Ibegwu
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Meaning and Origin[edit]
Ibegwu is an Igala word derived from joining two words: "Ibo" people and "egwu" dead. Literally, Ibegwu means "people of the dead".
In Igala land as well as many African cultures, people do not just die and go to rest, they resume work as ancestors after death.
It is believed that the Ibegwu having died, they now become all seeing and all knowing therefore giving them the advantage of judging in the affairs of the living without bias. Also, as spirit beings, they are devoid of sentiments.
Duties[edit]
Ibegwu always ensure that fairness is maintained in interpersonal relationships as well as observing sexual purity.
In ensuring interpersonal relationships, the Ibegwu ensures that individuals who cheats or forcefully intimidate his fellows are dealt with. Such issues include:
- Land disputes.
- Sharing of inheritance and properties.
- Murder
- Bearing of grudges.
- Slander and backbiting.
- Bearing of false witness.
- False accusation.
- Wives getting funds from outsiders and spending it on the family.
On the issue of sexual purity, Ibegwu frowns on the following practices:
- Infidelity (by women).
- Brothers sharing the same sex partners.
- Friends (sharing common spaces) still sharing same sex partners.
- Homosexuality.
- Lesbianism.
- Men giving oral sex.
- Men having sex with women who are on their period (menstrual period).
- Having sex in the day time.
- Having sex on the same bed used by parents and vice versa.
Etc.
- Engaging more than one woman per night in sex.
Consequences[edit]
The consequences of engaging in practices frowned at by Ibegwu is usually illness that defies medical solution and sudden death.
In the case of interpersonal relationships, the defaulter suffers the illness and dies when he or she refuses to confess and amend his or her ways.
As for cases of sexual purity, the suffer of the consequences differ, depending on the following:
- For infidelity by a woman, the husband would suffer the consequences if he knows about her infidelity and still took no action by avoiding her food and reporting her to the both his kinsmen and her kinsmen. However, if he had taken any of the above steps and the woman in question still does not amend her ways, then she directly suffer or her child (especially is he or she is still an infant).
- For the other cases of sexual purity, it is solely dependent on the man and he suffers for his indiscretion.
As said above, Ibegwu punish offenders with incurable diseases and penultimately death, when unconfessed and requirements for purification and cleansing are not met.
References[edit]
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