Although information relating to the current Igwe of Nnewi-Chi could not be found among the sources consulted, an associate professor of anthropology at Frank and Marshall College (FMC) provided the following insights:

An "igwe" is a king, basically, and this is a title used consistently throughout northern Igbo-speaking areas. The term is associated with the sky deity, pointing to the king's elevated status - also to his consecration/installation as something like a divinity on earth. The Igwe of Nnewi-Chi would be the king ... of the spirit of Nnewi; chi meaning spirit or life force. The primary cult of most northern Igbo towns is that of the Ana/Ani (the land goddess), and chi usually is considered to be a more human-scaled spirit. However, the term chi is part of one of the major deities of the north, Chineke - the ambigendered creative force that is often associated with Ani. (Ani is sometimes said to be married to Igwe - earth to sky. This divine marriage is also referenced in many northern Igbo royal systems.)

English-speaking Igbo frequently use the titles of English royalty ("Your Highness") to refer to their indigenous rulers .... The main thing to remember is that kings partake of the divinities in this region and are important ritual practitioners; any igwe is also the head of the royal cult - and his ancestors are invoked on behalf of the entire town. Most northern Igbo kingships are not hereditary in a simple sense, however. There are kingly clans whose male members are eligible for kingship, and then there are kingmaker clans, whose elders have the task of "discovering" the new king during the interregnum. This is a process that is part-divination - and ofos might well be involved - and part hard-nosed indigenous politics (30 Nov. 2002).

In addition, the FMC anthropology professor provided the following information about Ofo:

Ofo ... refers to a particular type of staff (as well as the wood from which it's made) that is carried by elder men - notably patrilineage priests and some masqueraders. Christopher Ejizu, in his invaluable but very arcane book, Ofo: Igbo Ritual Symbol (Enugu: Fourth Dimension 1986), tells us that there is an ofo masquerade group in the Nnewi area called the Ofo-Anunu-Ebe and later associates that ofo group with the practice of "sending" the spirit of ofo out against miscreants. ... I believe that ofo can generally be inherited through the paternal line, and that it is also associated with the work of some healer-diviners (ndi dibia) in divination (afa). This is complicated ritual [practice], and you see a lot of variation -as with most Igbo ritual - from town to town (30 Nov. 2002).

In subsequent correspondence, the FMC professor appended the following additional information from Christopher Ejizu's 1986 book on the ofo:

The ritual of consecration of the higher grades of Ofo, professional and institutional Ofo, is a much more elaborate exercise in most parts of Igboland. The items normally used bespeak the status of Ofo. For instance, for the Ofo-Ataka, the symbol of the highest grade of Ozo title in Nnewi, the aspirant would make a gift of a cow, a goat, and very many other things to the kindred that acts as the protector of that particular Ofo (4 Dec. 2002).

Commenting on Ejizu's observation the FMC professor said that it tells us that there are institutionalized and "professional" types of Ofo in the Nnewi area - not only personal ones. This speaks to the idea of Ofo cult .... These less personal Ofo can be very dangerous objects indeed; if used for the good of the town, they can find and punish criminals. If used to meet the ends of the cult membership, they can cause harm to people who have crossed them - but who not necessarily are criminals in any simple sense. Ozo-titled men are important elders and fierce politicians; evidently in Nnewi, they can be invested with one of these institutional Ofo, besides having their own lineage-tied staffs (4 Dec. 2002).

Another description of Ofo was found in the Lois E. Woods Museum section of the Norfolk State University (NSU) Web site:

Ofo are symbol objects. The Ofo is the sacred symbol of truth, justice, law and authority. It plays a role in sacrificial rituals, prayer, oath taking, pronouncing judgement, deliberating policy within the family or community and involving blessings or curses. Brass Ofo often serve as symbols of family or community authority and become revered family heirlooms.

Bronze Ofo serve as symbols of power and authority for office holders and titled men, or a sacred family icon. Ofo represents the collective power of the ancestors and the truths given by Chuku (The High God). The Ofo, symbolizes the link between the living holder of family or ruling authority and their ancestors (Nancy Neaher).

[Ofo] also symbolize the link they make between Chokwu the High God and Humanity, and between the living, the dead, and those yet to be born (Njaka). Ofo plays a role in prayer, ritual sacrifice, contact of spirit patrons, magical uses, naming ceremonies, determining calendars of events, affirming moral uprightness, sealing covenants, legitimizing states or office, decision making, settling disputes, taking oaths of administration, and promulgating and enforcing laws (Christopher Ejizu) (Aug. 1999).

Information on the link between the Igwe of Nnewi-Chi and the Ofo shrine in Nkwo-Nnewi, including the name of the ruler, rituals practised and the tradition for selecting a chief, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Associate professor of anthropology, Frank and Marshall College, Pennsylvania. 4 December 2002. Correspondence.

_____. 30 November 2002. Correspondence.

Norfolk State University (NSU). August 1999. "Lois E. Woods Museum: Nigerian Research." http://www.nsu.edu/resources/woods/nigeria.htm [Accessed 29 Nov. 2002]

Additional Sources Consulted

Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Encyclopaedia of Religion

IRB Databases

NEXIS

Internet sites, including:

Adherents.com

Africa Online

AllAfrica.com

Anthropological Index Online

Apologetics Index

BBC Africa

Ethnologue: Languages of the World

New Nigerian

Newswatch Nigeria

Nigeria Daily

Vanguard

World News Connection (WNC)

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