Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Author(s): I. Chukwukere
Source: Anthropos, Bd. 78, H. 3./4. (1983), pp. 519-534
Published by: Anthropos Institut
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40460646
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I. Chukwukere
1. Introduction
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520 L Chukwukere 78.1983
Anthropos
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Chi in Igbo Religionand Thought 521
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522 I. Chukwukere 78.1983
Anthropos
enwe si na o foduru nwa ritinti,ma iku amo ya mma. "Monkey says that he
would have remained a littlechild but [his] eyebrowsproduced his beauty [adult
appearance]."
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Chiin IgboReligionandThought 523
a) EarlyStudies
b) ScopeoftheAnalysis
In the lightof the above criticisms, muchof thispaper in a way con-
stitutesthe outlinesof a sociologicalanalysisof chi,based on theprimaryre-
cognitionof its cardinalexplanatoryrole in Igbo beliefsystemand world
view. Chi thus represents the central,unifyingthemethatincorporatesthe
differentfacetsof Igbo social thoughtand usages,especiallythose aspects
concerning man'srelationship withtheinscrutablerealmof the supernatural.
As a generalguideto the discussionlet us employa set of threemajor
propositions.First,fundamental commonIgbo ideas and beliefsabout chi:
what is chi;how is chi conceptualizedby Igbo people; whatare itsindividual
and social manifestations in the language,religion,politics,ritualactivities,
art, system personalnames,etc. of the Igbo-speaking
of people? Secondly,
in traditionalIgbo classificationof the universe3 , what position does chi
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524 L Chukwukcrc 78.1983
Anthropos
c) Chi Definition
The belief in chi is as universalto the overten millionIgbo-speaking
people of Nigeriaas thebeliefand practiceof ofo (Igbo symbolof authority
and retributive justice), yet it is not easy to get fromvariousinformants a
straightforward, unambiguous "definition" of the former.What is absolutely
dear, however,is that chi and ofo are invariably pairedwithtwo otherIgbo
metaphysicalideas, eke and ogu respectively. This impliesa complementary
dualisticrelationship,which makes the sociologicalexplicationof any of
theseconceptsin isolationratherdifficult.
Basden (1938: 46) identifiestwo dimensionsto chi. He definesit first
as "a sort of guardiandeity,deputisingforChi-Ukwu"and secondlyas "al-
most a genericword for God," i.e., SupremeBeing (Chukwu or Chineke,
in his and manyotherauthors'usage).
Grapplingwith the semanticelusivenessof the termchi, one of the
firstmodern field anthropologists in Igboland, Green (1947: 52), seems
to despair:
As for Ci, the spiritwho creates people and whose name, as in Cineke, has been
taken by the Christiansto denote the Creator,it is difficultto know what the
real Ibo significanceof the word is. Ci and Eke togethercreate an individual,but
each person is thoughtof as having his own Ci and whetherover and above this
thereis any conception of a universalCi seems doubtful.
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Chiin IgboReligionandThought 525
d) ChiSymbols
The concreterepresentations of chi cannotbe summedup in a sentence
or two. One reasonforthe complexityis, althoughin theoryeveryIgbo in-
dividualhas his or herchi,in practiceonlyadults,especiallymaleswho have
marriedand femaleswhohavebornechildren,establishtheirown chi symbol.
Secondly,thereare diversities amongthe variousIgbo sub-groups about the
exact formthe symboltakes.
In some it is a special tree (e.g., ogbu, ogilisi,oha) planted in one's
own compound;some use "stonesset in a depressionat theback of the com-
pound" (Horton 1956: 20); some otherserecta kind of mini-altar:a small
clay pot filledwithsand,withthreestickscut froma special plant(ububa
among the OwerreIgbo) stuckin threeequal heads into the sand, odo and
waterused to plasterthe whole edifice.At this "shrine,"whichis placed in
a specificposition (head of the bed, right-hand cornerof the livingroom,
etc.) in the owner's house,periodic sacrificesand prayersare offered.An im-
portantsociologicalpoint to note is thatonce the chi shrineis establishedit
servesas the "protector"and altar for all minorsand protégésunder the
particularadult owner. In this sense the chi of a newlywed brideremains
herhusband'suntilshe getsherfirstchild.
Needless to repeat,differences exist amongthe manyIgbo sub-groups
regardingthe details of the above-mentionedbeliefs and rituals.But a
fundamental similarityunderlying of thoughtand actionis
all the diversities
that chi is individualto everyIgbo person. At his or her death the shrine
is destroyed.Thus, many writerson the subject have giventhe primary
meaningof chi as "personal god" or "guardianspirit."Thus also one may
talk of chi as the "divinitythatshapes" everyman. For seen in perspective,
the individualistic strainin Igbo notionof chi best illuminatesits tripartite
relationwith eke (another"creative"force,complementary to chi), ikenga
(thecultof strength in
and success),and Igbo belief iyo uwa (reincarnation).
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526 L Chukwukere 78.1983
Anthropos
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Chi in Igbo Religionand Thought 527
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528 L Chukwukere 78.1983
Anthropos
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Chiin IgboReligionandThought 529
9
Unfortunatelythe informationI have been able to secure (admittedlyby only
cursoryand unsystematicsearch) throws no light on this. In a recentpersonal conver-
sation with me, Dr. Ekejiuba ratherholds the contraryview that chukwumusthave been
an indigenousIgbo word the Aro (a mixtureof Igbo and Ibibio groups) "adopted" and
later "transformed"to an oracle. This is, of course, rational speculationthat fitsin with
Aro reputationfor astute "adaptation" to situations.The matter,however,restsneither
herenor there.
78.1983
Anthropos 34
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530 I. Chukwukere 78.1983
Anthropos
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Chiin IgboReligionandThought 53 1
loversto the two legs of a compass.Chi is the "fixed foot," and eke is the
mobilecomplement.Or, if I may changethe metaphor,chi and eke are like
two stones that must be strucktogetherin orderto produce a spark.Al-
thoughchi and eke can be fruitfully separatedforanalyticalpurposes,how-
ever,in the structureof Igbo belief and social action relatingto spiritual
beingsand forcesin general,the two tend to coalesceratherthanbifurcate.
In thissensethe notionof duality,whichwe said earliercharacterizes
Igbo philosophyof life,is placed in a broadercontext.For not onlychi and
eke,a seriesof otheranalogous"stifftwincompasses9'exist,e.g.,çfç na ogu,
ll
akç na uche,ikwuna ibe, çgu na mgba,okwu na uka, and ntana imo.
I am not herebystatinga generalhypothesisabout complementary
dual categoriesin Igbo religionand structureof thought.Rather,it is note-
worthyand sociologicallysignificantthat the twin concepts chi and eke
takenas a whole.
are not unique in Igbo religiousthoughtor social structure
Their affinitywith anotherpair of key cosmologica!ideas, çfç and ogu,
is underscoredin this traditionalfolk-songof the 'OwerriIgbo' of eastern
Nigeria:
4. Conclusion
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532 L Ghukwukere 78.1983
Anthropos
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