Ogbona History and Culture

UKPE NOKHUA (ONYE KHAKHA) BY JOHN ANAWEOKHAI AND GILBERT ODIOR One distinctive, enduring and appreciable quality about Ogbona, nay Avhianwu tradition, is the recognition given to women of virtue. Such honour is never bought or influenced by whatever means but justly earned. Whoever is conferred with such honour occupies a special position in the comity of women. One of the basis upon which such honour is earned is through the performance of UKPE NOKHUA rite. As the name implies, it is rare event that is celebrated with rolled out drums. A woman who has lived very well with her husband and his family, would want to entrench herself permanently in the family. With the performance of UKPE NOKHUA rite, her position in her husband’s family becomes non-negotiable and cemented forever. She can never be forced out of the family. Nothing under the sun can chase her out of her matrimonial home. This perhaps, informs the rareness of the event and the age advancement of women who perform it. Any woman who so desires, carves a special chair with which she sits down all the time. A special stool with slight resemblance of UKPI is also carved. On the day of the event, her first son carries it on her head, thus becoming the leader of the long precession. If she is not blessed with a male child, the first daughter takes up the responsibility. A lot of efforts, time and money go into UKPE NOKHUA rite. Anything edible is cooked on that day. It is customary for one to reach out to her well-wishers not necessary to give her money but to prepare whatever they can as support for the event. No matter how well one is supported, the main meal, AKHE of Egusi soup and pounded yam must be personally prepare and presented by the rite performer. The Egusi soup is brought in big open earth pot. Well-wishers may support with any other food, the preparation and presentation of the main AKHE remains the exclusive task of the woman desirous of such honour. This refer to in the local palace as “Onye khakha”. With everything in place, the woman comes out in her native hand-woven wrapper of IGBOGANE with IDIBIE tattoos all over hand body. She also wears ASAMHA, elephant tusk on her legs. She is qualified to wear UGBAGHO, blue coral bead too. She moves majestically behind her first son with other well-wishers and all food carriers behind her in the long procession around the village. She is free to include any amount of money and present all to her husband and the entire family. UKPE NOKHUA can better be appreciated when situated in the context of OKHEI. In fact, it is the female equivalence of OKHEI with which the woman becomes an unofficial chief. List of women that have performed the ceremony in Ogbona in recent past: Omhonaya Edogamhe Omhonaya Ibrama (Aeroplane) Christiana Amina Erua Anabor Comfort Abakhue Atsegwasi Asabi Imhana Odior Angelina Nasamu Odior Theresa Uworati Anabor Martha Itsefia Orbih Alice Ibra Ogah Janet Azaigbor Alfred Enetomhe IDODE: This is a brilliant piece!!! In my opinion,there is NO BASIS to compare it to OKHE title holders, in fact it is higher than Okhe.It is equivalent to an Okhe title holder who has. performed the version of UGBO_EMA stage of Okhe title which admits holders to AVIANWU MEN’S ROLL OF HONOUR. UKPE NOKHUA title for women in Avianwu, admits them into Avianwu Women Roll Call of Honour. It is an EXCLUSIVE Club for women who have achieved in Avianwu and every Rite performer earns the title of ONYE_KHA_KHA,(Great Cook For Nation!!!)IT’S AN OFFICIAL TITLE PLEASE!!!! Both titles for men and women in Avianwu are achieved as a result of share determination and HARD Work!!! By Alfred Enetomhe IDODE.  

Imhakhena Leaves Ivhiarua – By Aha Idokpesi Okhaishe N’ Avhianwu Imhakhena, the son of Anwu, son of Azama, lived peacefully with the children of Arua, his nephews, at Ivhiarua settlement. Imhakhena and family settled at the present day Ivhiukasa in Ivhiarua. This accounts for why Ivhimhakhena (descendants of Imhakhena) to this day make their first stop at Ivhiukasa on arrival at Fugar for the Age-group Naming Ceremony during the puberty (manhood) initiation. Imhakhena, Mother Aleukoko and the children of Arua all shared a common settlement: Ivhiarua. At home, they ate in common. They led a life of sharing irrespective of the sizes of the extended families. For meals, Mother Aleukoko’s kitchen still remained the meeting point for all her children. Her children’s children also filled their stomachs from her kitchen. So all met here to have a stomach full of whatever was prepared to satisfy their hunger. The children of Arua and Imhakhena’s life together did not however continue indefinitely. Imhakhena had been both a hunter and a farmer. He was most of the time away from home on a hunting expedition. The vast forests bordering on his farmlands were his hunting fields. Imhakhena was notorious for his long absence from home. He was either working on his farm or atop trees lying in wait for game. He was however never left out in the sharing of meals. His share was always kept whenever he was expected. At times Imhakhena returned home when he was least expected. At other times he would fail to show up when he was most expected. There was that fateful day when Imhakhena left home in the small hours of the morning and was never at all expected back home. But he did come back to ask for his share of the baked corn (ikpeko or eko-oka) meal – his favourite food -that was reportedly prepared and eaten that day in Mother Aleukoko’s kitchen. He was told that not even a mouthful was left of it. Imhakhena was very bitter about what he termed unfair treatment meted out to him. Under his emotional outburst of anger (typical of a hungry man) he resolved to go back to his farmland where he could be alone and release surplus emotion. This was a measure very drastic in itself and very dreadful in its consequences, Imhakhena left that evening for the farm. And all was no longer the same thereafter. For several days, Imhakhena was away from home. His brothers, nephews and Mother Aleukoko were worried about him. After so many days of sojourn in the wilds, Imhakhena returned home and was received with joy. But none was half as joyful as Mother Aleukoko who was most worried about her youngest and bosom child. Imhakhena’s brothers hailed him ‘Uvie bh’ eko’ meaning ‘He who cried over baked corn (eko-oka). Though Imhakhena was home once again, his attitude towards home and all at home changed thereafter. He had begun making covert arrangements to make a home out of his farmlands. He would leave home for the farms only to return very much later than usual. His long absences from home became extraordinary and alarming. Each time he was asked for an explanation of his action, he would answer, ‘Ugbo onua (contracts to read Ugbonua) meaning ‘The farm is a long way away.’ He told them it was becoming increasingly difficult if not extremely impossible for him to be on the road with the same frequency as when his farm was near home. This continued for a long time until he left one day and never returned as he usually did. This time he took all his family with him. All his belongings he had hitherto transferred piecemeal to his farm. Imhakhena had established a settlement, a separate settlement. He was gone: away from his kinsmen and aged mother. Imhakhena had, however, not broken fraternal ties with his kinsmen. His brothers, nephews and all paid him constant visits, which he returned. They would not call him by any other name, during such meetings, but Ugbonua, teasingly. Anyone leaving home for a visit to Imhakhena would announce, “I go to see ‘Ugbonua’” The village Imhakhena established took the name Ogbona to this day. This had been a name coined from Imhakhena’s nickname: Ugbonua’. Oreokhiye is the tree that gave Imhakhena a shade and served as a warehouse for his farm and hunting implements during his farming and hunting expeditions. It was by this tree he built his farmstead, which later laid the foundations of Ogbona village. The name Oreokhiye as this monumental tree is known by to this day means ‘He who has come will not go back home (to parent Avhianwu, of course)’. The tree, Oreokhiye, is still standing to this day. It is located at the Ogbona traditional market. Mother Aleukoko Joins Imhakhena  Mother Aleukoko leaves home The lone figure directly affected by Imhakhena’s absence from home was their aged mother, Mother Aleukoko. She would rather be with Imhakhena alone than the many hundreds she was then left with. She hated to think that Imhakhena, her youngest child, was away – far away from her. She sorrowed over his absence. Her other children tried to make her see that there was no point grieving over the absence of her last born when she had them around her. She suffered in silence. Imhakhena’s separation from Mother Aleukoko was however for a short duration. As both fate and luck would have it, Imhakhena was reported ill. This was reported to Mother Aleukoko. Imhakhena’s indisposition had been a very good reason for Mother Aleukoko to leave home and join Imhakhena. She left home, as was expected, to care for her son at the latter’s farm (then a home for Imhakhena). Mother Aleukoko would not return home even when Imhakhena had been relieved of his illness. Her other children could not do otherwise but to send her belongings. Thus, Mother Aleukoko had joined her youngest child, Imhakhena, at the latter’s farm. The