Beliefs

Beliefs of the Igbo 

Imoratance of Gods and Spirits

Author: John Nguyen, Features article Writer

        
          In Things Fall Apart, Gods and spirits played a huge role in shaping society. The Igbo people were polytheistic, which meant they worshipped many Gods. However, as white men came to their villages many of their traditions were lost and Christianity gained a lot of popularity. In the beginning, the Igbo people Gods were elements; they prayed to their Gods to help grow their plants and crops. An example of a God they worshiped was Ani, the earth goddess."[She] played a greater part in [Umofian society] then any other deity. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. And what was more, she was in close communion with the departed fathers of the clan whose bodies have been commited to earth"(Achebe 36). This shows the importance of gods and goddess, who were very respect in tribe, setting aside to honor them. 
         Also, the spirits played a very important role in shaping the Igbo life. Egwugwu who were leaders of the clan wore masks disguising as ancestral spirits from the past. "[When the] egwugwu appeared. The women and children sent up a great shout and took to thier heals. It was instinctive. A women fled as soon as an egwugwu came in sight. And when the clan came out together it was a terrifying spectacle. Even Mgbafo took to her heels and had to be restrained by her brothers"(Achebe 89). In this quote, we learn that the egwugwu were treated with great fear and reverence. The leader of the egwugwu is a was Evil Forest, a spirit representing the village of Umueru and is vital in making decisions in the clans and acted as judges during trials. Later in the story, we learn,"One of the greatest crimes a man could commit was to unmask an egwugwu, or to say or to do anything which might reduce its immortal prestige in the eyes of the ubinitiated"(Achebe 186). This happen in the story when a man by the name of Enoch, provoked the egwugwu, gets hit, and tears of an egwugwu's when he is falling down. This was seen as the killing of an ancestral spirit which threw the clan into confusion and sadness. This is the quintessence of how respected the egwugwu were to the clan and how important religion is to the Umofian people.


Sources:

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor, 1994. Print.

"Shaping Our Food – an Overview of Crop and Livestock Breeding. Edited by A. Lehrman. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden. Published in 2014, Pp. 176. ISBN 978-91-637-5757-0 Available at Http://tr.anpdm.com/track?t=c&mid=11856281&uid=603295709&&&http://www.slu.se/shapingourfood/en." Animal Genetic Resources/Ressources Génétiques Animales/Recursos Genéticos Animales 55 (2014): 143. Print.

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