. A
polygamous people, the Himba girls are married off to male partners selected by
their fathers once they attain puberty.
You cannot ignore the red skin they have. The red colour seen on their skin is
called, the otjize paste (a combination of butterfat, omuzumba scrub and ochre)
and its function is to protect their skin from the sun and insect bites. They
are also guided by the belief that the colour red signifies “Earth and blood”.
Rather than take their baths, the women take a smoke bath and apply aromatic
resins on their skin.
SHORT
HISTORY
They are the original traditional Herero who crossed the Kunene and came from
Angola to Namibia in the middle of the 16th century. They settled in the
Kaokoveld, the north-western part of Namibia and lived a semi-nomadic, pastoral
lifestyle.
The early history of the Herero was fraught with severe droughts and other
disasters. Large groups of the Herero people left the Kaokoveld and looked for
better grazing grounds for their herds in the south-east.
The remaining Herero in the Kaokoveld came under attack from the Swartbooi and
Topnaar Nama in the 19th century. The Nama entered the Kaokoveld from the
south, also looking for better grazing grounds. In 1850 the Nama established a
base in Sesfontein from where they organized raids against the Herero of the
Kaokoveld. Due to the fact that the Herero were widely scattered and the Nama
had much better weapons, large cattle herds were raided from the Herero in the
next 20 years.
As the situation deteriorated and the loss of their material and social wealth
increase the Herero of the Kaokoveld fled over the Kunene River into Angola and
took shelter with the Ngambwe, which granted support to the refugees. They
called the Herero “Ovahimba”, which means “beggar” in the language spoken by
the Ngambwe. Over the years the Herero took over this name still use it until
today.
Most of the Ovahimba followed a popular warrior named Vito back to Namibia in
1920. Ever since and up to the Namibian independence in 1990 the Himba were
able to live their traditional lifestyle. During the recent years the Ovahimba
have been more exposed to the influences of the modern world, although this
mainly refers to the consumption of unhealthy foods, cool drinks and alcohol.
The positive achievements of modern society like a proper health system, modern
schools, pension funds etc. did not yet reach the majority of Ovahimba.
RELIGION
The Ovahimba are a monotheistic people who believe in Mukuru, the creator of
the world, a god who is a vague and distant entity. The belief in ancestral
spirits is much more essential and present. The ancestral spirits are believed
to have received supernatural qualities by Mukuru and thus have the power to
influence the life of the living. The ancestral spirits are the representative
of Mukuru and thus communicate between the Ovahimba (or the human being in
general) and the god.
The place where most of the religious conversation takes place is the holy fire
(okuruwo), a sacred place which is kept by the fire keeper. The holy fire
should always smolder, because it is the sacred connection between the
ancestors and the living. Every family (every homestead) has an own holy fire
which is placed in the middle between the main hut of the homestead and the
kraal.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND RITES
The Ovahimba live in large homesteads together with their extended families.
They still practice polygamy; an average Ovahimba husband has two wives. Each
of the wives has her own hut, the main wife resides in the main hut opposite
the entrance of the kraal. Marriages are often arranged by kin. It happens that
even infants are betrothed to adult man in a wedding ceremony. The marriage is
never consummated until the girl reaches menarche and becomes an adult.
The Ovahimba have both, maternal and paternal systems, that means that every
person in the Ovahimba community is a member of both their maternal and
paternal clans. There is a complex inheritance system with mainly material
wealth inherited from the maternal line (often from uncle to nephew) and social
status inherited from the paternal line.
It is a traditional custom to knock out the four lower incisors at the age
between ten and twelve. This has a big social and religious meaning in the life
of an Ovahimba. There are also several initiation rites for boys and girls.
Boys are circumcised, girls undergo a ritual where they have to leave the
homestead during their menarche and are allowed to return back later in company
of experienced older women, followed by a little celebration among friends.
NOMADISM, SUBSISTENCE ECONOMY AND DAILY LIFE
Traditionally the Ovahimba are a so-called “zero-income cultures”. They define
wealth solely based upon the number of cattle the family owns. Besides having
large cattle herds, the Ovahimba breed goats and sheep, grow crops such as
maize and millet. However their main diet is milk and milk products like sour
milk as well as wild herbs, chicken eggs and meat.
During the dry season some members of the extended family leave the homestead
with their herds to find water and grazing grounds in remote areas. Part of the
family stays at the homestead.
The Ovahimba are known as the “red nomads” of Namibia. Especially the women,
but also some men are famous for covering themselves with a perfumed mixture of
ochre pigment and butterfat which has cosmetic characteristics. In fact,
Ovahimba women never wash themselves with water but are very neat when it comes
to personal hygiene. The ochre fat protects the Ovahimba against the sun and
the climate of the extremely hot Kaokoveld and is also an effective mosquito
repellant.
The hair style and the jewelry are very important in the traditions of the
Ovahimba. Hair styles indicate social status and age.
SEX BEING OFFERED TO GUEST
Give honour to whom it is due: This saying is applied differently in this
tribe. When a visitor comes knocking, a man shows his approval and pleasure of
seeing his guest by giving him the Okujepisa Omukazendu treatment. This
practice literally means that his wife is given his guest to spend the night
while the husband sleeps in another room. In a case where there is no available
room, her husband will sleep outside.
This handed down tradition has its “benefits” in the community: it reduces
jealousy and fosters relationships. The woman has little or no opinion in the
decision making. Submission to her husband’s demands come first. She has an
option of refusing to sleep with him but has to sleep in the same room as the
guest.
She is also entitled to give her friends to her husband when they visit but
this rarely happens.
The bronze work of Igbo-ukuw which can be found in Enugu state remains as the highest of the ancient works of Nigeria art.
It is possible that the inhabitants of Igbo-Ukwu had a metalworking art that flourished as early as the ninth century. Three sites have been excavated, revealing hundreds of ritual vessels and regalia castings of bronze or leaded bronze that are among the most inventive and technically accomplished bronzes ever made. The people of Igbo-Ukwu, ancestors of present-day Igbo, were the earliest smithers of copper and its alloys in West Africa, working the metal through hammering, bending, twisting, and incising.
They are likely among the earliest groups of West Africans to employ the lost-wax casting techniques in the production of bronze sculptures. Oddly, evidence suggests that their metalworking repertory was limited and Igbo smiths were not familiar with techniques such as raising, soldering, riveting, and wire making, though these techniques were used elsewhere on the continent.
Regardless, the talent of these casters was truly astonishing. Many of the castings were made in stages. For instance, in one bronze bowl set on a flat stand found at Igbo-Ukwu, small decorative items including insects and spirals were cast first and placed in the wax model before the main parts of the bowl were made. The vessel itself was then cast in two parts and fitted together by casting a middle band. In addition to a variety of ritual vessels (whose designs appear to reproduce the form of gourd vessels to which metal handles have been attached), many other bronze items have been found at Igbo-Ukwu, including pendants, crowns and breastplates, staff ornaments, swords, and fly-whisk handles. These works were also found with tens of thousands of beads, attained through trade for slaves, ivory, or spices.Igbo-Ukwu bronzeworking was an isolated phenomenon at the time, but bronze casting developed several centuries later in other parts of Nigeria.
Source: Igbo-Ukwu (ca. 9th century) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Idanre Hill is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Nigeria. Added to Idanre Hill beauty, which fires human curiosity is the fact that the entire people of Idanre lived on these boulders for almost a millennium.
Located in Idanre Town, about 24 kilometres southwest of Akure, Ondo State capital, the ancient Idanre Hills had been a home for the Idanre community for almost 100 years.
IDANRE HILL IS A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
As a natural and cultural landscape, Idanre Hills stands out well among all other places that have been listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It is a cluster of intimidating and imposing hills housing some wonderful things which confound the senses.
The hills surround the town, envelope it and dominate life in the town. From any angle, one sees the hills and virtually every activity revolves round this collection of hills.
IDANRE HILL FLORA AND FAUNA
Apart from that cultural role, the town pulls the wealthy and the commoner, basically due to its perceived mystical aura and the giddy excitement lovers of nature get when they surmount the steep, daunting climb to the top, to witness a spectacular view of the new town and adjoining hills in a breath-taking manner.
The flora and fauna of the place had been under scientific study for several decades. The topography of the place will be of great value to mankind.
Its physical attributes include Owa’s Palace, Shrines, Old Court, Belfry, Agbooogun foot print etc.
PICTURES:
SOME FEATURES ON IDANRE HILL
THE ANCIENT PALACE
The ancient palace which has an intimidating courtyard where the Oba used to hold court is located on top of the hill where the old settlement used to be.
The palace houses some historical monuments about the establishment of Idanre town.
The guides are available to tell visitors rom interesting ancient histories about the community.
BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE
Idanre Hill is a cluster of intimidating and imposing hills that surrounds the town of Idanre.
The hills house some wonderful things which confound the senses.
It contains very important bio-physical and landform features whose interaction with the physical features created an enduring cultural landscape.
The panoramic view of the town from atop the Aghagha Hill is a view that takes one’s breath away.
AGHAGHA HILL, OROSUN PEAK AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Aghagha Hill emits smoke throughout the year and the Arun river is said to derive its source from the hot confines of the hill. It offers a beautiful scenery for nature lovers.
The famous Orosun festival is one of the major factors for Idanre’s consideration for upgrading to the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Also, there is an annual Mare Festival (“MARE” meaning “don’t fall”) – an international mountain climbing festival, which celebrates the land, the people and its rich culture.
ARUN RIVER
Arun River is a mysterious river in a serene corner of the hill. It’s said that the river derive its source from the hot confines of Aghagha Hill. The water is so clear, clean and even drinkable.
One can even see the stones and plants inside it. People come here to pray and fetch the water for spiritual cleansing.
Those who venture mid-stream claim that they experience dizziness and the presence of a supernatural being, an eerie feeling which makes the head swell. The experience is definitely not for the lily-livered.
THE OLD TOWN
Idanre old town is a deserted ancient town on top of the hill where abandoned buildings including the palace and courtyard of the Oba can be found.
The old town also has a shrine of the High Chiefs and residential quarters of many inhabitants.
AGBOOGUN FOOTPRINT
The legend of the Idanre Hills is a mosaic of myths and magic, woven around Agboogun, a great hunter with supernatural ability. A popular account asserts that the great hunter asked three of his sidekicks to accompany him on a journey. On their way, he paused to inscribe hieroglyphically on a hillside, and the cryptic inscription became known as the “Unreadable Signs.” A little further, he etched on another hill, this time, broad crisscrossed strokes. This is dubbed the “Wonderful Mat.” Then he climbed the steep Aghagha Hill. At the foot of the hill, Agboogun struck his foot on the rock, leaving an imprint on its surface. The foot shaped-depression is now known as “EseAgboogun” (Agboogun’s Footprint). He left an instruction: “Any person(s) accused of witchcraft should be made to try it for a size; it fits any foot size except those of the malevolent.”
The dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove is located on the outskirts of Osogbo, the capital city of Osun State. The grove which is one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria, is regarded as the abode of the goddess of fertility – Osun – one of the pantheon of Yoruba gods!
The landscape of the grove and its meandering river is dotted with sanctuaries and shrines, sculptures and artworks in honour of Osun and other deities.
The sacred grove, which is now seen as a symbol of identity for all Yoruba people, is probably the last in Yoruba culture. It testifies to the once widespread practice of establishing sacred groves outside all settlements.
THE NEW SACRED ARTISTS AND SUZANNE WENGER
The development of the movement of New Sacred Artists and the absorption of Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian artist, into the Yoruba community have proved to be a fertile exchange of ideas that revived the sacred Osun Grove.
The grove is the largest and perhaps the only remaining example of a once widespread phenomenon that used to characterise every Yoruba settlement. It now represents Yoruba sacred groves and their reflection of Yoruba cosmology.
OSUN SACRED GROVE AND YORUBA BELIEF
Osun Grove is a tangible expression of Yoruba divinatory and cosmological systems; its annual festival is a living thriving and evolving response to Yoruba beliefs in the bond between people, their ruler and the Osun Goddess.
Osun, also known as Yemoja, is one of Yoruba Orisas and the goddess of all the waters on earth. The orisa Oshun is commemorated annually in an elaborated festival held on the bank of the Osun River.
Osun is also celebrated in other parts of Africa and Brazil where the Orisa is referred to as Yemoja.
PICTURES:
OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES IN OSOGBO INCLUDES:
MUSEUM OF ARTS
Osogbo city has one of the best museum of arts in Nigeria as a result of its position in the Yoruba cultural heritage.
The city of Osogbo is culturally and historically enriched with many artifacts relatively important to the establishment of the city as well as the Yoruba race entirely.
OSOGBO ARTS AND METAL WORKS
This is one of the top holiday destinations in Oshogbo is where metals are artistically crafted and shaped to make valuable items.
Osogbo residents are known to be very artistic and the city has produced very many internationally recognised artists; among them are Nike Arts, Twin Seven Seven, Jimoh Braimoh and others.
OSUN CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Osun Cultural Festival is an annual event that takes place in Osogbo usually around August. The festival attracts Yoruba culture and belief enthusiasts and other visitors from all over the globe.
The festival offers visitors the opportunity to visit the great Osun Grove, a sacred forest along the banks of the Osun river just outside the city of Osogbo.
ATAOJA ROYAL PALACE
As part of Osun Sacred Grove tour, visitors will be able to visit the Ataoja of Osogbo Palace located in the heart of the city. The palace is an ideal place for tourists to learn more about the city of Osogbo.
The palace has a museum where the historical facts about the establishment of the city are carefully preserved.
AFRICAN HUTS
There some locally made hut chalets where visitors can relax or get refreshments after exploring the sacred grove and its thick forest as well as the
There are many more features in Osogbo Osun State.. drop the one you know below
Its so destructive when people leave their own history to tell other people’s without proof. Just like white man came to Africa parted the lands, reduced our history to few centuries claiming Greek was the start of creation of 4,000 years. They called us monkeys but now with their own DNA research found out that all people except Africans are Neandathals. what a beautiful name to give caravan, ape and gorilla people. DNA proof white people have 4-5% of animals mixed with their DNA, means they were not created in the image of Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (lye Ashe Iye) The Creator but Annunakis who created them in the labouratory .
Some Yoruban knew there history and those Yoruban saying ill things about themselves need to thoroughly do their research. Firstly, We are not related to Nimrod though he is Oduduwa but Kushite and we are Shem descendants. Oduduwa is only a royal title passed down from Noah to his descendants and is kingship, war hero title. Noah is Nuah in Egyptian children of ham, it is Oduduwa in Yoruba and a Yemen Hebrew lsraelite king in Hymya in Yemen by the name Dhu Nuwa in 500AD fled to lle ife to create more states. He escaped from the enemies who slaughtered the royal family. He did not commit suicide or drown in the sea as narrated in the Arabia history. OduNoah, OduNuah, Oduduwa, Dhu Nuwa, Noah or Nuah is only title, even the Benin people have their own version. Other Oduduwas are Abraham, King David and so on.
Origin of Yoruba
According to chronological Historb of Yoruba Dynasty in the Alafin palace, We migrated from lsrael to captivity in Assyria and Babylon 700-600BC . After the collapse of the Assyria and Babylonia empire we fled to West Africa land of Shem because Nebukanezer brought foreigners to occupied lsrael. Yoruba left lsrael around the time king Jeroboam (Olugbogi) and king Joash (Oluasho) were kings in Israel. Not all lsraelites returned with prophet Ezra because of civil in Israel. Final batch joined their people in 70AD when Israel was finally destroyed. The 1747 map of West Africa showed the Kingdom of Judah which later became slave coast in Badagry, Lagos Nigeria. Judah was part of old Ile ife Owodaiye means Whdah or Odaiye means Judah or Ouidah (Portuges) or Fidah in French. During the Antlantic Slave trade Judah was the target by the Romans and that is why they came to West Africa to finish Creator’s own people. Oyo empire fought with the Fon king of Dahomey who was capturing the Odaiye/judaites to the Europeans and prisonals of war from the enemies side too were enslaved by Yoruban. DNA proof all negroes (people with afro kinky hair) migrated to Africa while the Ethiopians, Somalians and Sudaness people with straight and coily hair texture are Africans but migrated to Arabia. Ancient Ethiopia was Africa, West Asia including India and Arabia and Israel, and Greek and Spain. They were called Ethiopians, jet black and brown people afro kinki people while those in india have straight or coily hair texture. Light skin were minority and were said to be of deferent race by the Arabs. Modern day Ethiopia was later called West Ethiopia and now the only Ethiopia nation.
DNA Proof
DNA is the Creator’s wonders even the scientist believe there is a Creator of the beautiful heavens and earth. DNA links Luyah of Kenya who are Descendants of biblical Joseph (Yuya) and Gabon descendants of Orugu or Orungun (biblical Reuben). Yoruba land occupied from Nigeria to Benin Republic, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana. Yoruba use to call themselves Aku meaning Akuibe or Akusibe as the biblical Jacob. When Yoruba have twins that is why they always make the last of the twins the elder, other Aku are in Senegambia and the Creols in Sierra leone. Yoruba was never the name the people but the language and was later changed by Samuel Ajayi Crowther from Aku to Yoruba to please the Europeans so we can forget our origin. Yoruba thus means Yerubbal meaning “Ati she eruba bale” that is the people cause baal terrible fear when they destroyed his evil alter. Yoruban also linked with King Yeroboam “great people), to remind them of the time they left Israel. West Africa language including the Zulus in South Africa is Shemetic pure Hebrew, ancient Aramic and Egyptian. Yoruba is pure Hebrew and Egyptian, its becomes Hebrew when English version of Hebrew word is removed, e.g the word shibboleth in not pure Hebrew its English version, correct word is Shibbole and is the same in Yoruba and in meaning. Rishon in Hebrew is Greek version, it is Risha but when fully written is orisha means ancestors. Aaron is not Hebrew word but Greek, Aare is Yoruba and Hebrew word for a leader. Dan in Hebrew have same meaning in Yoruba meaning Danilare or Damilare (judge or judge me). Hebrew deal with 3 letter root words, E .r. i. could mean Jerimaiah.
The foreigners could not accurately translate our book that is why there were errors in the bible. Eri is not the true name but English version, Eri means my awake one or to arouse one self or to suddenly stir up like excel. It would be Ori or Ari, just like Arieli is Greek version not Hebrew word. There is Aro in Yoruba word as in Arodi in the bible but to conveinced anyone as the same word will have to have same meaning. The modern day Ashenaz jews only occupied lsraeli in 1948 by balfor declearation between Britain and America. They converted to Judaism in 700AD by their king Bulan . Ancient lsraelites were black and still are today never light skin. Yoruba language is close to Egyptian becauses most of the pharaoh kings were Hebrew, king David or Daud is Pharaoh Pseuenes of Egypt (Ipesinuola), Abraham (Amenemhat I of Egypt) means Oba Ashiwaju king in front not Amen in front because Mene is the title of Oba in Egypt not Pharaoh, pharaoh means big house like ile ife. Moses or Moshe is Tutmose lll in Egypt (Moshetutu), that is sacrifice to God Amen or Thot. Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (Iye Ashe Iye). the Ashe is also same meaning in Egyptian word to say it is borrowed word in Hebrew. Egyptian say Amen to the god Amen Ra, Yoruba say Ashe, Amin is Roman catholic corruption to make them say amin when Yoruba bible was translated from latin.
Yoruba and Ifa religion
Ifa religion which l myself have condemned in the past because of ignorant of knowledge of our history is infact biblical. Ifa is the oldest religion in the world and is proven to be 8,000 years old. It was passed down from Noah or Odunoah or odunuwa or Dhu Nuwa to Shem and Ham and Kush to their descendants. Ifa is the Ephod in the bible and the verses are the true Torah not the one called five books of moses because it is not accurate and Moses never wrote it but 500 years after his death. Ephod is not only the garment for priests but also the tray and the object to consult the Creator. The true Levi are Oluwo or Luwo and the Rabbis are Araba. Europeans called it vodu but is Odu and Odu is the father of Noah not Lamech (Odu ni baba Iwa). Before 1848, Yoruba places Yah as the suffix of their names like Tobiyah now Oluwatobi using (Odonuwa or Oluiwa). When Yoruba children started to attend Christian and muslim schools, they dropped Yoruba names as evil and Ifa as juju. Europeans forced Yoruba to abbreviate lfa to Indeginious Faith of Africa before registerd as a religion. Ifa is Ephad and Ifadida is Ephadida not Ephod (Greek version).
Yoruba Hebrew Israelites
Yoruba Hebrew Israelites heritage is not for every Yoruba to claim even the anthropologists and researchers are waiting for us to come forward. it is for Yoruban that are ready to accept their heritage and the Creator himself will return his people as prophesised. Some Yoruban say they are muslim, it cannot be true unless they are convert because the original muslim are the children of ham including Egyptians who spread lslam to Arabia slaughtering the true Arabs and drove them out. They themselves were driven out of Arabia by the light skin Persians. Original Christians were the descendants of Kush and they wrote the book of Enoch, Ethiopia language is original greek and latin as they once ruled Europe and built castles. Negroes are the true Arabs and pure black and still black.
Yoruba are the people of Yah, Eriwo or Ariwo or Alariwo Yah lo wodi lsrael, That is AlleluYah made the wall of Jericho collapsed, Eriwo Yah is Shout of Yah. Selah Shalom (Ashela Ashalafia)
During the reign of Oba Ozolua (1481 – 1504), two of his wives, Oloi Idia and Oloi Ohonmi, gave birth on the same day. They both had sons.
Oloi Ohomi gave birth in the morning to the first son and he was named Idubor, who was fondly called Aruanran (sometimes spelt Arhuanran).
On the other hand, Oloi Idia gave birth later in the day. Her son
was given the name Osawe (He later became Oba Esigie).
Here’s where the drama started. When Idubor was born, he did not immediately cry. In that era, it was inappropriate to announce the birth of a mute baby to the monarch.
However, Queen Idia’s baby cried as soon as he was born and thus, his birth was reported to Oba Ozolua, who instantly declared him his first son, automatically moving Idubor to the number two slot.
Idubor, while growing up was very bitter about his predicamentt. He more than on one occasion asked his mother, if the king was his true father and why he callously took away his birthright in
such a mean fashion.
Idubor (Arhuanran) grew up to be a giant. Legend has it that he uprooted palm trees with his bare hands, sweeping the ground with the fronds. He turned out to be a great warrior who had the overwhelming advantage of size and stamina.
I must add here that another version of this story reveals that Idubor and Osawe were not actually the eldest sons of Oba Ozolua. They had an elder brother, Ogidigbo, who was said to have become a cripple following a combat competition between him and his brothers. His disability disqualified him from taking over from his father. Citizens secretly pointed accusing fingers at Oloi Idia as being responsible for Ogidigbo’s calamity, using her mystical powers to ensure that her son, Osawe (Oba Esigie)
clinched the crown.
Before his demise in 1504, of Oba Ozolua had already carved out dukedoms for his sons. This was to avoid anarchy in the next dispensation. As compensation, Arhuanran was therefore made the Duke of Udo; a town not too far from Benin.
Please, note that Idia’s role in the nullification of the first son Ogidogbo was not lost on Arhuanran, whose enmity towards his brother Osawe ( Oba Esigie) intensified that he even tried to assassinate him.
A noted warrior and conqueror of the fierce town of Okhumwu, Arhuanran was bigger and stronger, and could easily have trounced the weaker Esigie, whom Oba Ozolua had sent to attend the Portuguese mission school after his baptism.
Arhuanran’s assassination attempts could have succeeded were it not for Idia who was reputedly skilled in magical arts and whom he knew was a formidable opponent he had to overcome.
Realizing he had to acquire supernatural powers if he wanted to take on Idia who was her son’s spiritual protector, oral tradition recounts that Arhuanran retreated to Uroho village to learn the art of black magic from an old sorceress, Iyenuroho (Okpewho).
That he chose a woman as teacher, is clear recognition that his opponent was a woman and that he had to learn the ways of female mystical powers to be assured of victory.
We should note that Esigie’s possible lack of combat experience, is the result of having to attend the school of Portuguese missionaries, rather than join his father in fighting wars.
Failing to accept the facts on ground, the Duke (Enogie) of Udo, Ahruanran refused to play a subordinate role to his brother, Oba Esigie, and at first, tried to make Udo the capital of Benin kingdom, with himself as king. It did not take too long before the two brothers went to war.
The war was difficult, bitter and long drawn out. It was not until the third campaign that Udo was defeated.
The third campaign was timed to coincide with the planting season, when Udo citizen-soldiers, who were mainly farmers, would be busy on their farms.
Meanwhile, Arhuanran had two sons Kpamabira and Onioni. They were ruling alongside their father, but before the war, Kpamabira died.
Prior to the last battle with his brother, Oba Esigie, Arhuanran told his surviving son, Onioni to stay at home and wait for his return, alerting his household to listen out for the sound of the
magical bell that he placed somewhere in the house. He explained that if it chimed, they will know that his brother, Oba Esigie had won the battle.
Later on, as he fought in the war front, Arhuanran was shocked to see a young man fighting just like himself. Without thinking twice, he used a powerful incantation, commanding the sword to immediately kill the copycat fighter (A GBE VBE NI ME GBE NE UMOZO GBEE RIE YOEWE).
At that moment, the warrior died, only for Arhuanran to discover that the man who possessed his fighting skills, was none other than his beloved son, Onioni. Arhuanran had no idea his son had sneaked along to join in the war. In rage and pain, Arhuanran intensified his onslaught on his brother’s army, until there was no winner in the battlefield.
When victory was not forthcoming, Arhuanran decided to run home on time, but his movements were not swift enough… By this time, the magical bell at home was sounding and therefore, Udo people believed Oba Esigie had conquered their duke. This perceived tragedy caused his wife to jump into a river close to the lake (Odighi). She died.
As soon as Arhuanran got home, he found out that his wife had jumped the river. He was so sad. His sons were gone, now his wife… A depressed Arhuanran also jumped into the lake.
Before jumping into the lake, he left his Ivie (coral bead necklace), the symbol of authority in Benin land, dangling from a tree branch were it could be easily found.
Up until this day, many believe that Arhuanran did not die inside the lake (Odighi). They claim he still comes out at night to parade the town of Udo, providing protection for his people.
Before now, the nights Arhuanran came out of the water, all the babies in Udo town would cry non-stop. This trend forced the people of Udo to appeal to Arhuanran spiritually. After specific rituals, the children no longer cried when he came out of the lake.
Furthermore, the river the wife dived into, is directly opposite the lake. A road separates this river from the lake. Once every year, the river always crosses the road to meet the lake where Arhuanran committed suicide.
Even in 2017, it is forbidden to touch or drink the water from that lake. It is also forbidden to kill or eat any animal from or around the lake. The waters were declared sacred.
It was told that around 1955, a group of Udo people were returning from their farm when they saw a young boy shooting birds close to the lake and the stone dropped into the lake.
Immediately, there was a loud voice from the lake that sounded like thunder and many trees around the place shook, as a heavy wind blew. At that moment, the boy became sick and he was rushed home for treatment.
Udo town used that opportunity to tell the public that Arhuanran did not really die, but still lives in the lake; especially as there was never proof of his death.
