Igbo people recognize Amadioha as the god of thunder. An article on Igbo culture posted on the Internet by Uzoma Onyemaechi, of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, states that "the elders believe the world is full of created beings and things, both animate and inanimate. The spirit world is the abode of the creator, the deities, and the disembodied and malignant spirits, and ancestral spirits" (n.d.).

Herbert Cole, corroborates the above information and elaborates that

the Igbo world consists of four levels, ranging from living things and the natural and built environment to a single, highest force, CHINEKE, the animating spirit of the world. Chineke consists of two forces, however: chi and eke, a male and female spirit...Agbara, the land of spirits, is the level between Chi and Eke and human beings. The two most important Agbara spirits are Ala and Amadioha. Ala is the female god of the land; as such she controls the earth's fertility, she is the judge of land ownership disputes, and she is the source of morality and laws. She is feared more than any other agbara...Amadioha, is the king of the sky. Although associated with thunder, he tends to be remote from human affairs and a rather cool spirit, not tempestuous like Ala ( 1982).

Onyemaechi, explains that both boys and girls go through various rites of passage and circumcision is only one of them. It occurs on the eighth day after birth. He explains that

traditionally, the operation was performed by a midwife (native doctor), but since the mid-20th century, this slight surgical operation is done mainly by physicians for hygienic reasons. The experience of modern Igbo girls proves that they are neglected and resentful of traditional circumcision...among the Igbo of Nigerian, for instance, excision takes place shortly after the child is born (ibid.).

No reports on whether a woman who marries into a family has to be circumcised when she is pregnant, could 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 see below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Onyemaechi, Uzoma, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. n.d. "Igbo Culture and Socialization." http://lioness.cm.utexas.edu/I-fil...ure/culture_and_socialization.htm. [Accessed 21 Aug. 2000]

Cole, Herbert. 1982. "The Architecture of the Gods: The Igbo Mbari." http://uxl.eiu.edu/~cfrb/mbarishrines.htm [Accessed 22 Aug. 2000]

Additional Sources Consulted

Africa News Bulletin 1998-1999.

Amnesty International Report 1999 1999.

Country Reports for 1998 1999.

Nigeria: A Country Study. 1992. Edited by Helen Chapin Metz. Washington, DC: Secretary of the Army.

Unsuccessful attempts to contact oral sources.

Search Engines including:

Google

Mamma

Metacrawler