Ikegbunam Peter Chierike, p.ikegbunam@yahoo.com
I remembered it as it was told to me by my Father, the story of a renowned Native Doctor of his generation named Ikwe Adozie Na Nkanu who once lived and impacted the lives of the entire Omor town and its environs. I remembered it as if it were yesterday about the man who vanished into the thin air as a result of his innate desire to attend to his peoples’ need when the need be. Ikwe Adozie Na Nkanu was his name, the man who announced his obituary as a response to his peoples’ request to have him buried like others.
Ikwe Adozie na Nkanu was a native of Umudinmgbo kindred of Amikwe quarter in Omor who lived at Otobo Amikwe, the venue of Igu-Aro Omor. He was one of the best and most vibrant native doctors of his generation with special spiritual gifts to command events and situations at will.
His spiritual prowess manifested during the death of his son who died prematurely. At the death of this son, Ikwe Adozie cried profusely as if life has ended for him. While he was crying he kept on emphasizing that fear will finish his son in the cementary (Agu–ukwu). That was the period when ndi-Omor had a common burial place/ground for all deceased natives. Omor people did not understand Adozie till he prepared a palm fruits head to help others join his son in the burial ground in order to save him from being killed by fear. Only his son will not be buried so as a single palm kernel drops from the spiritually prepared palm fruits head, someone from the town dies. The victims die depending on the part that fails. Male, female old and young die prematurely as the palm kernels drops.
This became very terrible and Omor people in their usual style of collective traditional investigation embarked on enquiry and found out that Ikwe Adozie is behind the massive untimely death of Omor people. The then native Doctor Nnechi Anyavulu from Oyi, whose spiritual investigation revealed the act advised Omor to go and meet Adozie peacefully for dialogue so that he will tell them what they will do to appease him. On getting to Ikwe Adozie’s house he welcomed them and asked for their mission. In a very mild and peaceful tone, their chief spokesman narrated all that have happened and at the same time asked him to tell them what to do to reverse the trend of his palm heads attack.
Adozie groaned in his usual fearful way and said, ‘since the death of my son, I have no one to help me cultivate my yam tubers. Look at them (pointing at his ban) over there. If I had a helper, he could have helped me to plant my tubers so I will have what I will use to appease my gods when the need be. My gods protect me and you all too but many of you don’t know’. Quickly, his yam cultivation was fixed the next Eke market day for the entire youths of Omor.
In his farm, Ikwe Adozie na-Nkanu performed another magic which brought Oguba, a young native Doctor from Oyi to attract his cause of remaining a poor man and having poor yield year after year. What happened? Ikwe Adozie na-Nkanu used small local pot to cook yam for the crowd who were working for him. After their morning shift, they all ate from the pot and there was left-over. This same thing repeated itself again during their afternoon shift. Native Dr Oguba, could not understand this, so he used his spiritual power to divulge that the only thing that could help them finish this small pot of yam is eating from the left-over of the crowd. Then he decided to try something crazy to make Adozie know that there was another man who also has powers. So he decided to be eating the left-over of what was dropped from yam skin and burnt parts. If he had known the after-effect of what is he going to do, I don’t think Oguba would have eaten those tiny slice of yam that were stuck on the skin and burnt surfaces My father said.
Quickly Oguba joined eating earlier than many of the workers. Suddenly, the yam in the pot rapidly went down while the crowd was still coming out to join the eating. It surprised Adozie who was sowing tubers in the cultivated mounds. Chayii who is eating my burnt slices instead of the main yam? Adozie hurriedly asked. It was Oguba who was very busy picking those yam skins and burnt parts leaking them as if it was the sweetest part of the food. On seeing him, Adozie asked: What are you doing and Oguba replied I am eating Mkpacha Ji. Out of anger over the shame this young man has brought to him, Adozie pronounced cause on him saying: OgubaKpachiaUdu, KpachiaOkochi.
After this very day, the people of Omor collectively agreed that the strongest native doctor among them was Ikwe Adozie na-Nkanu and resorted to him each time they needed spiritual help.
Ikwe Adozie lived in the period of incessant communal conflicts/wars. Communities lived at the mercy of stronger communities to the extent that most communities were engaged in wedging wars at most times. In those days, conflicts and conquests were the order of the day. A community could wake up to wanton attack by another thus every community strived to safeguard and protect their natives from other by members of stronger communities. In this regard, Ikwe Adozie prepared Ogwu Ngeye charm to protect the people of Omor against unwarranted/wanton attacks from neighbouring communities. According to my source, Omor people would open the road on one side and leave for war from that side and close it on return. The Ogwu Ngeye charm as it was called in Omor dialect was made to ward off and misguide belligerents and or enemies by showing the entire town to be heavy bush when they approach Omor for reprisal attacks. The Ogwu Ngeye was strategically located at major entrance routes at different boundaries entering into Omor community from the neighborhood communities. Among the visible ones till today were the ones at Okpuozu road leading to Itulu from Eze-Enu and the other one in Utobo – the venue for Aguaro Omor.
Like the Biblical Elijah, Ikwe Adozie ascended into heaven during his death period. When it was time for his death, he invited the kindred and asked them to invite the Omor people informing them that he has died. Surprisingly, this man was still alive. When the entire Omor people were invited, he greeted them and told them that his time was up but because of the challenges that lie ahead of them, they may not afford to have him buried. According to Ikwe Adozie, any man buried under the earth losses all his powers to the earth and cannot do anything again for his people. So, he brought out a big lump of calabash chalk (Nzu) and handed over to one of his kinsmen and asked him to use it to call him anytime Omor people are in need for his spiritual help. He added that his enemies were many and may attack his people when they look for him and discover that he was no more. In their presence, Ikwe Adozie raised his hand up and gently a swift but strong breeze descended from the sky and lifted him with his locally made stretching chair (Akabor) chair and he was moving into the air till he varnished in the presence of the crowd.
Few weeks later, the people of Omor gathered again at the same shrine where he varnished the other day and demanded the kinsman with the Calabash chalk (Nzu) to call him. They alleged that they have been living in fear since his departure. When he was called four times representing the four quarters of Omor, the same breeze that took off the other day brought him down in his Akabor chair from where he asked them what they wanted from him.
Disappointedly, Ikwe Adozie listened to the spokesman of his people telling him that they are living in fear since after he vanished into the air. He went further to tell him that they want him to die and be buried adding that they will know what and how to cope if his enemies came after them as a result of his death.
Responding to this request, Ikwe Adozie directed them to dig his grave right inside his shrine and as well call the attention of all concerned relatives to get their respective condolence clothes (Akwa Uni) while he was seated on his Akabor. They told him that he has not died but he insisted that he must be watching them do what he asked them to do for him to die. The people complied and dug his grave and as well announced Itu-Uni for him. When the people starting bringing the Uni-clothes, Ikwe Adozie made hole on the clothes and put his head through until the last clothes. When the last clothe was collected and he passed his head through it, he asked the people to carry him into their Mkpalata for burial. But out of fear, nobody touched him. He ordered them to be hasten up but everybody was gripped with fear. Surprisingly, before they could know it, the man gave up the ghost and died.
Hurriedly, Ikwe Adozie was buried and the people dismissed as they mutter different kinds of words in awe over the incidence that happened. In their physical eyes, the Native Doctor has died, spiritually, the opposite was true. Twenty-one (21) days later, an anthill was noticed to have grown from the grave. It grew rapidly it covered the thatch roof of Ikwe Adozie’s shrine. Again, members of his kindred invited ndi-Omor and reported that they did not understand what was happening again. On gathering to the venue, the same man who was given the calabash chalk was asked to use it and talk to Ikwe Adozie requesting him to stop hypnotizing his people. After this visit, the anthill dissolved and turned into sand.
Could it be that the native doctor could had been effective in answering to the need of his people till now if his initial desire to varnish into the air was welcomed by Omor people? These and many more may form the probing questions that the people may ask after going through this article but the answers to further questions depend on further researches.
Ikegbunam, Peter Chierike is an Educational Correspondent of Omor Renaissance.