HISTORY AND TRADITION OF THE PEOPLE OF IGBO- ETITI LGA ENUGU STATE (PART 3)

Chapter Ten
 
OZALLA COMMUNITY

By Daniel Enunwa

INTRODUCTION
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
 Ozalla is a community in the present Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu state of Nigeria. Ozalla is bounded in the west by Aku and Lejja.in the south by Umuna .in the east by Ohodo and Ekwegbe towhs. Ozalla is considerably large in terms of land area and population. The community is estimated to occupy about seventy (70) square kilometers. The poulation is large and dense for the estimated area of land. This greatly results to shortage of land for both agricultural purposes and settlement. According to the 1991 census, Ozalla recorded the third largest populated community in Igbo-Etiti local government with estimated population of 18,000.
 Ozalla is comparatively grassland with few hills and valleys. The topography of the area made it possible for many development projects like road construction, building of schools and hospitals. There is one popular hill in the community called ‘Ugwueluaho’. This hill divides the community into two equal parts: The Ozalla Uwelu with their three quarters in eastern part and the Ozalla Uwani in the western part of the hill. Another is ‘Ugwuagee’ which lies between Aku community and Ozalla community. This very hill also covers some part of the boundary between Ozalla and Ohebe-Dim. It is from this hill that the only stream in the town is located. This stream supplys water during the dry season for the people of Ozalla and Ohebe-Dim. The other known hill is ‘Ugwueleachara’. This one lies between Ozalla, Ohodoand Ekwegbe.
 Because of the presence of hills in Ozalla, the problem created by soil erosion has been defacing the community. The major road linking Igbo-Etiti local government headquarters through Ohebe-Dim has been rendered useless.

ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF OZALLA  
Ozalla town in the present Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State has many divergent views that explain its origin. Such has been an issue of controversy. However, information through oral tradition has been able to shed light on its origin. There are two major schools of thoughts about the origin of Ozalla Ugwueje community. One school believes in independent creation, while the other school says that the first inhabitants of Ozalla came from Nkitiba Udueme in the same Igbo-Etiti local government area.
 Ozalla town is a community of six villages. In the order of seniority they are: Naru, Ishiamaelu, Ikolo, Akaibite, Ijo and Ujoma. These villages descended from a man called Ugwueje a son of Ugwunye. Ugwunye had three sons. They were Ugwoke 1 (senior), Ugwoke 11 (junior) and Ugwueje. It is strongly believed that Ugwunye originally settled somewhere around the basin of Anambra river. As a result of constant tribal wars, Ugwunye and his family left the Anambra river basin. From here, they migrated, and in the process, Ugwunye and his descendants founded five towns namely; Ozalla Ugwueji Ugwunye in Igbo-Etiti local government area, Affa Ugwoke Ugwunye in Udi local government area, Abbi in Uzo Uwani local government area, Egede Ugwunye also in Udi local government and finally Lejja Ugwoke Ugwunye in Nsukka local government area. Because Ozalla was founded by Ugwueji, it is called Ozalla Ugwueji Ugwunye. It is most pertinent to note that the other sons founded other towns, which are called after their names.
 The most acceptable historical origin of Ozalla was that the people of Ozalla came from Nkitiba Udueme. It was from here Ozalla people came to settle in their present abode. To confirm this oral tradition, according to Chief Titus Ama there are still metal relics used by the former inhabitants of these areas which have been discovered by some archaeologists. ‘Okpo Ozalla’, is the name of the former place of Ozalla in Nkitiba, and ‘Ama Ozalla’, the compound of Ozalla in the same Nkitiba, in Udueme community. It was as a result of unbearable threats to life from the then Igala that forced the people of Ozalla to migrate from Nkitiba to their present place.
 According to D. E. Anih, the people on their way did not settle instantly in their present abode, they first stopped at a place called ‘ohihia Ozalla Ugwu’, which today lies at the boundary between Ozalla and Aku. After some time they made further movement to the place they are settled today.
 On arrival at this present abode, they discovered that there were some people already occupying some sections of the town. It is interesting to note here that the original occupants were the ancestors of Ishiamelu, now one of the six villages that make up the town. According to Hon. Agbo D. C. U., they might be those that left ‘Ohihia Ozalla Ugwu’ before others searching for safer location. His version may be true because Ishiamelu occupies the center position in the town, while other villages live around them. The other group that arrived later did not fight them rather they both lived harmoniously as relations. Sincerely speaking, the people of Ishamelu were the true premier occupants of Ozalla community. They lost their seniority position in the town to Nnaru through diplomacy.
 Conclusively, it was after the final settlement of those from Nkitiba Udueme that Ozalla Ugwueji Ugwunye became what it answers today.

CHRISTIANITY IN OZALLA
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of current English defines foreign as, “something not natural, something coming or introduced from outside, e.g. foreign religion, foreign languages, foreign education etc”. The same Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defined religion as people’s belief in the existence of a supernatural ruling power, the creator and controller of the universe. It is also one of the various systems of faith and worship based on such belief.
  Ozalla people believe in the existence of a supernatural ruling power, the creator and the controller of the universe known as God (Chineke). The people have their own style through which they worship Him.
 According to Chief Titus Amah, the entire people of Ozalla were traditional worshippers of God the Supreme Being through their own smaller gods/goddesses. Such gods like the Agbuyi (the nne muru oha) is the goddess, which the whole community respected as its mother. There are many other gods that come after Agbuyi. Each quarter as well as every clan has other gods, which the quarter hold as the mother or father of the quarter or clan after Agbuyi. In Akaibete quarter Eziyi Ugbele is there, Ujoma has Ugwuzo, Ishiamelu has Emerenyegini, Ohihia Ugwu is for Ikolo and Eke for Ijo etc. The above-mentioned gods are under Agbuyi and take order from her. Ozalla people worship Anyanwu the god of the sun. They believe that Anyanwu is the direct son of God, that is why they call it Anyanwu nwaezechitoke and in worshiping it they face eastwards where the sun rises. Ozalla people do also worship Ifejioku the god of yam, the king and oldest of all crops.
 The truth of the whole thing is that though the people have other gods, they still believe in God the Supreme Being. These gods function as ministers to God the creator of the universe.
 As the wind of change is blowing throughout the whole universe, it crash-landed in Ozalla unexpectedly in the early part of the twentieth century. The wind brought along foreign ways of serving God, which are purely different from the existing traditional systems. The coming of the new system, Christianity, into Ozalla is to some people a welcome venture and to some it is not. It is true to say here that the coming of Christianity into Ozalla brought a sort of disunity among the people. It was the same in the other Igbo communities. The people have been divided into the believers and the unbelievers.
 Christianity came into Ozalla through two sources, firstly the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and secondly the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM). According to Chief Christopher Majindu, CMS came into Ozalla in 1933. This group first took off from Gbudugbu hall in Nwakakwu Nwanibom clan. Rev. Bernard, a British reverend priest, commissioned the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S) in Ozalla in 1933. As the first church in Ozalla, the C.M.S. had many converts. Some of the first converts of this group were Mr./Mrs Emmanuel Duhunwagbo of Umudikwere Ujoma,  Mr./Mrs Samuel Agbowo, David Igara and host of others. To prove his devotedness Mr./Mrs. Samuel Agbowo was the first to wed in C.M.S. The church later shifted to its permanent site, now St. Philips’ Anglican Church housing Central Primary School Ozalla.
 Few years after came the Roman Catholic Mission (R.C.M) to Ozalla through a white man, Rev. Fr. James Millet. On the arrival of Catholic Church in Ozalla many of the believers in C.M.S. dropped and joined the Catholic Church. According to Chief Fredrick Etum, the mass movement from Anglican to Catholic Church at this early stage drastically reduced the number of Anglican faithfuls in Ozalla. St. Lukes’ Catholic Church took off from Ukwuoto, the boundary between Akaibite and Ijo quarters. From there it shifted to Ugwuelaho and finally to the place it is now, housing Community Primary School Ozalla.
 According to Engr. J.C. Agbo, the reason why the space being occupied by the C.M.S. is larger than that of the Catholic Church is that the Church Missionary Society settled in Ozalla first before the Catholic Church. The early converts of Catholic Church in Ozalla were Mr./Mrs. Dominic Ishenyi, Vincent Oji both of Ndiugwu Amauwani Ishiamelu and Francis Agubuzu from Akaibite.
  Chief Dominic Ishenyi was the first Catholic to wed in Ozalla. Chief Fredrick Etum asserted that late Chief Dominic Ishenyi had been the pillar holding Catholic Church in Ozalla till his death. He further said that Dominic was the chairman of the committee that built the permanent house of St. Lukes’ Catholic Church Ozalla.
 Comparing the strength of the believers and the unbelievers, Chief Titus Amah said that the unbelievers are more in numbers because at the earlier stage of Christianity in Ozalla both Rev. Bernard and Rev. Fr. James came from Nsukka where the missionaries resided. Sunday services and other activities of the church especially among the catholics were done at Nsukka. To participate people had to travel from Ozalla to Nsukka on foot. Many refused to join the new religion because of the distance.

IMPACTS
 Here we consider the effects of Christianity in the life of the people of Ozalla. To be precise, the coming of Christianity had both positive and negative effects on the life of Ozalla people.

POSITIVE EFFECTS:
(i) Christianity totally got rid of some bad aspects of our culture, example killing of twins. It was an abomination for a woman to give birth to twins. One of the babies must be killed.
(ii) The western education we are enjoying today is a product of Christianity in Ozalla.
(iii) Since the advent of Christianity in Ozalla widows are no more forced into levirate marriage. Widows are free to remarry or refuse to remarry if so wished.
(iv) Trade and development of all kinds came to Ozalla through Christianity.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS:
 Culture is an accepted way of living adopted by people inhabiting a defined geographical location, which is for the common goal of human happiness and fruitful existence.
 From the ongoing one can easily deduce that christianity distorted the cultural values of Ozalla people, more so on the side of unity which the people is known for and some other areas of the culture of the people.

EDUCATIONAL TREND AND DEVELOPMENT AND ITS IMPACT IN OZALLA COMMUNITY
 This topic is interesting but very wide in scope. To present something meaningful, I have to ignore some aspect of education in Ozalla community but focus on some aspects. The aspect most appealing to me and any other reasonable individual is the area that presents education as it is in the oxford advance learners’ dictionary of current English. This dictionary defines Education as, ‘systematic training especially of the young in schools, colleges etc’. This dictionary meaning of education is referring to formal education otherwise known as western education in place of informal education otherwise the traditional system.
 This write up has little to do with informal type of education because this system has no origin. It is just as old as the community in existence. Fathers going to farm with their children and showing them how to prepare seed yams and other crops is education of its own, mothers teaching their young ones how to cook, is also a sort of education but not organized. In this write up, the education to be treated is the formal education, which has a systematic and organized pattern of educating the young ones in a fixed place.
  Writing about education in Ozalla, mention should be made of the missionaries in the community. Here one is free to present that the formal education we are reaping its fruits in Ozalla came through Christianity in the community. Therefore, the advent of western education in Ozalla should be traced in the town from 1933; the first time missionary came to the town. Viewing the date, it means that education first came to Ozalla through the Church of Missionary Society (CMS) as it came first into the town before the Roman Catholic Mission (RCM). This face is proved true because the believers of Anglican denomination were first to gain education in Ozalla. Such persons are Chief Michael Omeje, a retired headmaster, who is the first Ozalla man to gain admission into the teachers’ training college. Next was late Chief Geoffrey Ukwuaku and the host of other believers. During this early education in Ozalla, many fathers refused to send their male children to school. Majority preferred taking their children to the farm and/or sending them to rear their cows in the field to sending them to school. The only few that attempted allowed only those male children that are not strong enough or those that are stubborn to school because according to them the weak ones should be brightened by the teacher’s cane and the stubborn ones strangulated and tutored by their teachers. According to Chief Christopher Majindu, the father of Chief Geoffrey Ukwuaku vehemently refused his only son going to school but for the efforts of Late Chief Emmanuel Agbo who prevailed on him to allow his highly intelligent son live with the white man at Nsukka to go to school.
 On the side of Roman Catholic believers and education, according to Chief Fredrick Ettum, the first catholic missionary teacher by name Okanama Ugwuanyi came to Ozalla by 1939. Okanama Ugwuanyi who was from Obollo-Afor, single handedly constructed a thatched house at Ugwueluaho that served as school, though he had very few people then.
 In summary, the following were the first to see the light of western education in Ozalla. They are Chief Michael Omeje, Late Chief Sir Geoffrey Ukwuaku and Late Mr. Ugwuja Arigo all from Umudikwere Ujoma Ozalla and Late Mr. Thomas Obute from Umudim Ikolo Ozalla for the Anglican believers.  For Catholics, we have late Mr. Lawrence Nweze, Chief Fredrick Ettum, late Mr. Paul Attah and late Mr. George Ugwu. In 1951 late Mr. Lawrence Nweze and Chief Fredrick Ettum got Standard Six Certificate from St. James Catholic Primary School Egbaugwu Aku. At this juncture no mention was made of women in the list because mothers never allowed their female children to move outside. They used to keep them inside preparing them for marriage. In Ozalla, at early stage of education, parents saw no gain in educating their female children. Their reason being that it was the duty of the husband to train the wife. The true culture of Ozalla is that the moment one gets married she is no more for the parents but purely for the man to whom her hand has been given to in marriage.

SECONDARY EDUCATION IN OZALLA
In 1957, Chief Christopher Majindu got admitted into the Western Boys’ High School, Benin City. That year would have marked the first Ozalla person in secondary school but for finance young Christopher could not enroll. The gap remained till the year of our Lord 1960. This followed an excellent performance of Mr. Benneth Ugwu from Uwelu Amaebor Akaibite Ozalla. He passed entrance into the same Western Boys’ High School Benin City. Fortunately, he was enrolled and he passed out in 1964 as the first Ozalla indigene to possess the prestigious West African School Certificate (WASC).
 On the side of our women, parents started realizing their mistakes. Many started sending their female children to school. In 1970, Mrs. Bernice Ikoha (nee Agbo) gained admission into secondary to become the first Ozalla woman to enroll and complete a secondary education. She was also the first woman to enroll into the University in Ozalla.

HIGHER EDUCATION IN OZALLA
 In 1975, the first university graduate emerged in Ozalla. He is Sir Euphraim Elejere of Uwani Amebo Akaibite, Ozalla. He majored in physics. Since 1933, 1951, 1960, 1970 to date education attainment has been growing in geometrical progression in Ozalla community. Today, almost every family boasts of at least one university graduate. The turn out every year is five to six graduates in all disciplines of human endeavour.

IMPACT OF EDUCATION IN OZALLA
 Education they say is light. The light of education is shining in all corners of Ozalla. Education brought a lot of development in Ozalla. It brought a lot of reformations in some of the bad cultural practices of our people. It played several roles on the socio-economic and political life of Ozalla people.

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF OZALLA PEOPLE
 Right from creation, farming has always been the predominant occupation in Ozalla. Farming and rearing of animals is and had been the economic main stay of Ozalla people. How many barns of yams a man has and the number of cows, goats and other domesticated animals are measuring wealth in Ozalla.
 Initially farming activities were purely home based. Farmers cultivate their crops in any available land around the town. This is true because every village in Ozalla has many open lands where its people practice crop rotation. Those areas are only for farming, no other economic tree is seen around those areas, the reason being to maintain the fertility of the soil. Ozalla people mainly use organic manure to enrich the soil for farming. Today, Ozalla people still maintain the highest producer of yams in Enugu state, not by quantity but the size of tubers produced. Some big tubers of yams in Ozalla cost as much as N1000 each while the small sized ones cost N600 each.
 Recently some great farmers who do not see enough land for pure commercial agriculture shifted base from home to Uzo-Uwani in search of fertile land. They lived in those areas with their families doing they are known very well for – farming.  In Ozalla, such crops like cocoyams, groundnuts, cassava etc, are crops owned by women. The only crop exclusively left for men is yam, the head of all crops.
  On the other hand, some women of the old earn their living from petty trading. Skilled women engage themselves in weaving of local cloths popularly called Ajima, which, they take to eke Aku market to sell.
 The influence of modernization has seriously worked against the occupation. Women no longer weave cloth in Ozalla because modern way had replaced their old style. Also farming is not left out by modernization. Young men these days prefer trading and civil service jobs to farming causing shortage of food in Ozalla.

Chapter Eleven
 
UDUEME TOWN

By Odo Emmanuel & Okpe Solomon

INTRODUCTION

YESTERDAY AND TODAY
 This research work about the origin and tradition of Udueme Diobunike community really opened a new page in our lives and the lives of those that may come across this book as well as making it the object of their daily bread.
 Udueme is situated at the front view of Ugwu Ozara and Ugwu Ikonu, which is in a linear form. It has common boundary on the East with Aku in Igbo- Etiti LGA., on the west with Ukpata in Uzo-Uwani LGA., on the North with Akpugo, in Uzo-Uwani LGA and on the south with Nze in Udi LGA. It comprises of three villages namely: Amaenu, Nkitiba, and Uwani. The migration of some people from Udueme to other communities brought about the decrease in her population. History has it that two fifth of the entire population migrated in 18th century AD.
 Udueme is the second oldest community in Igbo-Etiti LGA. It is second to Ochima community irrespective of its population.  Udueme will eventually grow to become a large community like the biblical story the mustard seed. Determination is the key to success.

ORIGIN
 Frankly saying, it is an uphill task to trace back the historical origin of a particular community especially when the first and second generations are no more living. Every effort made to bring first class information proved abortive. However, every information obtained here was through the conduction of oral interview to the elders and historian in the community. According to Ozor Ochi Ekwueme (the eldest man in Udueme), “History proved it that Diobunike was the father of Udueme. That was why Udueme was known as ‘Udueme-Diobunike’.
 The second Traditional Ruler of Udueme His Royal Highness Igwe J.U.  Ugbor, affirmed that a hunter whose name was Diobunike migrated from Igala as he was doing his hunting expedition he found himself between a linear hill and a lake (Oshaba Lake) and decided to settle there because, everything he needed was there in abundance, visa-viz; wild animals, water, richness of the soil and surplus land for agriculture.
 He called that place Udueme, which means, abundance of everything”. He later went back to Igala and married a girl called Nenigwe Obigwo. Two of them came back to Udueme and settled there permanently. They were living at Onu-Diobunike. The wife later had three sons, Diyeke Dimeze, Ezikarekegbe, and Ezikotue in the order of their seniority. The three children married and each of them had a son, Diyeke Dimeze (Amaenu), Ezikarekegbe (Nkitiba), and Ezikotue (Uwani). These three children (Amaenu, Nkitiba and Uwani) formed the three villages in Udueme.
 History also has it that some children from Amaenu and Nkitiba migrated to other communities within Igbo-Etiti LGA. This is as a result of their inability to keep the law of the land, which forbids all from eating monkeys, three leave yam (‘ona’) and millet.

RELIGION IN UDUEME TOWN

TRADITIONAL RELIGION
The people of Udueme believe in the God Almighty, though they venerate through other gods (Odo, Anyanwu, Ezechitoke, etc). As history proves it that Odo masquerade was first seen by some group of women as they were harvesting black beans in their farm in Nkitiba village Udueme.
When they saw the Odo masquerades, they ran back home and informed men. As those men went back to the farm with those women, those two masquerades came out from the bush and they were held and dragged into Nkitiba forest (Uhamu Odo Nkitiba). Later other men were invited to watch and know whether they could describe those masquerades. They named them Okpanwu Odo. They spent four native days in Uhamu Nkitiba.
After naming these Odo masquerades, they led them to Amenu forest (Uhamu Amenu). Then, from there to Uwani forest (‘uhamu Uwani’) and back to Nkitiba forest (Uhamu Nkitiba). It was during that movement (after the first four days) that women were allowed to see them. After these journeys the masquerades were then allowed to be coming out daily during its period except on ‘orie’ day.
The belief of people that time was that those Odo masquerades possess human and spiritual quality because they were regarded as re-appearance of dead men. These Odo masquerades later entertained Amaenu village with their music (egwu odo ekwe), after which they also did the same at Nkitiba within a native week and finally at Uwani village in the following native week. Every activity of the entertainment took place at each village’s Odo masquerades hall (Uno Odo). During “mgbafu Odo” (massive display of other Odo masquerades), about fifty of them came out to play at every village square for people to watch them (they were regarded as children of Okpanwu Odo).
Nkitiba-Odo- display (mgbafu-Odo) came up within five native weeks after the coming of Odo masquerades (mgbafu-Odo) while Amenu and Uwani villages follow suit after six native weeks.

AMA-ODO (ODO CULT INITIATION): This is only done during Odo period to male children between the age of eight year and above. The purpose of initiating every male child in Odo cult is to introduce him earlier to Odo masquerade at the forest (Uhamu-Odo). In order not to let any female know what happened that day, (day of initiation), those children should be instructed to sleep at another man’s house so that they would not let the cat out of the bag. This initiation opens their eyes and they should be allowed to take part in every Odo activity formally after the initiation.

ODO PRIESTHOOD (ATAMA-ODO): Odo- priesthood was a title set aside for adult males only of unquestionable character. Before one could become a priest of Odo, he should be able to present nine kola nuts for pre-information to the entire odo priest in the community, after which he would be asked to go and harvest every palm head from all palm trees in his village. This feast is divided into two, small one (Ukpo-Nta) and big one (Ukpo Nnukwu). In the small one, the person in question should present a basin of cooked yam, kolanuts, and a keg of palm wine, to the priest of odo within the town.
 In the same way, during the Ukpo Nnukwu, (big one), he should present some basins of cooked cowpea (Okpa), colanut and keg of palm wine to the priests of odo. These food should be sacrificed to odo at the shrine (inside odo forest) after which the rest were to be consumed by the priests and other people the man in question is expected to lead in presenting sacrifice to odo (in its shrine) before any other person. The priest is regarded as a holy or most sacred person before other worshippers.

ODO PERIOD: The period of Odo in Udueme community is between December and August in every two years. That is to say that odo masquerades spend eight months before their departure.
 Usually, Odo returns to the world on Nkwo native day and departs on Nkwo native day also. Subsequently, all odo masquerades from the three villages depart one day (Nkwo) except Ebune Uwani which comes back on Eke (the next day) between six and twelve midnight before its final departure. During this period (‘eke’), neither people see it nor does it see people. It is assumed that whoever sees it dies immediately. In the same token, it kills any one whom it sees spiritually. 

BENEFITS:
The people of Udueme community (Odo worshippers) derive much benefit from odo cult. Firstly, odo serves as a source of happiness to them. This was so because every Udueme man believed that an idol man is the devils workshop. Odo is also one of the major sources of unity, love and relationship between the three villages, people and their friends, people and their neighbours etc. Secondly, it was strongly believed that there was a continuous interaction of the dead and living, which epitomizes in people’s belief of, “life after death”. As a result of that, those worshippers take refuge in it for physical and spiritual protection and guidance.

ANI UDUEME DEITY: This deity is recognized as the most powerful spirit that punishes those that commit taboos in the land so as to serve as deterrent to others. Its shrine is positioned at the adjacent side of Uwani village square, near Umu Okpeta Ugwuanyi family. The chief priest of this deity is Mr. Ofia Nwokpe who is popularly known as ‘Atamah Ani Udueme.
 Ani- Udueme deity is made with physical materials; wood metal and blue coloured calico cloth (Okparukpu). However, the wood signifies the god of land. The cloth signifies the sacrifies for living dead while the metal represents the ancient remains.
 Ani Udueme deity had been the most powerful to be honoured and dignified by people of the land. They regard it as their ‘chi’. Moreover, in the old days, young girls, domestic animals and people’s property were sacrificed to this deity in replacement of its wrath or punishment against the offenders. No body or thing influences this deity when its wrath comes up-unless a soothsayer is consulted in order to find out the intention and solution to the situation.
 The celebration of Ani-Udueme comes up every first and last month annually. During this period, the chief priest through sound of his metal gong informs people. This date should always be proclaimed by the soothsayer who is the mouthpiece of the deity before the dissemination of the information to the public.  During this celebration women cook and present pounded yam with Egwusi soup (melon), dried fish or meat. In the same way every man is expected to present a big plate of “Iwu” (local salad) with dried fish/meat and a keg of palm wine. The celebration is usually done in the night (as from 6pm to 9pm)
 The major benefit of this deity to people is that it punishes its offender/s directly and restores peace and harmony in the town.

CHRISTIAN RELIGION
 History had it that Christianity was introduced in Udueme in 1937. Mr. Okereke Isi was the person that donated his house to be used as Catholic Church. The missionary priest incharge of Nsukka was Rev. Fr. James Millet.
 In 1952, the church was later shifted to Ikpogwu Amaenu by the school teacher who also served as the catechist in the person of Mr. Nnadi Moris. He hails from Amadim Nkpologwu in Uzo-Uwani LGA.
 In 1959, Mr. Agbo Boniface from Ohodo was also sent in replacement of Mr.Nnadi. It was then that the Catholic Church in Udueme was given the name- “Holy Trinity”. Rev. Fr. Mulqine, the parish priest, approved this name. Rev. Fr. Eright was his assistant in the parish. It was during this period that the first couple, Mr. and Mrs. Odo Francis wedded in the Catholic Church. They became the first indigenous people that wedded in the year 1964 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church Udueme.
 In 1974, when the Church was shifted to its present position at the primary school building, indigenous catechists took over from the non-indigens. For instance, Hon. Okwor Boniface served from 1960 to 1975 when Rev. Fr. Ikeme was the parish Priest in Aku. Other Catechists that served after him are:  Mr. Ogbu Luke (1976-1978), Mr. Ekwueme Thaddeus, Mr. Odo Francis, Mr. Ogbuanya Alpheus, Mr. Ekwueme Josephant (Acting Catechist) and Mr. Igboke Simon.
 Presently in Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Udueme station, Mr. Enyi Cletus is the catchiest while Mr. Odo Emmanuel assists him under the leadership of Rev. Fr. Mama, the Parish Priest, St. James Catholic Parish Aku.

MARRIAGE CUSTOM IN UDUEME COMMUNITY
 When a man is willing to marry, he searches for a responsible young girl whom he loves in order to marry. After both might have negotiated with themselves, they introduce themselves to their parents individually. Formal introduction should be done by the man’s (groom) relatives to the girl’s (bridegroom) parents. Wine carrying begins after the bridegroom’s family/ parents might have agreed to give their daughter to the groom. The process of wine carrying begins in the following stages bellow:
1. Manya Oju ese Izizi (1st Enquiry wine) The groom’s relatives to the bride groom’s parents, make an enquiry about the girl and go back to their home in order to give these people more time to sit down on a round table with their daughter and discourse on the issue. The parents of the bridegroom should ask their visitors to come back on a stipulated day in order to hear from them.
2. Manya Oju ese nke abuo (2nd Enquiry wine): A keg of palm wine, cola nut and one carton of beer should be taken to the bridegroom’s family. According to the custom of Udueme, these two stages of wine carrying mentioned above are non-refundable if the marriage is finally disapproved. Nevertheless, if the bridegroom’s family accepts the wine, then, the formal wine carrying commences.
3. Mpafu Manya Nna (1st wine to the father)
4. Mpafu manya Nne (1st wine to the mother)
5. Mpakpo manya Nna (2nd wine to the father)
6. Mpakpo manya Nne (2nd wine to mother)
7. Manya Umunna (wine to the clan)
8. Igba Nkwu (General wine)
Traditionally, one may be allowed to go with his wife after he might have completed from stage 1 to vii, if he is incapable to finish all the wine carrying. However, he should promise to do it in previous time.
 In Udueme, once a girl is married, she is bound to live with her husband through “Ije Di” (first formal visit to husband’s house).

IKPU EKWU CEREMONY:
 Ikpu Ekwu ceremony is the traditional wedding in Udueme. This ceremony is meant for the wife, alone which is usually conferred on any married woman from the husband’s family during cooking period. The only person who is responsible to confer the ‘Ikpu Ekwu’ on the married girl is any married daughter in the grooms family or clan. She does that by touching the newly married girl’s hand with a pot guiding stone or half burnt firewood as she was cooking in the kitchen. When this is done, the girl’s (bride’s) action is to shade tears of joy showing that from that moment onwards, she is confined with the customary bye - laws of a married woman. She automatically faces the wrath of gods of the land known as ‘ANI UDUEME DEITY’, which may result in instant madness or acute sickness as the case may be if she commit adultery.
 Though, to the Christians in Udueme, the above belief is fetish. It is an object of obsessive attention or reverence to its worshippers. They observed it immediately they have married and wedded.

CUSTOMARY BYE LAWS OF A MARRIED WOMAN IN UDUEME COMMUNITY
I. A married woman should not commit adultery
II. She should not give or collect big thing like; money, cloths, cars etc. without the knowledge of her husband or any of her husband’s immediate relative.
III. On no account should she desert her husband on Nkwo days as a result of misunderstanding or querrelling.
IV. She should not tie or collect yam in the barn.
V. On no account should she plant or harvest yam.
VI. She should not tap or cut palm head from the palm tree.
VII. She should condone fornication by his children or outsiders in her own matrimonial room or bed, or allow any person to use her cloth or wrapper while indulging in that act.
VIII. On no account should she conceal within her if she offends any before the revelation of the god’s of the land for easier atonement.

TITLE TAKING IN UDUEME
 In Igbo land, title taking is a symbol of authority, wealthy and honesty. Igbu-Ichi and ozo title are the two major titles among others in Udueme community. Igbu-Ichi and ozo title taking is meant for the wealthy men of any age who are willing to initiate into them.
 On the other hand, some people who are not willing or wealthy enough borrow money in order to undertake them so that people would no look- down on them or call them ‘Oheke (untitled man).

ORIGIN OF IGBU-ICHI AND OZO TITLE:
 Oral interview made Ozo Ochi Ekwueme and other titled men in the town proves that IGBU-ICHI AND OZO title in Udueme originated from Nshi na Amoke (Nri). They introduced it when they were visiting Udueme in the old days. During that time, people were confused of where they came from the route they used to take whenever they visit the community. They (Nri people) never exposed or disclosed the position of their town to anyone. The first man they confered ichi and ozo title was Diobunike. He answered ‘Ozor Akoti isi Nganaba’ as his title name.

INITIATION INTO IGBU-ICHI TITLE
 In Udueme community, one undertakes the title of “Igbu-Ichi” before Ozor title. It may be done simultaneously or differently depending on the purse of the person to be initiated. However, in the process of Igbu-Ichi, the person in question invites the Idi-members with these items:  nine cola nuts, one big goat, dried fish, one jar of palm wine and food. With these items, he can disclose his intention to them and they go home bearing it in mind.
 Another day, they should also be entertained with food, nine kolanut and one jar of palm wine. A feedback should be given to the man after the third entertainment, which is done with one jar of palm wine, nine kolanut and food (cooked maize flour with nice soup). This second to last stage is formally known as “isi-Nri- ijiji- ebe”. The next thing the person does is sharing of uncooked yam (Itu ahu), which leads him to “Iba-ichi”.
 During this ‘Iba-Ichi, the person stays in-door for one month in order the complete his final ichi-title stage. This final stage qualifies him to be answering “Otuu-ji” as his title name.

INITIATION INTO OZO TITLE
 In the process of ozo title, one (otuu-ji) has to invite the eldest man in Umuokpe to confer ozo title on him. This is done with an entertainment after which the person in question is prayed for so that his ozor title should be successfully done.
 The next stages after this includes:
i. Ikpu Ewu ozo (three goats)
ii. Isi nri ozo (cooking and entertainment)
iii. Iwete oba-ji (two full barns of yam)
iv. Ibah ozo (one month in doors)
v. Ila Ala Nne (visiting his maternal/mother’s home)
vi. Igba-Akari ozo  (To be done at ‘Ugwu ozo’)
vii. Iputa otobo (coming out in the village square).

Do’s and Dont’s Of Ozo Titled Men
i. They always travel or attend occasion with their tusks
ii. They must be honest and trusted
iii. They do not put on trousers or shorts
iv. They are forbidden to eat cassava, sheep or ram. 

THE INHERITANCE OF OZO TITLE
 In Udueme, the death of any ozor titled man introduces his eldest son (biological or step son as the case may be) as the successor of his father. This should be done in a ceremonial form with one goat and fowl. After one month of his father’s death, the successor should give one cow to those titled men, which they kill on top of the man’s grave.
 These processes qualify the man’s son to inherit his father’s title name and share with other titled men. However, his father’s title loses when the inherited son dies.

KINGSHIP IN UDUEME
 Kingship is observed as the supreme traditional authority in Udueme community just like other places in Igbo land. It is the greatest and most dignified traditional stool in the community. King comes from Amaenu village in Udueme because it is regarded as the eldest village. However, the eldest man in Amaenu village inherits kingship immediately the occupant dies. People accord a king a great respect and address him as His Majesty. Whenever any big wild animal like lion, tiger etc, are killed it will be taken to the king’s palace and he the king is given the lion’s share.

The Code of Conduct of A King
i. A king does not leave his compound carelessly
ii. He forbids passing a night in another town/place outside his town.
iii. He hosts every community meeting in his house or village hall as the case may be.
iv. A king should not do any work in the farm, etc
v. He must be honest.
vi. He concludes matters in every village/town meeting.

TRADE AND COMMERCE
 In order to market their agricultural product, the people of Udueme had much to do with trade and commerce. As a result of the richness of their land, many of them are commercial farmers.
 History has it that they used to travel far places like; Oreeh Nkpologwu, Nkwo-Ike Ozalla, Orie Ohodo, Eke Nimbo, Afor Opanda, Ikedimkpa in Affa, Udi L.G.A.etc in order to sell their agricultural products. These far places did not prevent them from attending to near-by markets like; Eke Aku, Orie Nze, Nkwo Ogbede etc. One funny thing was that these journeys were made on foot in the old days.
 However, today, the mode and means of trading in Udueme is less native and more sophisticated than ever. There is no doubt saying that about 60% of the total quantity of palm oil (unadulterated) and palm cannel that are sold at Eke Aku market are supplied by Udueme people. They are also good at producing cassava, black beans, yams, cocoa yams etc in large quantities.

AGRICULTURE
 Agriculture, they say, is the mainstay of every given society. This statement is made more practical in Udueme than other places since all their sources of income depend more or less on agriculture and its products. It is obvious that Udueme is blessed with a fertile land for agricultural activities.
 Anybody that has visited Udueme should believe that it has the richest soil for agriculture in Igbo-Etiti L.G.A as a whole. However, it is appalling that the two neighbouring communities (which belong to different L.G.A) have encroached on about 70% of the total landmass in Udueme. People should understand that, the Almighty God used that rich agricultural land to compensate Udueme becuase of their less population size. The people of Udueme believed that, ‘he who holds a child’s cake must return it when he feels tired of holding it”.
 As a result of the rich fertile land in Udueme, 75% of the total population had chosen farming as their occupation. Subsequently, the fertile land in this town even attracts farmers from other communities to settle at Udueme to do their farming business. Those areas of settlement are Ugwu-Ozara, Ugwu-Amaenu, Ujoma and Egbe-Dada (closer to Adada River). These farmers plant wide varieties of crops like; pigeon Pea, groundnut, yam, maize, black beans, cassava, cocoyam, palm tree, plantain tree etc.
In animal husbandry and management, the people of Udueme have little or less to do with pastoral farming due to their serious engagement with crops and plants production. Some people like; Odo Magbo, Mr Otti Simon and Mr.Ugwu Thomas etc are rearing a given number of sheep within the town. Recently, Mr. Ani Moses popularly known as “Eze na-Agu’ who hails from Amogwu Aku in Igbo-Etiti local government area is rearing about five heads of cattle where he resides in Nkitiba village.  

POLITICAL SYSTEM IN UDUEME
HISTORY
 Udueme was formally in Uzo - Uwani local government area during the British colonial administration in Nigeria. Information came to them from Nsukka through Nkpologwu and Akpugo, all in Uzo-Uwani local government area. As a result of the political intimidation and marginalization by Akpugo community in sharing of government relief, a petition was written and forwarded to the Resident Officer, Mr. John Udeh and District Officer, Mr. Mathias Ossai and it was approved that Udueme should be separated from Uzo-Uwani L.G.A.
 When Igbo-Etiti local government area was created in 1976 Udueme became one of the communities that made up the local government area. This was also done during the military administration of Author Mkpere as the governor of old Anambra state.

POLITICAL RE-AWAKENING IN UDUEME COMMUNITY TODAY
 According to Aristotle, man by nature is a political animal. Going by this aphorism, the year 1992 saw a monumental political re-awakening in Udueme. This was during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). During this period in question, the community was made a council ward. Hon. Enyi Clement (late) became the first Councillor. The ward was later retrieved in the course of time by the alliance of some bad men. This retrieval of Udueme ward VI (merging it with Ejuona Aku ward brought a shame and total political slumber to the people of Udueme. Through out this period, no Udueme man or woman had smelt even the least political position in the local, state or federal government.
 No wonder the re-awakening of the community from its political slumber must be traceable to Hon (Dr.) Martins Oke, an Honorable Member of Federal House of Representative. This man has contributed and is still contributing immensely to the political development of the community. In fact, his effort to restore Udueme ward came to reality in 2004 when Hon. Ugbor Jude was produced as a councilor representing Udueme ward. His effort remains evergreen in the mind of every Udueme man.
 However, there is no doubt that the retrieval of the ward gave a devastating blow to the spirit of the community, which inadvertently alienated them from the political activities of the period. There is every need for people to know that the community came into political limelight and has always given adequate support to the government or the local government authorities. It has also suffered crisis (both individual and collective) in the course of pursuing party interest.

EDUCATION IN UDUEME
BACKGROUND
 When the missionaries opened school in Nsukka, Chief Okereke Isi who was a warrant chief in Udueme met the resident officer serving in Nsukka and requested for school to be opened in Udueme. Few months later, Mr. Moris Nnadi (a teacher) was sent to inform the people of Udueme that approval has been given for opening of school in their town and it was accepted.
The first school was opened at Ikpogwu Amaenu village in the year 1937 with about twelve pupils in the persons of Mr. Odo Francis, Ugbor James, Ekwueme Chibuoke, Ugwu Thomas, Udeji Pious, Odo Magbo, Enyi Jacob, Odo Ekwueme, Ugwu Stephen, Ogbuanya Okpe, Egbujie Magbo, and Oboduzu Nwode. Their first teacher was Mr. Moris Nnadi from Amadi Nkpologwu, Uzo-Uwani LGA. He was paid 60 kobo monthly through the monthly contribution of the community members. The order of classes then were, three year programme for; A.B.C, primer, and infant. After which they were transferred to Nkpologwu to read from standard one to six but some of them dropped after three years and the school at Ikpogwu-Amaenu Udueme closed down because of their skeptic behaviour towards education.
 In the year 1943, during the regime of Chief Okereke Isi as a warrant chief of Udueme community, a letter was written to inform the Resident/ District Officer at Nsukka to re-open school at Udueme. The man approved it and it was shifted to Amaenu Village hall. Mr. Ugwuoke Pious from Edem now in Nsukka local government area was posted to the school as the only teacher. Their school programme started from ABC to primer and finally, infant.  Later, the school was shifted to Ngedenge where Mr. Oyigbo Anthony served as a teacher and Rev. Fr. Horgan as a visiting priest who resided at Nsukka. The school programme was interrupted by Nigerian civil war between 1966 and 1970.
 Immediatetly after the civil war, Mr. Igbodomume and Mr. Okwo Boniface from Aku and Udueme respectively, organized school children at Uwani village hall Udueme. The school building was not a permanent structure until 1973 when a permanent structure was built. It was in that permanent site that the school was approved for six years programme (that is from standard one to six). History has it that the first Udueme man that passed standard six was Mr. Ugwu Fredrick in 1953 and seconded by Mr. Odo Francis in 1966. They obtained their F.S.L.C. at Sacred Heart School, Nkpologwu and ST. James Catholic School Aku respectively.

SECONDARY EDUCATION
 When Boys Secondary School Aku was opened in the year 1975, many children who had finished and passed out in primary school enrolled into the school. The first sets of students were, Okpe Celestine, Ugodu Alexander, Ugbor Daniel, Igboke Simon etc. Some other people enrolled in other secondary school around the neighbourhood and beyond.

HIGHER EDUCATION
Initially, the people of this community felt nonchalant towards education. There reason was to make sure that they first grow in population before any other thing. No wonder they regarded polygamous marriage as their major priority. When they start raising children, they found it difficult to cope up with educational demands of their children; hence, their children became uneducated.
 To God is the glory that people of this recent era have come to realize the impact of education in a given society. They had earlier regretted the mischief and vow to keep the flag flying in order to correct their past mistakes. Today, Udueme boasts of so many graduates in different higher institutions of learning. The first believed to have broken the jinx is Hon Aniokpe Kelvin. Others are, Mr. Ugbor Daniel, Mr. Odo Emmanuel and Ekweme Gerald from different villages in Udueme. Subsequently, many have also graduated after the above-mentioned people while so many are still in higher institutions of learning.

REFERENCES

H.R.H Igwe J.U Ugbor (Ekwulora I of Udueme).

Chief Ochinanwata Ekweme (the eldest man in Udueme).

Mr. Offia Nwokpe (Attama Ani Udueme)
Chief Odo Francis (eldest man in Nkitiba village).

Mr. Ekweme Josephat

Mr. Ugbor Daniel (A political scientist)

Mr. Ugwu Thomas.

Hon. Okwor Boniface (Supervising Councillor for Agriculture, Igbo-Etiti Development Centre).

Ugwu Bethrand, Enyi Celestine, Ugwu Victor etc.   

       
Chapter Twelven 
 
UKEHE TOWN
By E. I. Itanyi & Nworga Felix

INTRODUCTION

HER EARLY HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY
 Identity is an important aspect of man’s socio-cultural history. A man without history has no past and hence could not trace his beginning and / or origin. Without the past, the future would not only be blink, but blurred. For one to plan for his future, he must look into his past records. By so doing, he would be able to re-discover his name and hence, his identity. Historians were right when they noted that a man without history is like a man who has lost his senses and like a ship without a rudder or compass and hence no direction.
African part is fromt with lots of distortions and Euro centric views. This is partially due to the fact that African history was initially written by non-Africans who always have is in their back minds diffusionist views when ever any discussion on African historiography was raised, and partially for the fact that Africans belong to the non-literate and pre-literate or what some scholars of European extraction referred to as the “ascephalous” societies.
Whatever the case and whichever way, African history has become of age and African historians and others in related disciplines like archaeology, sociology and anthropology, to mention but a few, have woken up the tasks and challenges of putting African history and culture in their rightful prospectively. In addition, knowing fully well that Africa had no earlier written record without distortion, bias or malice, efforts are being made through the study of archaeology of these pre-literate African societies to reconstruct their past. African archaeologists have now put on their bots in place of the books and have left the coffins of the classrooms to the field in search of African past. The fruits of their endeavours can now be found and reaped in the faces and pages of copious textbooks and journals of African archeology, which deals directly with African past and cultural patrimony. At this juncture, I would like to say kudus to eminent African historians and archeology and others in related disciplines that have contributed in one way or the other towards the positively re-writing and reconstructing of African history.
The early history and archeology of Ukehe town in the present day Igbo-Etiti L.G.A of Enugu State Nigeria is not different from that of any other Igbo community in the Eastern part of the country in particular and African society in general.
Commenting on the difficulties of writing reconstructing the history of the non-literate African societies with special reference to Igbo land, Afigbo (1981) has this to write, “my people of Ihube in the Otanchan clan of the northern Igbo have a saying that “Ofe di oku, a na ara ya mgbere, mgbere”! This when literally translated means that the hot soup is, licked gradually from the periphery”. This version helps to explain the problems reencountered by historians in an attempt to reconstruct the history of Igbo land. In addition, in trying to express the myriad of difficulties encountered in reconstructing the history of the non-literate societies, he gave his book the title Ropes of Sand – which means making rope out of sand. He further expressed there difficulties in trying to account for the original and migrations of the Efik speaking people: “there cannot be a more elusive aspect of the history of the non-literate peoples, than those which deal with their origin and migration, for these events are generally associated with very remote past, unanimity therefore is last t be expected in account of those events (Afigbo, 1965).
Most of the history of the non-literate societies is embedded in myths, legends and generally in oval tradition and any body working with this should be cautious of the limitations of this sauce of history. One of the most prominent limitations is romanticism coupled with the fact that human retentive memory does not go far into the past.
This piece of work was motivated by certain aims and objectives of which the most pressing ones are; to reconstruct the early history and archaeology of Ukehe community and part of her environs.
Secondly to document how ever impeccable, the early history and archaeology of the study area. This is in view of the fact that little or nothing has been documented on the history of the community and if care is not taken, our cultural patrimony would be lost to posterity. There is the much hope that at the end of this work, a lot would have been achieved towards the reconstruction, writing, re-writing and documentation of Ukehe early history and archaeology now that the research was conducted by an erudite scholar of both disciplines that handles such matters that deals with the conservation of our cultural heritage well- history and archaeology. 

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION, CLIMATE, VEGETATION AND RELIEF
Anene (1965,) noted “there is no dispute about the fact that the history of an area is written clearly in its geographical features”. Hence the importance geography to the understanding of the history of an area cannot be overemphasized.
Ukehe town is located in the south western end of the present day Igbo-Etiti L.G.A of Enugu State of Nigeria. She in inhabits the areas lying approximately 60 40” north and 70 42” East (Fullard et al (eds) 1920). The height of the area is roughly 1936” above sea level. Barmby (1929) has aptly noted “the country is broken and hilly except in the extreme east where the settlers from Umunko and Ukehe have pushed their farms and houses out into the plain”. Ukehe town is surrounded by hills among which are; Ugwu Udo, Ugwu Ikpogwu, Ugwu Esa, Ugwu Efuru, Ugwu Ifu, Ugwu Amakofia and Ugwu Nfola, just to mention but a few. This can also be shown clearly with the writing of Barmoy (1934) “the village is situated for the most part at the foot of the hills, the top of which is grassy and innocent of trees”. This was as far back as the time when Barmby was writing. Today, people who were made to disperse as a result of population explosion and sanguinary wars inhabit most of these hills. In addition, the people have domesticated and planted certain tree crops of economic importance there and these have effected a change in the natural environment of the area. Even to a large extent, the hills have been terraced for agricultural purposes.
Ukehe town is bounded in the east by Ugwogo Nike, in the North by Umunko and Diogbe (Ngalakpu) communities, in the North West by Diogbe and Ohebe, in the North east by Umunko and Nike/Agu Ekwegbe and in the west by Ikolo, Ochima and Onyohor communities.
There are many streams and rivers that supply water to the community. The streams were mostly located at the upper escarpment of Ukehe called Ulo or Uluo. These includes; Iyi-eja, Udo, Efuru, Aturi, Nfola, Iyi-nyin etc. These streams prior and post to the peoples encounter with the white man supplies them with water for all domestic purposes. All the rivers which includes the Odome lake, Ezebinagu, Ngwogoro, Ofie, Dugudu, Iyi-Ogbakpi and Ebuyi which form one of their sources of economy as they supply the people with fish and other aquatic animals are located at (Agu Ukehe) lower escarpment – large area meant for agricultural purposes.
The vegetation of our area of study is guinea savannah or what could be aptly described as derived savannah mixed with some forest region environment along the river courses (Menakaya et al 1992). The town has a tropical climate with temperature ranging between 24.44oc and 29.44oc. The mean annual rainfall is between 1m and 2m (Menakaya et al 1992) like other parts of Eastern Nigeria, two winds, which divide the year into two seasons, are noticeable in the area. These are the southwest trade wind, which bring rain between April and October with a break in August. The other is the Northeast trade wind, which is dry and dusty and brings in chilly conditions popularly known as (Uguru) or harmattan.
 It occurs intermittently between November and February. There are patches of forests and groves, which mark shrines, oracles, and sacred areas like (uham) Odo masquerade grove, which exist in the community. The existence of these groves shows the natural vegetative cover of the study area. Although the area has turned into a derived savannah, the existence of residual forests in the area can give information on its natural vegetative cover. Its turning into a derived savannah may be as a result of human existence and exploitation. The then District Officer in his annual report on Udi division (1937) rightly observed “in the grass land particularly in ‘Eke’ area, damages are caused by annual grass fire”. In addition, the residual forests noted during archaeological reconnaissance of the area and some of her environs at the site of Ozoumueleke in Idoha and Mbara Ogbudibia Odo masquerade at Ndi-Nwara with other ‘Ekpe’ areas - a strip of land which serve as boundary - can throw more light on the original vegetation cover of the study area. 
The Ukehe soil does not give room for most Agricultural production. It contained fewer nutrients and supports mostly the growth of palm tress (Elaise guineensis) and yam (ji) disscarea spp at subsistence level (Itanyi, 1985).
Geologically, the area belongs to the Nsukka zone and according to Ofomata (1975) was grouped under the upper coal measure (Nsukka formation – Nadian), which succeeds the false-bedded land – stone. This is well exposed in the valley Nadu River a few kilometers north of Nsukka. In terms of relief, the area belongs to the Nsukka- Okigwe cuesta (Ofomata, 1975). As for her drainage, the area falls into the Udi-Nsukka plateau. This plateau has a low density of drainage and is characterized by sand-filled dry valleys attributed to the influence of lithology and the nature of past climate.
Ifemasie (1977) writing on the vegetation of the pre-literate Igbo society has this to say, ‘the apparent conversion of the natural vegetation of the great part of the northern Igbo plateau (of which our study is a part of) from rain forest to a derived savannah would also suggest relatively early settlement and protracted utilization”.
The archaeological discoveries in areas around our study area like Lejja, Opi, Umundu, Owerer-Elu, Ekwegbe, Onyohor, Aku, Obimo, Orba, Idoha-Iron smelting sites and Isi-Ugwu-Obukpa rock shatter and, that on the University of Nigerian, Nsukka agricultural farm site – all in Nsukka zone, when well analysed, will help throw move light into this study. 

EARLY HISTORY, ORIGINS, MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS
The problems encountered in the reconstruction of the history or the past of the pre-literate African societies have been highlighted at the on set of this work. Isichie (1976) expressed has own fillings towards the problems encountered while embarking on the above subject. According to her, “the centuries that lie between the 9th century and the nineteenth are the most difficult for the historian of Igbo land to write about. For the 9th century, we have the vivid retails of archaeological discoveries, for the 19th, we have an over-swelling stream of evidence both oral and documentary. But the thousand years which lies between are full of question marks and obscurities”.
Afigbo (1980) noted that “in the prevailing absence of conventional record dealing with the early history of Igbo people, an attempt to reconstruct how Igbo villages, village groups and clans came into being as a coherent socio-cultural and, at times political units will have to concern itself with the analysis of what social anthropologists have probable aptly described as the ideological character validating existing unities and relationship”. And now for the traditions, the average Igbo village or even clan believe itself to be as Jones (1949) has it “the descendants of a common ancestor whose sons begot either the village sections or the village sub-section”.
Based on the works of these authors and the problems encountered by each of them on making an attempt to reconstruct the history of Igbo land, one can easily agree with the present writer that Ukehe town, being part of the area that make up the Igbo speaking people of South-Eastern Nigeria cannot be an exceptional. There are problems of dates some of the elders interviewed were so skeptical, some romantic while others were eclectic.
Whatever the case may be an attempt is being made here to use however impeccable the evidence may be towards the reconstruction of the early history and archaeology of Ukehe town in the present day Igbo-Etiti L.G.A of Enugu State. According to Isichie (1976) “No historical question arouses more interest among the present day Igbo society than the inquiry “where did the Igbo people come from?” It is sometimes discussed in the press and often put to the author in conversation”. The history of Ukehe town is frout, just like any other Igbo society with myths and legends of varied versions. In this regards two school of thoughts emerged.
One of these schools of thought claimed that Ukehe people came from “Ebe” and had no blood relationship with her immediate neighbouring towns like Idoha, Umunko, Diogbe, Ohebe, Onyohor and Umuoka.
The second school traced the origin of Ukehe to be from Nkanu. According to the first school, Ukehe is one of the seven towns founded by the descendants of Ojebe-Ogene, wife of Igwe Onyi. Igwe-Onyi had many sons of which Ojime was one. The last son of Ojebe-Ogene called Ojime founded Ukehe. Other sons of Ojebe-Ogene in line of seniority and settlement from south towards North were; Ebe, Abor, Ukana, Awhum, Okpatu, Umulumgbe and Ukehe. All these towns with the exception of Ukehe are found in the present day Udi zone in Enugu State. As stated earlier, this claim in line of seniority was manifested in their settlement pattern. These seven sons of Ojobe-Ogene were today referred to as Umu-Ojebe-Ogene. They were all born at the present location of Ebe town in Udi. When they grens up, due to population explosion which brought about scarcity of land and the centrifugal nature of man, they had to find new lands for habitation. Traditionally, Ebe being the first son among them remained in their fathers original home, while the rest migrated northwards. The first among the emigrants was Abor very close to the 9th mile corner. He was followed by Ukana, then Awhuru, Okpatu and Umulugbe. Ojime and his mother Nnahu (ojime le nnahu) were the last to leave their fathers home town.
Traditionally in Igbo land, the mother usually shows more maternal love and care on the last son than others. Sequel to this assertion, Ojime had to leave with his mother and founded his own place of settlement at a place called Ukehe. This pattern of settlement can be supported with the views of Ifemesie (1979) when he wrote “the Igbo people are very local in their cultural orientation that they move very little and when they move, they do not go far”.
Ojima arrived first at the land area around the present location of Omaru which literally according to Ukehe dialect means the ancastral shrine (onual or onu ala) and the ‘Orie’ Ukehe (a market which holds on ‘Orie’ days and was attended and owned jointly by the entire Ukehe community.
Omani is the present village of Ezama or Ramma. Ojebe-Ogene had another wife called Ugwunye that gave birth to Egede and Afa, both in Udi zone of Enugu State. In his new abode, is Ukehe, Ojima gave birth to two sons who in turn begot many sons. The first he gave the name, Ezi-Ukehe and the second, Amakofia. Ezi-Ukehe had two sons that in town gave rise to two clans. Thus we have Ekpu-Ato and Nkpologwu/Ukwaja. Ekpu-ato comprised of Uwile-ukehe, Umulusi, Ndiugo, Umuoro and Ndi-ado. The second batch was made up of Nkpologwu and Ukwaja 
Amakodi also had two sons that gave rise to different villages and clans. Thus, we have Umudule and Amugwu; Umudule gave birth to five (5) villages which include: Ube-Aworo, Umuchime, Umuofiagu, Ndinwara, Agbabinanwankwo and Umu-Alaka.
The sequence was in their line of seniority. Amugwu also had five (5) sons that founded five villages. These also in line of seniority includes; Ezi-Amugwu Uwani-Abaka, Uwele-Amakofia, Amadim and Amanafi (fig 2: table 1). Due to the fact that Ojima fist settled at Onu-Omaru (Ezeama), the people therefore became the eldest village in Ukehe. Moreover, all sacrifices being made to the Onu-Omani Ukehe was done  through the chief priest of  Onu-Omani shrime who is usually the eldest man in Uwele-Ukehe presently Onu-Omani Ukehe is the highest and most supreme shrine in Ukehe which every Ukehe man propitiates prior to the inception of the white man with his domineering Christian religion and culture. At this death of Ojime – Igweanyi, the body was taken to the father’s home town ‘Ebe’ according tradition. But when Ojebe-Ogene the mother died, her body was buried at Ukehe and this adds credence to the reason why Onu-Omani shrine at Ezama was highly revered.
The issue which remains unverified confusing and questionable is who is the mother of Ukehe? Some of my informants were of the view that Ojime married a woman called ‘Nnahu’ and that it was she who gave birth to Ukehe. Thus, some of my informants referred to ‘Ojime-Lanuahu’ as the putative progenitor of Ukehe (plate 1).

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Prior to the coming of the white man, the entire Ukehe people were farmers and this serves as their main sustenance of life. Ucheudu (1965) noted that “farming is the Igbo staff of life”. Till present, most of the people of our study area are farmers.
 Waddington (1926), in his annual report from Nsukka. Division for the year 1926 has this to invite “the population of Nsukka division is almost entirely agricultural but the crops raises – yams (dioscorea spp) cassava (manihot spp) maize (zea mays), cocoyam (xanthasoina spp) and beans (black) are grow for local purposes and only just sufficient to fead the people? This further shows that the people in the pre-colonial days practiced mainly subsistence agriculture though, they at times produced surplus which they exchanged with their neighbours  for others scarce commodities  land was the main factor in agricultural system and except in few occasions belongs to the living and the dead. This assertion was supported by the worship of the earth deity ‘Ala’ or ‘Ani’. The king of crops produced in the area just like in any other Igbo community is yam (dioscorea spp). It is a tabio fore some one to pre-harvest or steal yam or kill a son of the land. The labour required for the planting of the crops in valves the entire house hold. At times outside labour from friends, and inlaws are invited. Yam has an elaborate ceremony associated with its planting and harvesting known as Ifejioku or Fijioku. (New Yam Festival): Other crops cultivated and referred to as women crops include; Maize (Azizi Oka) Cassava (Akpu) Millet (Azizi-Enene) Black Beans (Akidi) Yam Beans (Azam) Melon (Egusi), Guard (Obale) Pepper (Ose), Green (Inine) Okro or Okwuru (Okra) and other vegetables. There are other plants/crops of economic importance which are not being planted, but protected in their natural environment with sanctions and taboos. Okigbo (1980) has listed a great number of these plants and have shown some of the socio-political, cultural economic and religions roles of these tree crops. Among home of them are, Akwu (Elaise Guineensis), Palm Tree Ngwo–(Raphia Palm), Oji (Kola nut) with its various species such as (Kola acuminate) Oji Igbo (kola Nitida), Oji Hausa, Garcinia Kola (Akinu). Other tree crops are; Udara-star apple (Chrisophylum Albidium) to mention but a few.  Apart from the growing of crops, the people kept and still keeps livestock such as Goats – (Capra spp), sheep (Ovis spp), Pigs, Dogs, Cows, Cats and Fowls. Another important economic source of the people is trade. Generally in Igboland, trade was and still is an important economic activity writing in this, Afigbo (1981:127) has this to say, “Although subsidiary to agriculture, trade was none the less an important expect of Igbo economic activity. Just as (Chukwu) God is believed to have instituted agriculture, so is trade and marketing, by creating the Igbo market days naming them after four generally fish mongers each of whom went round Igbo-land establishing markets bearing his name”. Thus in igboland, in generally and Ukehe in particular, we have (4) four market days, “Nkwo, Eke, Orie and Afor”. These brought together make an (Izu) that is one native week in Igbo traditional calendar. Trading within the community was first conducted at Ukehe markets such as, Orie Ukehe, Nwankwo, Eke-Ugwu, Eke-Echara, Ogbodo, Afo Umuani and Ogbede Igbodo jointly owned by the entire Igbo Odo community.
These markets apart from their economic roles perform some socio- cultural, political, religious and touristic roles. They are important in the dissemination of news and vital information and also acts as relief and relaxation centers from the almost continous toil of hoeing, planting, weeding and harvesting through out the year. This attests to why we have the Eke-Echara have market which commences by 6.00 pm on Eke days up till to day. Items of trade include mostly agricultural products using the barter system prior to the coming of the pre-cinafe currencies and the Elizabeth coins.
 Smelted iron from Ndinwara village and its sonthred products were also sold and at times used as medium of exchanges, though this forms an item of trade in their external trade with other communities. Slaves were exchanged for imported items such as done guns and gun powdar, lot drinks and at times jewelries. Later, cowries (lkiribia or Ego-Ayori) and cast or smithed steel rods (Mkpara-Echi) were used a medium of exchanged. Also manilas and copper rods must have been used.  Anozie (of the blassed memory) 1976) was of the opinions that “prior to the coming of the white man, the people of west Africa who were already advanced metal technology, infact made and used manilas of different types”.
 The people of Ukehe also carried out external trade with other neightbouring towns. In an oral interview with late chief Igwe J.U Nwodo (1985) (per coaim), he has this to say “Ukehe people in the early days were mainly traders and kidnappers. They kidnapped and took captive form surrounding villages. These people were taken to Nike on their way to Uzoakoh. They even at times stopped at Agekwu in the place or premises of a man called ‘Ileukwumere’. Then they were taken to Arochukwu where the trader or slave dealer conferred with the Eze Aro who then sent them to the portugues at the coast through cross river. In exchange, these man brought home enamel plates and dishes staff of office, umbrellas etc. he also maintained that Ukehe people were mainly farmers and did most f their farming at ‘Ime Agu’ Ukehe. Mr. Festus Aroh (1980) (per-conrin) was also of the opinion that ‘Ukehe people were traders and practiced horticultural system of Agriculture”.  Ukehe community traded and exchanged goods with Nkwo- Ozala, Eke-Irume, Ugwuogo-Nike and Ukpata. They also had trade contact with Ogurugu, Igala and Aku people. From Ugwuogo – Nike, they bought pots, and from Igala and Ogurugu in Kogi state and Uzo –Uwani L.G.A. of Enugu state respectively, they bought fish and raphia palm wine (Ogoro/Ngwo) in exchange for palm oil and iron bar. They also bought salt from Uburu people. The only means of transporting these trade items was by the head portrage.
 In addition to trade there were crafts men and weaver. The people also engage in hunting using locally produced implement like spears, dame guns, matchets etc. they also trap animals using metal traps and snares. The use of dog in hunting had been a hing of old with the Ukeche hunters, both   past and present.
 However and whatever the case may be, the economic life of the people of our study area cannot be exhausted. This is in line with the views of Hopkins (1977:30-31) when he states that due to lack of coherent choronology, it is harder still to escape a static timeless account of the local economy in the centuries before the coming of the European rule.

SOCIAL-CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL ORGANISATION
 There are many socio-cultural activities with which the people are known in the pre and post independence Igboland. Educationally, the people had informal or what Ngwu (2003) referred to as ‘non-formal’ education. Both male and female adolescents were brought up in the homes by their parents according to the norms, ethics and tradition of the people.
 Formal education in the study area started with the coming and spread of Christian religion from the coast to the interior or trintenland of West Africa in the 19305, this was sequel to the European whites missionary activities most schools set up then were mainly missionary schools. In Ukehe, one of the most outstanding schools set up them was St. Peters primary school – Ikpogwu Ukehe followed by St. Mary’s Ezi-Ukehe.
 There are many social activities starting from birth to death of an individual. Among them were Afiaomugo which herald’s the outing ceremony of a newly born child to Orie Ukehe market. Other socio-cultural activities include death ceremonies, traditional marriage ceremonies and Ozor title institutions. Others are, Odo masquerade in institutional ceremonies which are also of great tourism importance.
 Religiously, before the Christian missionary activities, the dominant religion in Ukehe was the African traditional religion. A typical Ukehe traditional religionist believes in the God ‘Chukwu’ or ‘Ezechitoke’ – God the creator and his messiahs represented by lesser gods made up of shrines and oracles. Among them were, Ugwu amokofia (the warrior god) Ezetinogu; Omani, Ogwugwu, Iyiokpani; Anyanwu (the sum god) Eguru etc. It is through these shrines and oracles that the people communicate (nuannanyi), other socio-cultural festival in Ukehe include, New yam festival (ifejiaku or fijioku), Iyimiyi, Ogwugwu, Ukehe, Ugodu, Ugwuezeja etc. There are also many traditional musics and dances such as Ikpa, Igede, Odo Mbadnu, Oabara, Agba ekerechi and Ojorine.
 Politically, the people are democratic and egalitarian in nature. Respect mainly came from the elders. The institution of chieftaincy was maintained starting with the warrant chief system instituted they by the colonial government. The family is the lowest unit of government with the eldest male in the family as the head. At the village level, the eldest male is the head and is supported by the council of elders made up of the eldest male in all the lineages that make up the family called the “Oha’ council of elders. In addition to the ‘Oha’ we also have the ‘Ogbaniwu’ made up of able bodied young men in a village.
 At the town level, we have the Igwe who is supported by his cabinet and “Ofbalele Ukehe   made up of members or representatives council of elders. In Ukehe, Igweship is not hereditary but rotational. There is no institution establishing hereditary system of government in Ukehe. An attempt at doing this in the 1980’s brought in a great lacuna and nearly set the town ablaze. The embers of this ill-planned attempt and its ghost are still hovering and blowing ill-wind throughout the length and breadth of the town.
 The place of umuada (a guild or council of eldest female in every family) is highly recognized and respected in Ukehe politica system from the family, via the lineage/ clan to the village and town level. The same is applicable to the village and town age grades 

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS WITHIN UKEHE AND HER ENVIRONS
The term archaeology has been variously defined by different scholars within and outside the discipline. One should expect diverse definitions. Originally, the word Archaeology was coined from two Greek words – Acrheos – meaning ancient and Logos –meaning studies or knowledge. Consequently, it became part of Greek-language meaning the study of ancient things – buildings art works etc.
 Today, it is no longer an acceptable definition because it (Archaeology) has got a much wider scope and goals and the methods of inquiry have also been greatly remodeled and overhauled. Ogundele (2000) defined the discipline as “that branch of Anthropology that is concerned with the scientific recovery analysis and interpretation of facets of the material culture of a past population at any given point in time and space. According to him, this is with a view to obtaining an understanding of the working of a society” simply put, archaeology is a scientific and systematic way of finding out about the past of man from the  material remains left  behind by the past or former  inhabitants. These remains are of several different kinds which include the remains of his dwelling, collections of dwelling and buildings, the  remains of peoples rubbish, remains of fortification, groves, religious centres, temples workshops, tools and weapons,  objects of adornment, domestic utensils etc.
 Most of these remains are found in archaeological sites which range from habitation, kill, quarry burial, surface scatters and tell to cave sites. All these material remains of man are unearthed   or exhumed from the soil through a scientific and systematic method known as excavation’.
 In Ukehe and her environs, there are many archaeological sites/formations which when excavated would help very much in the reconstruction of the cultural history of the people. Among such formations/archeological sites, some of  which are also of great tourism importance are; Ndinwara iron smetlting/smithing sites, Ozoumuaneke iron something site in Idoha several ‘Uham’ Odo masquerade sacrade groves, shirines, cares/ rockshelters, mounds and abandoned settlements. There are also some monumental edifices like the monumental houses of late chief Uwunwajangwu of Uwele Amakofia and Amadim Ukehe respectively, (fig.3).
 Ekechukwu (1989) wrote the existence of a new fiancé type used for iron-smelthing in Idoha near Ukehe. This is sequel to the excavation which he carried but in that locality. An archaeological reconnaissance conducted by Itanyi (1985) has reavealed many sites including a cave/rockskelten in Onyohor, a town about one (1km) from Ukehe.
 There is the much hope that with were researches in this area of need with regards to the reconstruction of cultural history of Ukehe, more facts and evidences would be unveiled.

CONCLUSION
This paper generally exrayed “the early history and Archaeology of Ukehe town in Igbo Eititi L.g.A. of Enugu State. Etc. tried and succeeded in explaining the problems encountered by historians in the reconstruction of the history of the pre-literate African societies of which our area of study is a case at hand.
Further more; it succeeded in tracing the early history and migration of Ukehe right from an eponymous father and mother Ojime-Igweenyi and Nnahu. Ojime is one of the seven sons of Ojebe –Ogene. This work further x-rayed some of the socio-cultural, economic, political and belief systems of the Ukehe people. 
 Finally, from this study, it was discovered that there are many potential archeological and tourist sites in our study area. The excavation of the iron something site  in Idoha hoe exposed the technological ingenuity of the community prior to the coming of the white man and has helped to debunk the another Eurocentric and diffusionist views that Africans remained in the dark until the coming of the white man and that whatever is good in Africa were introduced by outsiders. At this juncture, one can only that an attempt has been made. It is now a challenge on scholars of history and other related disciplines to take up the baton where the present writer has dropped it.   
    
REFERENCES

Afigbo, A.E. (1981). Ropes of Sand: A Stduy in Igbo History and Culture. University of Nigeria Press. P.ix.

Afrigbo, A.E. (1965). “Efik Origin and Migrations Reconsidered Nigerian History (ed) Ohoro Ikime. Ninaman Nigeria P.79. Magazine No 87.

Anene, J.C. (1965). Southern Nigeria in Transition C.U.P p.4.

Anozie, F.N. (1976). “Reflections on the Origins of West African Manillas” paper read at the inaugural Conference of West African Archaeological Association (WAA) Enugu.

Bamby, J. (1934). “Intelligent Report on the village of Ukehe, Onyohor…. Nsukka Division”  p.2.

D.O’s (1937). Annual Report on Udi Division  P.8.

Ekechukwu, L.E. (1989). “A New Furnace Type From the North of Igbo Land”,  in Nnyame akume, A Newsletter of African Archaeology.

Fullard, H. and Darby H. C. (1992). (eds) The University Atlas. George Philip and Sons LTD, London. 11th edition, p.125.                                               

Hopkins, A.S. (1977). An Economic History of West Africa. Longman Group LTD, Third Impression P.P. 30-31

Itanyi, E.I. (1985). “Archaerlogy and Early history of  Ukehe/Idoha Community” (An unpublished B.A  project, U.N.N.).

Hemesie, C.C. (1979). Traditional Humane Living Among the Igbo: An Historical Perspective; Fourth Dimension publishers Enugu, p.21.
Isichie, Elizabeth (1976). A History of the Igbo People. London p.12

Jones, G.I. (1949). “Dual Organization” Africa. Vol. 19.No 2.       
Ngwu, P.N.C. (2003). Non formal Education Concept and Practices. Fulladu Publishing Company. Enugu, Nigeria.

Menakaya, G.C. and Floyd, B.N. (1992). ¬Junior Atlas for Nigeria. Macmillan. Nigeria. New edition. P.16.

Ofomata, G,E.K (1976). Nigeria in Maps Eastern state. Ethiope pub. House Benin City.

Oluwole Ogundele.S (2000). Fundamentals of Archaeology. An Introduction. E.N.E. UI, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Uchendu, V.C. (1965). The Igbo of Eastern Nigeria, Holt Richard and Winston p.30.

Waddington, H. (1920). “Annual Report for Nsukka Division for the year 1960. p.15.

APPENDIX

Mr. Festus Aroh – Ukehe – A Retired Civil Servant

Chief, J .U. Nwodo (late) Ukehe-then Igwe of Ukehe - 1985

   
Chapter Thirteen
 
UMUNA COMMUNITY

By Cletus Ugwuegede Ogbaji, Magnus Ejikeme Ugwu,
Michael Ifeanyichukwu Okoro

INTRODUCTION

GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND
Umuna is a town in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State. It lies on a hill of about 420 metres above sea level.  It is situated on latitude 6.040N and longitude 7.020E. It covers an area of about 30 square kilometres with the population of about 25000.    
It is bounded in the East by Ekwegbe, in the West by Ohebe –Dim, in the North by Ozalla and in the South by Diogbe, Ukehe and Ugwu Gburugburu. Geographically, the soil is red – ferralitice (sandy-loam with porous and non-gravelly sandy-loam with reddish brown colour.
Umuna lies within the Tropical Hinterland. It is on a double maxims rainfall. The total rainfall is between 150 centimeters and it has up to four months of dry season, from November to March. The relative humidity in Umuna is over 80% in the morning and 70% in the afternoon. Despite the high annual rainfall of about 150 centimeters, the soil does not retain water because the permeable nature of the parent material which allows rainwater to permeate to great depths. In later shortage, dry season is one of the great problems in the daily lives of Umuna. Umuna lies within the Guinea Savannah region. The annual rainfall is up to 100 – 150 centimeters and wet season lasts for 6 – 8 months. In Umuna, there are luxuriant grasses and trees such as locust bean tree, oil been tree, kolanuts, oranges, Iroko. The practice of rotational bush fallow in Umuna makes for fixed settlements replacing the shifting cultivation system as a response to the increased population.
Umuna is blessed with good roads. The old road from Enugu to Nsukka lies very close to the eastern border of the town. There is another road, which also passes through Umuna. Inhabitants produce plenty of food crops like yams, cassava, cocoyams and maize. In addition to farming, Umuna is one of the largest producers of palm wine in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area. Goats, sheep and cows are reared.  Livestock are pastured on the hills tops but else where is little uncultivated land even the precipitous hills sides been pressed into service for farming purposes.
The town comprises three main quarters Oreti, Ufu and Amokofia. Oreti is made of Amewa, Diodeke, Isiamele and Umuohaka villages. Ufu is made of Umeze-Umuna, Uwelu-Ufu and Umuezikoro, while Amokofia is made of Ameze, Ezenushi, Ubeagu, Umueze - Amokofia, Amadiligwe and Dikwu. On the whole, Umuna is made up of thirteen villages. The name Umuna was used in the primeval past to refer to out town.  Umuna means a family, an extended family having patri-local residence. It means children of a polygamene family.   There is also Umuna in Okigwe and Orlu senatorial zones in Imo State of Nigeria.
 Igbo Language is spoken throughout the town. The Umuna people are argumentative and humanitarian, but they have many good points of which sense of humour is not the least. Umuna people are not given excessively to deeds of violence unless they are in a state of high excitement and their anger is short-lived. At other times both men and women are friendly, cheerful and courteous and appear to be contended and very hard working.

ODO CULT (MASQUERADE)
Odo is a secret cult performed by men in some parts of Nsukka cultural zone including Umuna. Odo is believed to be the reincarnation of the dead members of the society, village and /or family. It is believed to be the dead who have come to earth to stay for a short period among the living especially with their family members.
Every odd year is an Odo year. The seven months of odo year is exclusively devoted to its veneration, mostly men who anticipated, would soon come to visit the living. Odo is entirely men affair. Only the initiates take part in the odo cult, which is attended, in a secret grove (Uhamu). Members swear never to divulge the secret of Odo. Odo is saluted as Ndidi Koko, the name that signifies fear and wonder. Odo music is thrilling and enchanting. It is the highest perfection of Umuna artistry. It is not only music per se, but also artistic use of language as a vehicle for cultural transmission and perpetuation. 

ORIGIN OF ODO
According to Mbiti (1969), “Practically every African society has its own myth or myths concerning the origin of things. The origin of Odo is shrouded in mystery and anything said about Odo origin is based on speculations and hear-say which in turn was derived from oral tradition. This according to Vasina (1965) is the same as all verbal testimonies which are reported statements concerning the past.”
In the words of Mr. Innocent Ogbuka, there are four versions of Odo origin in Umuna. The first version claims that Odo simply walked into the town and the first village it settled was at Ezenushi. In this village it met a woman called Osuma Aja who after seeing the masked figure went and called a herbalist from Dikwu village who boldly took the ‘masked figure” into a forest. The second version says that Odo was first seen by a woman fetching firewood in a thick jungle with a great pond Iyi-Uzu in Ikolo Community. This version claims that the woman saw a gigantic figure behind an unknown big tree. However, it was this woman’s husband that came and shouted Ndidi Koko and Odo responded. The man haboured it for few days and built for it a house. The name Odo Achi, Obelebe, Odo Aji, Uruoko, Agrinye and others like them derived their names from the unknown big tree.
 The third version claims that odo was founded in Umuna by a man called Dikwu one of the leaders of Dimaleke family during the settlement of Umuna in her present place of abode. One of these travelers called Dikwu saw a spirit that later revealed itself to him. The spirit also instructed him to build for it a house. After that, other villages in the town followed. The fourth version claims that an Umunko woman married at Ezenushi Village in Umuna first saw the masked figure when he was visiting her family members at Umunko. She went back and called her husband who saw the figure behind a tree. The figure charged the men never to allow his women to see him naked. The man ordered the wife to leave. Then the figure was taken to Dikwu who made it known to the community that the figure is Odo - a dead person who came to visit the living members of the family.
 Finally, almost all the versions claimed that a woman behind a tree founded Odo Umuna, yet it is a taboo for a woman to see it naked.

WORSHIP OF ODO:
The worship of Odo can be regular or occasional in Umuna unless otherwise prescribed by a diviner. A “diviner” or “Dibia” according Arinze “is the person who tells future, is consulted before any sacrifice(s) or offer(s) are made.” People come together to worship odo when misfortune calls, when they are asked    to offer sacrifice by a diviner and when they went to show their gratitude for the blessings, which they have received, from Odo. The rites of Egorigo, Ntiye Odo onu are some of those traditional rites, which are being performed in the honour of Odo publicly. 

INITIATION OF NEW MEMBERS:
 The process of becoming a member of odo is long and arduous. It is believed that no woman no matter how highly placed in Umuna is supposed to know the secret of Odo. So, also, any male child that is not initiated, no matter his age is equal to a woman before Odo.  Before a boy is initiated into odo, according to Mr. Godwin Anyanwu, He must perform a ceremony called Oho-Odo. This Oho-Odo is a title, which gives him the right to see Odo in the house and grove. The Oho-Odo ceremony starts about six months before the return of Odo.
 On a Diligwe or Nwa Njereke festival, continued Mr. Anyanwu, any man who has a boy of fifteen years and above will inform his village people that he will perform Oho-Odo ceremony for his son. When those to perform the ceremony must have been made known to people, the eldest man in the village will peg the number of those to be initiated according to his wish.  The father of the eldest boy among them will fix the date the ceremony will take off. This Oho-Odo ceremony takes place only on Nkwo day.
 On the day of the ceremony according to Mr. Remigius Ugwu, the father of the boy to be initiated brings four big pots of palm wine to the male folk of the village in a village hall. About two months before the return of Odo, the candidates for initiation present some money or Ngwugwu Okpa each to the nine functionaries of odo in his village.  This is called Ngo Odo. In the words of odo Igwe “Ngo Odo is a lobby on the part of the boy to be initiated so as to make the Odo be mild and less violents on them on the day of initiation.” 
 About four days to the initiation day, those to be initiated will shave their hair in beautiful patterns called Ishi Nfa-mma and decorate themselves with car wood lotion and drawing beautiful intricate patterns on their body with indigo called Uri Nfa – Mma. It is a taboo for any person to dress his hair or draw such beautiful pattern on their body in the town except those to be initiated into the Odo Ancestral cult.
 When the long expected initiation day comes, the boys are lined up on the part leading to the groove in the order of seniority. They are led to the groove blind folded by Dioke or his representative. When they come in, they are made to undergo certain ordeals in the hands of the dead represented by Odo. Many questions will be asked to them. They are made to eat some types of food. All these are to prove their power of endurance, courage and perseverance. Failure to perform or answer the questions means severe punishment or death by Odo the unsuccessful ones are severely punished while the successful ones come out joyfully to meet their friends, relations and well-wishers who make different types of presents to them.

DIFFERENT ODO MASQUERADES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE PRIMARY FUNCTIONS:
In the words of Ozor Richard Ntikiri, the following Odo Masquerades performs the underlisted functions.
1. Ishi-Odo/Odoegu Ali – This goes from house to house, cleansing people and removing poisonous and dangerous medicines planted by enemies.
2. Obodike- Settling immediate family disputes, restoring moral behaviours among youths by chasing and whipping the offenders especially the woman folk
3. Ihi-Odo - Plays with young men, corrects any young men who live immoral life.
4. Ike Nwakpakpa – Performs no specific functions. But frightens people both male and female with whips and knives. He has   neither friends nor relations on earth.
5.  Aroke, Njo Adihere, Ugwu Nwaimoka: These masquerades entertain people with stories. Each finding the weakness of the other.
6. Okikpe:  Foretells the community problems and their immediate solutions. It also entertains people with its kind of performances.
7. Okokoro: Heavy masquerades with   little ones in her head. He entertains people with dances. He also cleanses people.

OZO TITLE
Ozor Title: Ozor title otherwise known as Idi in Umuna is performed   in six stages. The stages   according to Clement Okogu are:
1. Echi Idi. Presentation of Kola nut and money to the initiated ones.
2. Nri Echi: Feeding of all the titled members by the person who wants to be initiated.
3. Okputukputu: Feeding of all males and Umuada of the persons village. This involves both the initiated and uninitiated ones.
4. Owa Onu Idi: This is the initiation proper. The person concerned will feed the titled members sumptuously. It is highly expected that there will be left over of meat, wine and food. This is the day the person will get his title names. The names must be not less them three.
5. Ohuji – Idi: All the titled men in the village will gather in his house and formally welcome him as a full fledged member of Ozor or Ndi Idi
6. Afia Idi: The newly initiated person with his wife/ wives will now perform the outing ceremony on this day. Friends, relations, in-laws and well-wishers will present gifts to him. 

ARMS OF GOVERNMENT IN UMUNA
UMUNA GENERAL ASSEMBLY: This is the highest ruling body in Umuna. Every other arm is answerable to the General Assembly Executive. The Executive is made up of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Asst. Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, publicity secretary, Provost II and I.

UMUNA COUNCIL OF ELDERS (NDI OHA) This council consists of the Eldest male adult from each of the 13 autonomous villages in the town. They are the custodians   of the culture, customs and traditions of Umuna.

YOUTH ORGANIZATION: Membership of this organization is open to any indigenous adult both males and females between the ages of eighteen to sixty years. 

SOCIO-ECONOMIC  AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF UMUNA COMMUNITY
 The aim of this note (write up) is top do a survey of typical Umuna man’s socio-political activities within and outside his community. This study also will attempt to supply answers to questions as to her political culture and psychology and to what extent these have influenced her external political transactions and what gains, losses and lessons learnt.
 The study also tries to examine the economic activities of an Umuna person in order to survive. Even though the socio-political activities of Umuna date as far back as the history of the community already aforementioned, one of the major problems of the history of the community is lack of written documents which could serve as sources of information.  This of course is not peculiar to Umuna as this is a common phenomenon in African history. There is no evidence or records to provide answers as to what methods used for recruiting leadership, for managing and sharing powers and for mobilizing consensus    in prehistoric Igbo societies of which Umuna is one.
 Economic Activities: A layman’s definition of economic activities may simply mean what a person does in life through which such person can generate money for himself/family upkeep or simply put what one does to earn a living. Going by this, there are a lot of activities in the Umuna community. A typical average Umuna man is egalitarian in nature. This means that an Umuna man will always try to be self-independent hence he must do one thing or the other provided he feeds himself, his family and always able to pay kinship or community levies. This urge or motive to survive economically has lead to professionalism and division of labour among the people. Hence we have a variety of occupation and professions among the people. The occupations or economic activities of the Umuna people could be classified into the following main sub-headings: -

(1) Farming,   (2) Trading
(3)  Artisans   (4)  Civil service
1. Farming: Farming is a major source of economic sustenance in Umuna Community just like most African societies. Many young men involve themselves in farming activities. This makes it possible for the production of foods like yams, cocoyams, cassava etc. Almost every household is involved in livestock productions such as rearing of goats local chickens and cows.
 There are also a lot of tree crops like kola nuts, coconut, oranges and prominently palm tree. There exist a lot of palm trees which provides palms wine that is why most rural men in Umuna are wine tapers and they make money enough from such activities.
2. Trading has become a very good occupation for the growing population, in Umuna, more than 30% of the youths are involved in trading. This is one of the consequences or effects of transportation and communication on the community hence these youths carry their trading activities in such big cities like Onitsha, Enugu, Katsina, Kaduna etc.
3. Artisans, this includes all the crafts or professionals like carpentry, brick layers, driving, tailoring, just to mention a few. In Umuna Community now, consequent upon the introduction of electricity one can find a lot of hair saloons, welding workshops, and a lot of artisan activities. Through these activities, they earn their livelihood.
4. Civil Service: With the advent of western education into the community, a lot of the children (sons and daughters) from Umuna acquired certificates of various cadres, which enables to get employed.
 In Umuna today, one finds a lot of government workers in the local, state and federal employs. In this category of workers we have teachers, lawyers, engineers, civil servants in different careers and offices. When all these fail, an Umuna man resorts to farming to eke out a living. 

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN UMUNA TOWN
In tracing the political developments of the Umuna town, it has been observed that their political activities are as old as the community. There have been a lot of leaderships and leadership tussles in the community. Due to lack of written documents, most participants, their activities and names have been lost to memory as a result of time factor, however, the political developments could be approached in the following periods: -
(1) Pre-colonial period
(2) Colonial period
(3) Post colonial or independence period

(1) The pre-colonial period refers to time before the coming of the white men (Europeans) into the Igbo County. This period, the Igbo state was known as stateless state meaning that they did not believe in kingship or dynasty hence the popular proverb “Igbo Enwe Eze.” Umuna Community being one of the communities in Igbo race is not different from such political situations. Be that as it may, the community was not entirely left without leaders. Leadership was provided by prominent strong men of the time who could protect his people from outside attacks, who could lead his people to wars, which characterized the period. It is more or less a kind of jungle politics. Leadership was provided by the council of elders, (Oha), the Umuezugwu ie council of eldest indigenous married women representing various villages. The law enforcement came from youths and at time Odo masquerades.
The council of elders was the highest ruling body in the town, they formulated and executed policies in Umuna town. This group saw to the protection and preservation of the customs, traditions and culture of the people. Their female counterpart saw to the protection and preservation of women dignity. Any attempt to defame, assault or dehumanize the women folk would ensure the wants of the Umuezugwu.
In times of inter community disputes, some strong men and at times deities like Odo Masquerade emerged to emancipate the people. According to Chief Ugwuja Nwozor, there were some strongmen and some powerful orators in those days. It is possible that due to time names of such people can no longer be remembered.
(2) The colonial period: this is a period marked by intervention of foreign powers in the political administrations of the town. In history, these were the days of colonial regime by the British Government, which marked the total conquest, and occupation of West African States. Since there were not enough administrative personnel on the past of the Europeans, they decided to introduce Indirect Rule system of Government, whereby some people were selected at Community levels to represent the interest of the whites. Their method of selection was not clearly spelt out as it was based on the physical smartness of the appointees.
 This period could be said to have taken place the yea 1948 till independence. According to Chief Felix Anieze, he said that the year 1948 was the year when Chief Aniaku Nwabodi was crowned the traditional ruler or the “warrant Chief” of Umuna and this marked the effective administration of   the white man’s government in Umuna.
 Late Chief Aniaku Nwabodi was the warrant chief of Umuna between 1948 and 1955 when he died. During his regime Chief Aniaku Nwabodi according to sources made use of his cabinet in addition to the council of elders. Like most warrant-Chiefs, Chief Aniaku Nwabodi was strong, progressive as he attracted primary schools and rain water harvest reservoir to the town. Comments by some people about his regime described him as tyrannical and speculations also had it that his activities might have contributed to his early demise in 1955 at an age that could be described as his climax. However, it is true that his regime did not last, a lot of people believe that he achieved much especially in the encouragement of western education in the town. He inspired and even forced many youths to school. Since the time of his demise to 1976 there has been no other traditional ruler or warrant Chief. In the interim, some people like Ugwu Awuyin, Gugu Eze just to mention but a few have featured prominently in Umuna politics.
(3). Post Independence/ Post colonial regimes: after the death of Chief Aniaku Nwabodi in 1955 the few years that followed immediately i.e. between 1955–1960 was a period of Nationalistic movements and serious agitation for independence in Nigeria.  This among other reasons delayed the selection of another warrant chief. So Umuna remained without a leader. Leadership services was offered by some elite in conjunction with council of elders and some times elected councilors like Omeje Michael. Some of that elite class includes Chief Anthony Okogu, Sir Christopher Okogu, Chief Dominic Amoke, Chief Fidelis Odo, Chief Prince Pius Aniaku, Chie Ogbaji Donatus, Chief Francis Omeje etc. These educated elites often times played advisory roles in Umuna town
 Since nature abhors vacuum, the hiatus created in political scene of Umuna continue to be felt and therefore   there was the need by the people to have a leader. In 1976, a new warrant Chief or traditional ruler in the person of Chief Ugwuegede Nwezike emerged. He was crowned the Ejiofor I of Umuna. From hence forth, the mantle of leadership fell on him. He had his cabinet   and advisers. However, the council of elders of the town (the Oha) played   their own roles as before helping the Igwe formulate and execute his policies.
 Given his level of educational attainment, which of course was below literate level, he performed to the best of his ability. He was instrumental also to the execution of a second-class block at Central School Umuna. The Ejiofor I ruled from 1976 to 1991 when he joined his ancestors at ripe age estimated at about 90 years.
 Ever since his death Umuna has remained again without a traditional ruler. Efforts are being made towards having another political leader, but up till now no success. Such efforts include drafting a constitution for the community in 1993. The draft was unfortunate as it was frustrated by the powers that be in the town. A second and a final attempt were made to review the constitution in 2003 under the chairmanship of Mr. Cletus Ogbaji. The constitution has been signed and became functional since September 2005.
Since the community cannot remain with out political activities, the town has been lead by different communities prominent among was the Umuna Development Consultative Committee (UDAC) with the Chairman as Mr. Donatus Ede Ogbaji. This committee leads Umuna from 1986 to 1977. A lot of progressive Development Projects were handled and completed by this committee. These include Community Secondary School Umuna, Umuna Water Bore hole and Ufu Primary School Umuna.  This community initiated electricity project for the town. 
 It is worthy to note that the group never had it smooth as this period was characterized by attack upon attack by different interest groups’ in the town. The Umuna man has never occupied elective position either at Local Government or State level. This could be either as a result of their numerical strength when compared with our neighbours of Ekwegbe, Ukehe and Aku just to mention but a few. It is hoped that hence forth, there is that need for the people to muster courage and be ready to take political risks. In conclusion, it is sad to observe that an Umuna man is politically aware but due to some factors he has never been heard of outside the community. The only serious attempt once made was by Chief Donatus Onyebuchi Igbeaku who contested for the chairmanship seat under the NRC in 1991 but due to the already mentioned population factor lost to Charles Ochi.  

IMPACT OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE UMUNA COMMUNITY
 Prior to the arrival of and eventual settlement of foreign religion - Christianity in Umuna community, the people were notoriously religious. They believed in the existence of God and goods. The religious practice of the Umuna people dovetails into their cultural practices. In fact it is almost impossible to separate the religion of the people from their culture.
 Quite frankly, Umuna holds highest, the supreme deity, “Ezechitoke Abiama” as the ultimate source and summit of life. Besides the deified deity, other pantheon gods are revered and worshipped.  These range from Ala – the earth goddess, Shujioku – the god of agriculture, Eja – the god of yield and harvest, Enyanwu – the Sun god, Edemii – the god of thunder and rain. The most notably 1worshipped among these gods is the Odo masquerade. These masquerades are believed to be the spirits of the dead, which descended from the realm of the spirit world. Animism is also a popular religious practice in   Umuna. Yes, treess, mountains, rivers, streams, valleys, etc, are worshipped and adored.
 The hand of religion appears prominent in every aspect of the culture of an Umuna man, be it marriage, burial ceremonies, Ozor title–taking, agriculture, commerce and industry; e.t.c.
 Then suddenly came, the visitor - Christian religion. “This religion which, was based on the Teachings of Jesus Christ and on the belief that he is the Son of God”, Christianity, though uninvited disembarked at Umuna and settled in the early thirties. This “visitor” on arrival and settlement impacted seriously on the culture and lives of the people. It became so pervasive that it permeated all the nooks and crannies producing   palpable influences. These impacts are effecting as they are affecting.
Consider the following.
  
(1) EDUCATION
It remained an incontrovertible fact that the first primary school in Umuna was built by the Catholic Church. The first teacher Louis Okananma posted by the Catholic missionary attending to the first pupils posted to the school. As people began to attend schools their ways and views of life began to change thus blazing the trail for western education, better understanding and appreciation of the society at large. 

(2) MORALITY AND ETHICS
In Umuna Community, the introduction of Christianity diametrically brought to a halt some contemptible inhuman practices. Such odious practices as slave trade, Osu, human   sacrifice to idols, rampart poisoning, killing of twins, use of unorthodox medicine in the treatment of certain diseases, belief in “Ogbanje” etc., the arrival of Christianity actually lessened their firm belief in diabolical practices, fetishes and unfounded superstitions. 

(3) IMPROVEMENT IN THE PSYCHOSOCIAL SYSTEMS. 
The arrival of Christianity saw to a change from total nudity to decent dressing, raw and rustic approach to solving problems   to ordered behaviour; in-fact crudity gave way to some elements of modernism. Roads, electricity, pipe born – water became   the in-thing.

(4) ECONOMY /AGRICULTURE:
New methods of farming came with the Christian religion replacing the subsistence agricultural methods.  New agricultural crops were equally introduced such as peas, cashew, mangoes, pineapple, and pawpaw. The system of trade changed from the barter system - trade to the exchange of goods for money. The community   witnessed changes as a result of the advent of Christianity.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS
 Every aspect of the culture of Umuna has been dislocated and dismembered. We no longer act like one nor reason like one.  The Christian folks see every religion cum cultural practice as a “sin”. In fact the “holy water has slapped   our cringing brows “and: the centre can no longer hold” culturally, Umuna can be said to be “floating on the surface”. Christian names have replaced Igbo names.

RELIGIOUS CONFLICT
 The arrival of Christianity sparked off a conflict between the Bible and the Ofo.  Any form of worship or practice that is not amenable to the Bible is branded paganism, fetish and Idol worship. This has led to the destruction of certain vital cultural artifacts in an attempt to destroy   the devil. This very impact has been repudiating, as it is distasteful.

END OF POLYGAMY
 The arrival of Christianity killed polygamy. This practice has become moribund as its adoption is prescribed for childless couples. 

MULTIPLICATION OF EVIL
Christian religion, which was believed to have panacea for social problems, engendered much more problems than it can solve. Such problems as prostitution, rape, homo-sexuality, adultery, lesbianism gay marriages, women trafficking, marital infidelity, divorce, waywardness, family anarchy, and such social evils of unimaginable proportions. Like ritual murderrobbery with violence, child trafficking etc.
 There is no gainsaying the fact that the impact of Christian religion has brought along with it more worthy values for the people of Umuna. The impact indeed has been paradoxically positive and negative, tasteful and distasteful, commendable and condemnable. It was inevitably a necessary evil.
 On a final note, it is an unmitigated fact that in spite of the fatal blows the Christian religion punched on the entire life of Umuna people, it must be agreed that without it the early man’s status could have lingered longer in our society and environment, however, “a religion that took no account of people’s way of life, religion that did not recognize spots and beauty, was useless. It would not be a living experience, a source of life and vitality. It would only main a man’s soul”. Think of that.

REFERENCES
Arinze, F.A. (1970), Sacrifice in Ibo Religion, Onitsha.

Barmby, D.O.(1934), “Intelligence  Report on the villages of Ukehe,  Umuna, Onyohor, Ochima,  Umuna, Ikolo Aku, Ohebe, Ngalakpu and Umunko” Nsukka Division, Onitsha Province, National Archives, Enugu, On Prof. 8/1/4724.

Berthrand Russel (1967), Why I am not a Christian, London: Union  Books.

Edmond Ilogu (1985), Christianity and Igbo Culture. University Publishing Company. Onitsha.

Ekwunife A.N.O. (1995), Spiritual Explosions, Reflecting on Christian lives and Practices in Nigeria. 

Ezikeanyi, F.U. (1982), “Odo Ancestral system in Aku” Okikpe: A  Publication of Diewa Writers Clubs; Vol. 2, No. 1,

Idowu, E.B. (1973), African Traditional Religion, London; S.C.M. Press  Ltd 

Iloeje, N.P.  (1963), A New Geography of Nigeria:  Longman Press Ltd. 

Jennings, J.H. (1963), Elements of Map Interpretations. London Cambridge University Press. 

Mbiti, J.S. (1969), African Religion and Philosophy, London: Macmillian  Press.

Ogbaji, C.U. (1984), Odo Ancertral Cult in My Town – Umuna  Problems and Prospects (Unpublished) NCE Thesis, Dept of  Religion. C.O.E.   Nsugbe.

Ogbaji, D.E. (1980), Pre-colonial History of Umuna (Unpublished) NCE  Thesis, Dept of History C.O.E. Awka.

Vansina, J. (1965), Oral Traditions, Chicago, Chicago University Press.

The Constitution of Umuna Town, Igbo Etiti Local Govt. (2005 Unpublished).

Chapter Fourteen

UMUNKO TOWN

By Chief (Bar) Kris Onubuleze & Mr Frank Agbowo

 “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.” John chapter 1:1 

INTRODUCTION

LOCATION OF UMUNKO
 Umunko otherwise known as Umunko Nejele Ogu is a town, in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State of Nigeria. The word Umunko simply means ‘offsprings or children of hospitality’. Etymologically, the word Umunko is derived from the words ‘Umu’ meaning children or offsprings, and ‘Nko’ meaning distinctly magnanimity, hospitality, mercy, humane, cleverness, sharpness etc as in ‘Omiko or Ominko’.
 The people of Umunko, not withstanding their lion heartedness, brevity, etc live every letter of her name. Umunko is also etymologically and etiologically seen as meaning sharp children. Ejemezu (1994:p3) in Nejele Light said, ‘the biological offsprings from these couples who were born and seen to be (Nko) very sharp, clever, strong, and have lion heart joined together to make up a town. Then a name to reflect these qualities was given to the town as Umu di nko Nejele Ogu’ meaning sharp children of Nejele Ogu and that in coining Umunko the word ‘di' in the middle was dropped and UMUNKO was formed.
 Umunko though previously bounded in the East by the Nike communities of Neke Ulo, Ugwogo etc is today bounded in the East by Ukehe Agu, which now lies, between Umunko and those communities in Nike. Some people like Nwele Agbo and Ozo Akunaguanya in an interview attributed this phenomenon to some obvious factors of population advantages on the side of Ukehe people as against Umunko people as Umunko community is one of the minority communities in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area.
 In spite of some of these obvious realities, some scholars still hold that Umunko has its boundary in the eastern front with Neke Ulo, Ugwogo communities etc. They argue that those who cut Umunko off and now occupy the area between Umunko and Nike communities are no more or less than tenants of or residents in   umunko land. They hope and argue further that one day, at God’s own appointed time, such land must be returned to Umunko, perhaps by some divine touches of the Holy Spirit on the holders.
 In the west, Umunko has its boundaries with Diogbe and Ukopi communities; in the north with Ukopi community and in the south, with Ukehe community. All these communities surrounding Umunko, except Nike communities, are all in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State of Nigeria.

AREA OF UMUNKO:
Demographically, the population of Umunko going by population projection on the 4,504 of 1991 population census figure is estimated to about 7,000 people. Umunko community land covers an area of approximately thirty (30) square kilometers. The limitation is equally attributed to some parts and portions of its land now in the possession of some of her surrounding communities without exception and according to Ugwuele, ‘Umunko community occupies a very vast area of arable land endowed with natural mineral resources’.
The community has many sources of water such as streams, lakes and springs, thick forests, which harbour wild animals of various types and hills of varying degrees and dimensions also abound. The presence of these features may be responsible for Umunko people being great hunters, farmers and warriors. “It may also be responsible for the covetous quests and encroachments into Umunko community land.The brutal murder of two brothers Messrs Joseph Odo and Bernard Odo in 2005 AD by the Fulani itinerant cattle rearers speaks eloquently for this. May their souls and souls of other late patriots Rest in Perfect Peace.” 
  

ORIGIN OF UMUNKO
Umunko is etiologically, such a mystified community that several origins are attributable to and associated with it by several scholars and resources persons. While some people claim that Umunko people migrated from Ikem, some others claim that Umunko people came from Mbu, and others view that Umunko came from Eha Amufu and Neke, all in the present Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Some other significant few believed that Umunko migrated from Abriba in Abia State.
 According to Ugwuele, ‘it is assumed that the father of Umunko community, Dulunankwa migrated or came from Ikem area… hence Umunko tradition/culture and that of Ikem community are identical.’ Ejemezu (1942:2), while expressing the myth behind the origin of Umunko, said that there are two versions as to the origin of Umunko viz: from Ehamufu and Igalla in Kogi State. He however, did not throw much light on this. This does not however, deny his findings some elements of truth.
 From the foregoings, it seems obvious that Umunko community migrated from its Northern axis, especially from the present Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. In the first instance, there are still two adjacent places in Ehamufu called Umunko and Ngalakpu, the old name of Diogbe. The adjacent nature of such two sister communities Umunko and Diogbe (Ngalakpu) in Ehamufu in Isi-Uzo LGA; and the similar adjacency of the same communities Umunko and Ngalakpu (now Diogbe) in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area has a lot to be desired and lend credence to the thought.
 Also in the vagaries of views about the myth of Umunko’s origin is the fact that the Traditional worshippers in Umunko today believe that their Odo masquerades return from Ikem and go back to Ikem after some months sojourning in Umunko. It is also part of their belief that the people who send the masquerades forth spiritually follow the masquerades to Ikem where they stay for seven native weeks which are equivalent to four Gregorian calendar weeks of sojourning in Ikem before returning spiritually back to Umunko, and on their return, the hairs in their heads are shaved, and merriments thrown for their successful return or home coming.
 As regards the claim of originality of Umunko from Mbu town, still in Isi-Uzo LGA, it becomes very important to examine the myth in the claim of Amagodo village, the first village in Umunko that they are “Ama-Mbuji Eze Utazi, Igbo n’aru ji abara nkashi” meaning a village in Mbu, a community noted for its yam and cocoyam production.
 The next in this work’s list, is the version that ascribed Neke town in Isi-Uzo as the traditional origin of Umunko community. It is obvious that Umunko people were being equally regarded and treated like Neke as brothers by the Neke people in Neke community especially on the matters of Odo masquerades and some other related matters. What is important to note here, is that some other towns or communities were not being so treated by the Neke people. In the domain or shrine of the dreaded ‘Odo Neke’ in Neke town, people from Umunko unlike people from other towns, were not pulling off their shoes or slippers, and were participating fully as members in the sharing of the proceeds from consultations made to the ‘Odo Neke’ deity or Masquerade.
 According to Onubuleze (2005), the school of thought that ascribes Umunko town as having migrated from Abriba in Abia State, the proponents argue as follows:
1. That Umunko people are warsome as Abriba people.
2. That Umunko is one of those hired warriors or mercenaries from Abriba hired by the Umunko’s neigbhouring communities and who stayed back after the wars.
3. That the claim of originality to Isi-Uzo in Umunko’s Northern front is a claim to another war some-like zone.
4. That the link between Umunko community and other communities in Isi-Uzo LGA is an exchange of some cultural aspects, like masquerades, as masquerades were instruments of war, and moreso when ‘Odo’ means warior. In Igalla or Idoma language where the Isi-Uzo people must have borrowed their Odo cultural menu, that was later lent to Umunko.

SETTLEMENT: On the issue of settlement of Umunko people, it is believed that Dulunankwa the father of Umunko, a great warrior, a hunter and farmer discovered the rich potentialities of the area and therefore decided to settle there to tap the rich endowments of the land. (Ugwuele, 2005:1)
According to oral tradition, the said Dulunankwa married Nejele Ogu who begot him the following six sons in their order of seniority;
1.  Dim-Ekwesu 2. Dim-Obuleze
3.  Diogu     4.  Okpara-Alugwu
 5.  Eze Nwanshieya   6. Dulunshi.

      Then the entire families including these six sons were before living together, but later they lived apart as they came of age in what is today called village arrangement.

VILLAGE FORMATION IN UMUNKO: Upon the growth and maturity of the six sons of Dulunankwa, he allotted a portion of land to each of his sons, and from such allotments made, and the resulting children from each of the sons, families, clans, and villages emerged in this order of their seniority and based on age.
1. Amagodo village begotten by Dim – Ekwesu the first son of Dulunankwa,
2. Amaokpuhu village begotten by Dim – Obuleze the second son of Dulunankwa,
3. Ohene village begotten by Diogu the third son of Dulunankwa,
4. Amadime village begotten by Okpara – Alugwu the fourth son of Dulunankwa,
5. Amaho village begotten by Ezenwanshieya the fifth son of Dulunankwa,
6. Amadulu village begotten by Dulunshi the sixth son of Dulunankwa.

1. AMAGODO: Dim – Ekwesu himself begot (a) Dienechi who begot (i) Agogwu-Obere the father of Elechi the father of Elechi Onuoha, and Onyima the father of Umuonyima and Eworo-Obere the father of Umunwokpe, and Ologwu-Obere the father of Umuodibe Nwanshi. (b)  Eloke Oga the father of Umueloke Oga. (c)  Dimeworo-Ogodo the father of the present Amagodo Uwani.

2. AMAOKPUHU: the son of Dim-Obuleze begot (a) Okaelenyi the father of Ani Nwalolo the father of Umuani, (b) Nwele Nwoka the father of Umunwele, (c) Ugwueke Nwalolo the father of Umunwugwueke (d) Ani-Eworo the father of Umuani-Eworo and (e) Ezeode the father of Umuezeode.

3. OHENE: the son of Diogu begot (a) Dimewa the father of Umudimewa, (b) Ezeanwugumma the father of Amadimgbemgbe (c) Amankashi-Etiti and (d) Amankashi Uwani.

4. AMADIME: the son of Okpara Alugwu begot (a) Elemule Nshinye the father of Umuelemule      (b) Oke-Udele the father of Umuoke-Udele and (c) Odufu the father of Umuodufu.

5. AMAHO (AMAFOR): the son Eze Nwanshieya begot (a) Atu-Ugwunye the father of Umuatu (b) Edumoga the father of Umuedumoga (c) Ugwunye the father of ugwunye, (d) Asogwa Ugwu the father of Umuasogwa Ugwu, and (e) Amaebo.

6. AMADULU: the son of Dulunshi begot (a) Oda the father of Umuoda (b) Ajima the father of Umuajima and (c) Uwelu.

CULTURAL ASPECTS OF UMUNKO
 Umunko is one of the communities in Igbo-Etiti LGA with rich cultural heritage worthy of sustaining and perpetuating. According to Biesanz and Biwanz (1964), culture, in general refers to the learned portion of human behaviour, the ways of thinking, feeling and doing things that man himself has developed as part of his environment.
 The Webster’s Encyclopedia unabridged Dictionary of the English language gives the sociological meaning of culture as: “The sum total ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another”.In his own submission Rev. Fr. Onyeneke (1993), sees culture as: “The way of life of a given society which is transmitted from one generation to another”. Continuing, he said that “a group of people, organized in their distinctive way is a society, whereas, their distinctive way of organizing themselves, learned by individuals as members of that society and transmitted from one generation to another is their culture”.
From the fore-going, one can easily deduce that culture is the totality of the ways of life of a people inhabiting a defined geographical location. These ways of life are tranmitted from one generation to another. For the sake of growth and development, and peaceful co-existence of any human society, the culture of that society should be dynamic and not static. Rev. fr. Onyeneke is quite sure of this when he said, “the culture of a society is in no way static. As creative responses of the people to adapt to their environment, culture has to sdhift and change as people’s environment similarly changes”.
To buttress it more, Rev. Fr. Iyidobi (1998) has this to say: “Culture is always a creature of man, since he continues modifies his way of life as his environment changes or demands. At the same time culture “creates” man, beats him into shape, makes him act, behave, speaks, dance, eat, worship, etc. in a particular manner making him or her an Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, English, French man or woman. Man is therefore, both a creator and a creature of culture. It is in dynamics of man creating culture and creating man that we find the possibility of cultural, and that is to say, human developments”.      
 Since culture is a way of life of a given human society, Umunko, as a biological human society, also has its own way of life (culture). The cultural life of Umunko community is, therefore, discussed below in synopsis under the following headings inter alia: Agriculture, Religion, Festivals, Marriage, Ozo title taking, Oha holding, Umu-Ezugwu, Umuada, Age grade, etc. However, for want of space and time our focus of discussion shall be on Agriculture, Religion, Festivals and Marriage.

AGRICULTURE
 Umunko Nejele Ogu is an agrarian community with vast fertile arable lands and other natural endowments like rivers, streams, lakes, timbers and other forests and water resources. Umunko has very good soil and environmental conditions which favour the growth of many agricultural crops. Although her farming is purely based on subsistence level, the community produces enough food for consumption, and for sales in her local Afor market. In fact, UMUNKO IS ONE OF THE MAJOR FOOD BASKETS OF Nigeria in general and in particular, Igbo-Etiti LGA. (Agbowo, 2005)
 People from far and near come to Afor Umunko market to purchase food items like yams, cassavas, cocoyams, vegetables, fruits – both cultivated agro cashews, mangoes, pears, and forest/wild fruits like ‘utu’ and livestock of different species.

Umunko is also the chief supplier of honey, bush and aquatic animals and meats, high quality palm wine popularly known and referred to as ‘Umunko’, pure palm oil and palm kernels, oil beans, kola nuts and a host of other products of cash crops in the Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area and environs.

 Agricultural operations in Umunko to a very large extent are not mechanized. Land clearing and cultivation are done manually with traditional crude implements like cutlasses and hoes. The sources of farm labour include the farmer and his family members, hired labourers and organized community/village labour which is rotatory among the participants. The use of chemicals or synthetic fertilizers is not common at all; instead organic manure is greatly used.
 The major farming areas (Agu Umunko), as we said earlier, are located at the eastern part of the community, a distance of about 13 to 25km away from the residential areas. Some farming activities are also carried out at the residential areas. All the natural resources like streams, rivers, lakes, etc. are found at the major farming area (agu). It is the existence of these resources that make the land in that area to be very fertile and productive too.
 Very few people live at the said Agu Umunko, and even at their death, their corpses are carried home (‘N’ulo’) for burial. In fact, that area Agu Umunko, is an Umunko Reserved Area (URA) for agricultural activities. Still related to agriculture, the people extensively do fishing and hunting. They do these especially during the dry season, which is the off-season for some other agricultural activities.

RELIGION
 Before the advent of western religion, African Traditional Religion (ATR) was the only religion that was in practice in Umunko. But today, there are two main religions – African Traditional Religion (ATR) and Christianity, which came to Umunko around 1930. Recently, the existence of the two religions is no more cordial. Christianity is taking and assuming very much ground. In some kindred today, there are few or no traditional worshippers but Christians.
 For the ATR worshippers, there are many deities or gods and Odo masquerades. Some of these deities are not, however, popular. Today, Iyi Ojii Amagodo, is the most popular and dreadful deity in the community and its adherents have high regards for it, especially in the nature of justice dispensations. According to the worshippers, it is a male deity. The deity even travel to other communities around Umunko for oath takings and administrations especially in very sensitive, controversial and serious issues. Because of the power it exudes, it has been titled EZEVUDE, and in many quarters, it is branded ‘BAKASI’.
 The feast of Iyi Ojii and other deities in the community are celebrated twice every year. Taking Iyi Ojii as an example, the first one is termed Iyi Ojii “Uya”, which is celebrated during the planting season, around the months of July and August. During this period, most of the agricultural crops are not yet mature. The items then taken to its shrine include kolanuts, palm wine, black beans and cocoyams, domesticated animals like cows, rams, goats etc. The second one is termed Iyi Ojii “Udumii” and is celebrated during the harvest season between the months of October and November. By this time, most of the agricultural crops are mature and are being harvested. Generally, the ‘real’ Christians do not participate in the feast of deities in Umunko. It is purely for the ATR worshippers.

ODO MASQUERADE
 Umunko, as an Igbo-Odo community in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, has Odo masquerades of various types and sizes. The feast of Odo is a celebrated biennial event, and the Odo masquerades return in four phases. The first to return is ‘Odo Ishi Aha’. This is followed by ‘Mbata ulo Odo’, that is the return of the musical troupes of Odo. Women are forbidden from seeing musical troupes of Odo because the Odo troupes are not masked. They go about naked beating their musical instruments. After the ‘Mbata ulo Odo’ the next category to return is ‘Odo Agu’ and finally ‘Okanrido’ which return twice within one Odo period.
 The return of ‘Okanrido’ in each case is not characterized by festive mood because special foods and drinks are not usually prepared to mark the event. It stays for four days in each occasion humourizing, cracking jokes, ridiculing people, clashing heads of families, relations, and friends and thereafter, goes back to the assumed ancestral spirit world. Women do not like Okanrido at all because during its return and stay, women are kept indoors, and their movement restricted.
 ‘Odo Ishi Aha’, being the first to return, is celebrated with conspicuous quaffing of palm wine. Both Okanrido and Odo Ishi Aha return in mask of young palm leaves (‘omu nkwu’). Odo Ishi Aha also have an eagle feathers piled on its head. During the first return of Okanrido another category of masquerades called ‘Mluamlua’ also return. It does not return twice, and it returns in a mask of young palm leaves. This acts like a security agent (police). It helps to maintain law and order. It hates people quarreling and fighting. In the past it use to compel women to keep roads clean, and women entertain it with wine and tobacco.
Odo Agu is the mostly lavishly celebrated phase of Odo festival in Umunko. The believers usually kill different species of livestock; buy foodstuffs, wine and friends invited from far and near. The Odo festival is believed to be men affairs and because of that, men use to buy dresses for themselves and costumes for their masquerades. There are many types of this category including ‘Okokoro’, Odo opipi and Agu. These are their umbrella names. The members of the category, except the Agu, are richly and elegantly costumed. Agu is usually masked in empty jute bag, old clothes and other tattered materials, and arms itself with canes, thorny sticks, and other dangerous objects like knives etc and as it moves about, it beats and harasses people indiscriminately. The Odo masquerades stay for about seven months before they go back to the ancestral spirit world where they will sojourn till their next returning period. During their stay, the believers are performing different activities and ceremonies.
According to Onubuleze, some Odo masquerades are significantly being used in settling disputes, maintaining peace, enforcing environmental cleanliness, enforcement of rules and regulations in Umunko, evening relaxations, hypertension reducing devices, entertainments etc.  

NEW YAM FESTIVAL IN UMUNKO
 In Umunko, New yam festival traditionally and popularly called “Ovu-Eja” in Umunko dialect is an invaluable and historic cultural festival. It is a festival celebrated annually by the natives to say thanks to the Supreme God, personal gods and gods of agriculture for keeping them alive and strong during the planting period. It is also the feast during which the people formally harvest and eat the new yams, and ask more favours from God, and the gods of agriculture. In Igbo land, new yam festival is a prominent event with varied dialectical nomenclatures.
 In Umunko the festival is celebrated between the months of September and October every year, and a lot of preparations are made ranging from the purchases of different items such as food stuffs, livestock, decorative materials like cloths, camwood and other cosmetic products, clearing of roads, harvesting of yams to be consumed and taping of palm trees extensively to produce palm wine during the period. Friends and well wishers from the neighbouring communities, as well as various tiers of government are also invited to witness the occasion.
 In traditional way, the actual celebration is performed throughout the community in the morning hours of ‘eke’ day with thanksgiving at the individual hamlet’s/kindred’s shrine, and churches. Some of the ritual items are kola nuts, palm wine, yam tubers, ‘odo’ (gorizza powder) and young palm leaves ‘omu nkwu’ to produce “Obara n’abo” which is placed in each of their shrine spots. The eldest male head in each hamlet/kindred or priests of different shrine perform this sacrifice. In the evening of the same day, the second activity characterized by dancing the “Ugeleji” music takes place at the ‘eke’ Umunko square. “Ugeleji” music is the most popular traditional music played during the new yam festival in Umunko, and a particular village, Amadime village, plays it. On this day, the mothers-in-law will invite their sons-in-law and their wives, and prepare delicious foods for them. In order to reciprocate this, the sons-in-law and their wives will carry kegs of palm wine to their mothers-in-law at “Afor” Umunko market square on Afor day during the outing ceremony which marks the end of the event.
 In the preceding day, that is the orie day before the afor day, which is another festive day, the traditional worshippers (males), visit every member of their respective hamlet/kindred from house to house and perform certain rituals. These rituals are performed in the shrines and churches. This to the traditionalists is carried out inside the yam barn, which is dialectically referred to, in Umunko, as “Onu shujioku”, that is, the shrine of the gods of agriculture. The items for rituals are kola nuts, palm wine and domestic fowls. At the end of the visits they will go back to their respective houses and reconvene later in the eldest man’s house with food, cooked fowls used for the rituals, and possibly, where applicable.
 The last day being “Afor” is the traditional outing to afor market and women and youths mostly perform this outing ceremony. In most cases the women will appear in their new attires. This day the women who take the new title called “Igba Echi” within the period of the festival will also appear in the market to dance, demonstrate and showcase the “Echi Ukwu” round the market. All mothers-in-law are expected to get kegs of palm wine from their sons-in-law at Afor Market Square on Afor day to mark the end of the event in the community.
 Christians do not participate in the rituals performed by the traditional worshippers. Rather, they celebrate the “Ovu-Eja” festival by attending the church services, and offering sacrifices in the church. They participate on the outing day because it does not involve any rituals.
 New yam festival (“Ovu-Eja”) is a period of relaxation, a period of reunion of relations and friends. It is also occasions during which people return en-mass and assess the degree of development projects embarked upon, and lunch new ones. In fact, it is a period for merriment, reunion, exchange of gifts, stocktaking, future planning etc. for the community. (Onubuleze: 2005)

TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE SYSTEM IN UMUNKO
 Marriage ceremony is another of cultural institution in Umunko community. Before the advent of western civilization, marriage institution in Umunko was done in the traditional ways. Certain procedures and steps were undertaken during the processes of instituting marriages.
 But with the over increasing and assuming position of Christianity, modern education and social mobility, some of these all important cultural values have been thrown over board. Nowadays, youths travel far and wide and get married to anybody they like with little or no regard for culture.
 The intention of this paper is, therefore, to discuss the traditional marriage in Umunko community starting from the time of our forefathers. The discussion is purely based on the sequential manner of the activities performed. Traditionally, all the marriage ceremonies are performed on Orie day because the community regards Orie as a female day, and the ceremony pertains woman.

STAGE ONE: The first stage is “Ibuyi mmanya n’eju”. This stage was in practice during the time of our forefathers, but it was no longer in vogue. The ceremony was performed as soon as a female child was born. In this case, the parent of the would be husband would carry a keg of palm wine and some kola nuts to the family of the new born baby girl for an engagement. The acceptance of these items was an indication that they had agreed to their request. The dating of the marriage would start from this stage and the girl would then become senior in rank to any other woman to be later married into the same family, village or kindred notwithstanding who is older by age.

STAGE TWO: This is enquiry stage (Iju ajuju). This stage is still in practice, and it starts as soon as the girl reaches marriage age. The desiring man makes enquiry about the family background of the girl and about the girl to be married. If the enquiry proves positive and satisfies the man’s quests, then, the man can now proceed to the next stage.

STAGE THREE: This is the stage of the invitation of the girl’s mother to and by the family of the suitor. At this stage, the man or his family invites the mother of the proposed wife. During this stage a reasonable quantity of palm wine, of about two gallons, and some kola nuts, are presented to the mother of the girl.
 After taking some of the kola nuts and wine, the purpose of the invitation will be made known to the invitee by the man’s father or his stepfather. Normally and ordinarily, the woman will not give an immediate reply. The popular reply is that, “I have heard when I go I will tell ‘Amadia’”, that is her husband. While going, she will be given some of the kola nuts and wine to take to her husband.

STAGE FOUR: This is the stage of the invitation of both parents. At this stage, the suitor will invite both parents of the girl, usually a week after the first invitation. Usually, he will present more wine of about two or more gallons and some kola nuts. After breaking and taking some of the kola nuts and wine, the purpose of the invitation is officially made known to the father of the girl by the father of the suitor or any other elder relation, if the father of the suitor is no more alive. As usual there will still be no immediate reply from the guests.
 While going back, they will take some quantities of wine and kola nuts home, which they will use to inform their own relations. It is at this stage that proper enquiry about the man himself is made. For traditional worshippers, it is at this stage that they will consult with fortune-tellers ‘Ndi afa’ before sending a reply “Aka ekwe” to the suitor and his family.

STAGE FIVE: When the suitor gets positive response Aka ekwe from the would be parents-in-law, he will again invite the girls parents and her grand parents, both paternal and maternal to disclose the same intention to them.

STAGE SIX: this is the stage of presenting kola nuts “Ipa oji” to the parent of the girl to be married. At this stage, an intermediary (go-between) popularly known as “Onye ozi” is appointed or chosen. “Ipa oji” is one of the most important stages in marriage ceremony in Umunko, because it is the official and legal means of authenticating a marriage engagement in the community. Once this marriage rite, “ipa oji” is performed, both the man and the girl are then, being regarded as husband and wife, and then, they are no longer treated as a bachelor and spinster traditionally.
 This stage is also the parameter used to determine the seniority of women married into the same kindred or village in Umunko. This marriage rite is performed with the following items; kola nuts of not less than a hundred seeds, wines of different brands and money. Thereafter, the girl is expected to return to her husband with the empty calabash used to carry the wine to her parents. This will indicate total acceptance of the kola by the parents-in-law.
After this stage of “Ipa oji”, the girl can now visit her husband to help him and his parents in some domestic chores. The husband is also expected to visit and help his in-laws in some farm work and other domestic activities.

STAGE SEVEN “ICHO OKU”: This marriage is performed after the “Ipa oji” ceremony, and it involves the husband sending the intermediary to his in-law with some quantities of palm wine and kola nuts. The essence of this is to beg them to allow his wife to come and stay with him for some weeks/days. This stage is the preparatory stage for the payment of the actual bride price of the girl. The usual period of stay is about one month and “Udu oku” ceremony will be performed.

STAGE EIGHT: “UDU OKU”: This ceremony actually symbolizes the payment of the bride price of the girl by her husband. This is what is today generally called “Igba Nkwu” in Igbo land. On this day the girl’s mother-in-law that is the mother of her husband (“Nne di”) is expected to buy cloths and other gift items for the girl for the first time. The relations of the man as well as their neighbour hood are also expected to present gifts in appreciation to the girl, for having stayed with them for some days or weeks.
The following items are used for the ceremony; a reasonable amount of money, reasonable quantity of wine of different brands, kola nuts and tobacco. The intermediary takes all the items for this ceremony to the girl’s parents with the girl. The girl is also expected to return to her husband together with the intermediary with the empty calabash/gallons used to carry the wine.

STAGE NINE: After the “Udu oku” ceremony, the parents of the girl will for the first time invite their son-in-law, his parents and relations to their house to perform the “Mara be” ceremony, that is knowing their house. The parents-in-law use the occasion to show appreciation for what the son-in-law has been doing for them since the marriage started.

STAGE TEN “MMANYA IKWU NA IBE”: This ceremony is the final presentation of wine to all the relations of the girl by her husband as far as the marriage is concerned. The ceremony is performed at the husband’s house and the quantity of wine depends on the number of the relations of the girl as all the extended relations of the girl are expected to be there.

 STAGE ELEVEN: “IHE NWA ESEGO”: This is the final stage in traditional marriage system in Umunko. It is performed by the husband of the girl to inform his parents-in-law and their other close relations that their ward has come of age to live permanently with him. Kola, food, meats, drinks and some amount of money are presented during the occasion. At this stage the woman will no longer be thinking of going back to her parents again.
 After this stage, the man if a traditional religionist, goes ahead to cohabit with his wife, and there and then, their marriage could be consummated. But where the young man is a Christian, the seventh stage “icho oku” as discussed above serves to inform his parents-in-law that their daughter has come of age and that he wishes to embark on taking her to the alter (wedding). If approved by the parents-in-law, the young man arranges for a suitable and convenient date for their wedding and takes his girl to the altar and weds her, and family life immediately starts, marriage consummated, and the couple becomes husband and wife on license.
 From the fore-goings, one sees that the traditional marriage system in Umunko is worthy of emulation. According to Frank Agbowo (2005), it enables both parties to have a thorough knowledge of each other before being deeply involved in the system. Traditional marriage is much better than the contemporary method of marrying at first sight without proper enquiry about the family backgrounds of both parties. The modification needed is the introduction of modern scientific approach in the system in Umunko.
 All hands must be on deck to ensure that the intending couples are genetically compatible before contracting marriage. When this is achieved, traditional marriage system will ever remain and suppress the modern method being introduced into the community. 

OTHER CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS IN UMUNKO

THE “OHA” UMUNKO: This is the council of elders from different villages and hamlets. However, not all hamlets as at today are represented in “Oha”. The “oha” Umunko is the highest law making body in the community. They decide and settle cases and conflicts among individuals and different interest groups. They meet as soon as the need arises.
OZO TITLE TAKING: This is for men. It is the only established and institutionalized title taking in the community, and like in other Igbo community where it is taken, it is for the riches. Ordinary people do not take it because of the cost effectiveness. The holders have their own code of conduct, and are respected everywhere in our society today.
THE AGE GRADE: This is an association of people born within the same year or period. Both males and females have their age grade associations separately. They take their names between the age of twenty and twenty five years. In Igbo land generally, age grade system is one of the recognized cultural institutions. Age grades participate actively in community tasks like road construction, peace keeping and maintenance etc.
UMU-ADA: this is the association of daughters born in each of the kindred but at the community or village level, it is loose. The association at the community/villages level is for the contemporary society and as such, membership is not usually compulsory.
UMU-EZUGWU: This is the council of women elders married in all the kindreds in the community. The eldest woman married in each kindred attend the meetings of the council of “Umu-Ezugwu”. Membership is only for the women who hail from Umunko. Those married from outside the community do not attend the meetings of “Umu-Ezugwu” even if they are the most seniors in their kindred.  All these institutions discipline their erring members according to the gravity of the offence committed. Very grave offences may even attract complete sanctions.
 Worthy of note is that Umunko community is a human biological society with many and diverse cultural values worthy of preservation for the posterity. Cultures, as we have known, is the instrument which shapes human society as any society without sound cultural values is destined to be ruined when faced with violent attacks of confused modernity.
 The culture of any society should be dynamic and not static in order to accommodate the changing environments and circumstances. In view of this, the Umunko community should, from time to time, evaluate and modify some of her antiquated cultural aspects to make ways for the changing environments it is therefore, recommended that any culture that is no more in consonance with the contemporary society will be laid to rest forever.

EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY ON THE SOCIO-CULTURAL LIFE OF UMUNKO
What is Religion? Religion, as defined by Encyclopedia (African) includes beliefs from all parts of the world about God. Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary defines religion as a belief in, recognition of, or an awakened sense of a higher unseen controlling power or powers with the emotion and morality connected there with; which may be a site or worship or a system of belief or worship. Karl Marx observed religion as a bourgeois attempt to feed the masses with opium, the elixir that numbs the sense from a correct perception of reality. Karl Marx also saw religious era as an era of darkness and a scientific era as an era of light.
 Religion is the strongest element in traditional background and exerts probably the greatest influence upon the thinking and the living of the people concerned. Kris Onubuleze (1983) defined religion as the bread of life, the moderator of moral, the belief in, worship of, fear of, and respect for supernatural being or beings, believed to have infinite powers. The conceived supernatural being may be God, gods, spirits, or objects. “Remove religion from man, blot out of his mind the belief in his maker, who rewards the good and punishes the wicked, the fact that he has an eternal destiny, and what we have left in him, is an animal who acts out of sheer material and egoistic motives and sheer convenience, one who obeys the law out of fear of punishment or hope of material gain or for pure intellectual satisfaction” (Amuchiazi: 1980 in Onubuleze: 1983).
 Why religion? (Origin of religion): According to Chief Kris Onubuleze (1983), religion is anthropocentric and, therefore, centers on man. Like culture, religion is man made. It is also by man and for man hence all aspects of religion and belief in it revolves on man in his relationship with the supernatural. It starts from the limit of man’s courage, endurance etc. When therefore, a man’s courage, endurance etc. which are limited in scope, reach their tether, to say the least, man starts to look for supernatural beings he believes are more powerful than he is to help and protect him.
 According to J.P Jordan in his book “Bishop Shanahan of southern Nigeria” at pg. 115, in man, nothing was farther from his mind than in materialistic philosophy of existence. Religion must have evolved from man’s fear and insecurity – the fear of death for example can be overcome by the simple religious belief that there is “life after death” (after life) with God.
 In Umunko community for instance, when somebody feels being unsafe, the person uses to invoke God for help by saying ‘Chukwu Nsoo’ – God protect me or ‘Chukwu, a dim gi n’aka’, - God, I am in your hands. In the dictum of late Chief Ozo Ezevude Onubuleze, religion is as a result of man’s fear and his inability to champion all his causes and his beliefs and this realization of beings with much more power than he has. For instance, in the bible, God was always severally in invocation whenever the people of Israel were confronted with problems.
Religion as a Culture: Firstly, culture according to Bar. Kris Onubuleze (1983: 6), refers to people’s way of life, the distinctive way of life of a people, their complete design for living. It is the resume or the some total of all the aspect of life of a given society or people. Such aspects include marriage, music, language, religion, dressing, greeting etc. Every aspect of culture has a systematic and patterned ways of observing it by its adherent’s right from the simple rudimentary eating.
Similarities between Religion & Culture: Like father like son, religion is like culture because it is a complex whole – complex whole in the sense that people under one religious umbrella have well organized, systematic and stereotyped ways of doing their own things like marriage, dressings, greetings, worship, etc. of which prescribed punishment or doom awaits any defaulters. Beside, religion resembles culture in the following ways:
1. It has already made solutions to all problems.
2. It is man made.
3. It is anthropocentric – focused on man.
4. It is a body of different aspects of life.
5. It provides a nice forum for moral training.
6. It provides a nice arena for socialization.
7. It has a set pattern and stereotyped ways of doing things.

Roles played by religions in our society:
(a) Religion is an important aspect of social disciplines and therefore, conditions the behavoural pattern of our society.
(b)  It leads to the understanding of the social actions since societal behaviours are mostly determined by what they believe in – “People act as they believe”.
(c)  Religious studies facilitates the understanding of the relationships between different religions and among religions and other social sciences like Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science etc.
(d) Religion helps in leadership training since it has a hierarchy of officials – it teaches role-play, leadership and followership responsibilities – “a good follower makes a good leader”.
(e) Religion plays a key role in the natural and national development, moral development attitudes and disciplines that are contributory to development. ‘Development’, according to Mr. E. F. Schumacher, in his book titled “A study of economics as if people mattered”, does not start with goods; it starts with people and their education, organization and discipline.
(f) Religion preaches love, unifies men, individuals, communities, states, nations and leads to a healthy society.
(g) Religion offers answer to man’s various and infinite metaphysical problems.
(h) Religion provides a forum for socialization of individual in his relation to others, since man is a social being.
 In Umunko today, Christianity has effected its so many socio-cultural changes. Such changes that are ushered in by this new religion, like coins, have two sides. One side of the changes favours the community, while the other side does not. In this section, the focus and attention of this discuss will be on the socio-cultural changes – positive and negative as brought about by Christianity in Umunko community. Here below, are the highlights of the changes extracted from consolidated and in-depth research, information, knowledge, observation, intuitions and experiences:

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY IN UMUNKO COMMUNITY
(a) Before the coming of Christianity in Umunko, only one religion religious type – Traditional Religion had been in practice, but with the advent of Christianity the center no longer holds, the center has been divided and Christianity has evolved from, and in the town. This no doubt has broadened the minds of the people in the community, by providing them with an alternative religious system, which helps to create a sort of checks and balances between the two religions.
(b) Social Systems: Christianity brought with it education and this education ushered in new language; new and better methods of dressing, better road networks, better environmental conditions, hygiene, varieties of music, etc. It therefore, makes life to be much more enjoyable and hopeful than before.
(c) Education: It will amout to injustice for any person in Umunko to think of education in the town without associating or attributing it to Christianity. The advent of the missionaries according to Onubuleze (1983 and 2005) and Lawrence Ugwu (2005), introduce a kind of Educational system branded 3Rs in Umunko around the year 1935. This 3Rs Education system was based on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic for keeping of accurate records and accounts. In view of the above, one can say that Christianity through Education brought total emancipation of Umunko people from abject illiteracy, superstitions, fear, and ignorance etc. (Kris Onubuleze: 1983).
(d) Ethics and Morality: In Umunko community, since the introduction of Christianity, slave trade, incessant mini-wars, and practice of killing twins etc. have become historical materials and therefore, no longer obtain. In the words of Onubuleze, (1983) this is a movement from barbaric state of nature to civilized world of accommodation and harmonious co-existence.
(e) Economy: The economy of the Umunko town has increased tremendously since the advent of Christianity. For instance, many new fruits like mangoes, cashews, paw-paw, etc. have been introduced into the town. Some aspects of technology also came into the town with Christianity, and crude and subsistent agriculture, which had been the ruleand practice in Umunko, is fast giving way to mechanized agriculture.
(f) Health: On health sphere, Onubuleze (1983), observed that Christianity played some key roles in the promotion of the health of the community people. According to him, Christianity did this through education. With education, people no longer shy away from disclosing their sicknesses for some therapeutic attention and solution, and the rule of the thumb method of treatment without diagnosis has been replaced with modern scientific diagnostic therapeutic method.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CHRISTIANITY IN UMUNKO
 A critical analysis of the positive and negative consequences brought about by foreign religion (Christianity) in Umunko community shows that Christianity has created more problems than it tends to solve. This highlights the saying that “any system, religion, politics etc. that does not take cognizance of the culture, norms, values and attitudes of the people in the community where it is going to operate, that such system is bound to create more problems than it intends to solve.” (Onubuleze: 1983). The community, in short, has fallen victims to Christian religion for a long time now. Such areas of victimization among others include:
(i) Cultural Neglect: The people of Umunko before the coming of the early missionaries with their Christian religion had been under one religious umbrella – Traditional Religion, but with the coming of Christianity, the centre no longer holds; many citizen have joined them, and these new converts were taught to look down on the culture of their land sequel to a betrayal of identity, as a community without a culture cannot stand on its feet in the comity of communities.
(ii) Social Segregation: The advent of Christianity in Umunko, marks a period of social segregation, religious discrimination and domination in Umunko community. On the introduction of the system in Umunko by the early missionaries, they imbibed in their converts, the spirit to disassociate themselves with their relations in traditional religion, the people they branded pagans. This seed of discord sowed by Christianity invariably affected the social and religious psyche of Umunko people, and had caused some breakages of so many families, with the resultant effects of sons rising against their fathers, and daughters against their mothers.
(iii) Cog in the Path To Development: In Umunko community today, non-conciliation, non-alignment and non-compromising of Christianity with the traditional religion tend to hamper developments in the community. “No wonder, the natives dodge the calls made to them for development fund raising, rates and launchings on the conception that the motive behind such calls is to raise fund for the Christians to appropriate”
(iv) Problem of Monogamy: According to Chief Bar. Kris Onubuleze (1983), before the introduction of Christianity in Umunko community, the marriage system had been that of voluntary system, where one had to choose for himself, whether or not to marry at all or to marry one or two or more wives. But today in the community, with the Christians monogamous principles, many Christian families are facing some cultural dilemma as the result of the one-man one wife monogamous rigidity of Christianity.
 Most of them who are childless more often than not have no alternatives as the result of the over-rigidity of the Christian doctrine, than to remain childless “in the name of Jesus”, an aspect, Jesus himself while alive, never preached nor decreed more so, in a world of our time where the population of unmarried women is far and much more out-ragingly above the population of the unmarried men. The resultant effect of this phenomenon is the inevitable multiplication and propagation of sexy-social immorality of prostitution, rapism, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism or gayism, woman trafficking, sexual abuses of sorts, voyeurism, insincerity, infidelity etc.
(viii) Family Problems and Disintegration: Many a family has been shattered as the result of incompatibility of Christian religion with the Traditional religion. For example, in a family where the man, his wife and children belong to different religions, the tendency for misunderstanding, disagreement and quarrel to crop in is very high.
This is because, “people are to act according to their beliefs”. Also many young ladies had divorced their early husbands on the ground of religious differences. Before now also, many a family had refused to train or send their children to school for fear that their sending them or training them might lead to the disintegration, relegation, abandonment and possible extinction of their cherished traditional religion.
(vi) Socio-Religious Anomie: Anomie is a state of hopelessness in a society or in an individual caused by some breakdown of rules of conduct and loss of belief and sense of purpose. In Umunko today, there are many people who though are in the minority – “the falling-away-Christians,” who are confused on what belief they are to hold – Traditional or Christian religion, and who can neither go back to Christianity nor fit in with the Traditionalists.
(vii) Waywardness: Since the advent of Christianity in Umunko with its monogamous style of marriage, the number of ripped but unmarried ladies has been growing in an alarming rate – a rate T. R. Malthus, a renowned economist would call – a rate in geometric progression. What happens is that at a certain age, parents of these ladies tend to be tired of sponsoring them, and for them the girls to make ends meet, these ladies tend to become subjected and vulnerable to multiple temptations, and as humans, some of them roam about our streets and tracks, social centers etc looking for “a catch” that is, men to trap.
(viii) System of Naming: As a result of their sociological and anthropological ignorance, of Umunko community, the early missionaries according to Onubuleze (1983), on reaching Umunko, as they also did in other communities unguardedly over-assumed that they were coming to fill a cultural vacuum in the community. Based on this their over-assumption the said missionaries on arrival at Umunko started tagging their early converts names – foreign in character, with no Cultural, Local, Tribal or National identity as if they were dogs.
For this reason a school of thought asked, “Is the root of Christianity in the tagging of names?” It is noteworthy that the converts did not receive this attitude without some skepticism, more so when somebody’s name, which is so meaningful, is rejected, and a name without social, spiritual, or otherwise is given to him.
 The still unanswered question is, “why should a name like” ‘Chidinma’ meaning, “God is good” be rejected and such name like “Martin” meaning “a bird” be preferred?”  This is but prejudice arising from jaundice mind.  In reaction to this, very recently, many Christian families have recovered and recollected themselves and have started giving their children some very meaningful Igbo names during baptism – names like Okechukwu, Chigbo, Chiwike, Kosisochukwu, Chideraa, Ukamaka, Kelechi, Nnaemeka, Nnedi, Anayo, Chikodili, Ngozi, etc.  In deed this is a cultural resurrection, and some progressive revolution against religious relegation and subjugation (Kris Onubuleze: 1983 and 2005).
All said and done, from the foregoing, it is highly recommended that for a harmonious socio-religious co-existence, intercourse and interplay, some maximum restraints are required from and among varying religious groups and adherents, who must realize that we are all “Godman” “bearing witnesses to the Universality of God’s love – Bro. John Colriveau OFM. CAP – His message to the Secular Franciscans in Nigeria from Collegio Internationale S. Lorenzo Da Brindisi, Rome on Saturday the 15th October 2002

EDUCATION IN UMUNKO: THE TREND
“The faith of empires depends on the
 education of the youths” – Aristotle.
Education generally is the acquisition of knowledge.  According to Onubuleze, it is the all-round development of a child, and or an individual for the development of the society. Therapeutically, education is the cure for ignorance and superstitions.  Education is an age life continuous process, which starts from birth, continues with life and invariably ends with death.  It could therefore be informal or formal with its agencies as the homes, peers, churches, schools, work places, media, etc.
Chief Lawrence Ugwu (2005:1) citing Chamber’s Dictionary defined education as “bringing up and instructing or strengthening of the powers of the body and mind.”  According to Ugwu, education in Umunko helped to shape and change the bloody power exercise and heavy-hearted style of life, coupled with wanton antagonism which made Umunko Community very dreadful and famous to a life style of communalism as they were invaded by the Europeans who killed some of her citizens, burnt down some of her ancestral central village halls and masquerade halls and houses.
The trend of formalized education in Umunko is not much of chequered origin, as it started in the 1930s.  According to Chief Alexander Eze (Ezeity) in Onubuleze (1983), Rev. Fr. Millet the then Priest in charge of Nsukka Parish and his agents consulted and agreed with Umunko people around 1934 for the erection of a multi-purpose thatched building at Eke Umunko, for the said building to serve as school, church, and meeting place, etc.for the people of Umunko.
Upon the completion of the said building, according to Onubuleze (1983), a son of the soil Chief Alexander Eze (Ezeity}, who had just in 1934 completed his standard four (Std. 4), and was in 1935 sent from St. Theresa’s Catholic Mission, Nsukka to be the first Cathecal Teacher of the school.
The site of the school was later transferred from Eke Umunko to a portion of land along the Old Enugu/Nsukka Road, the portion which had since been retrieved by Amafor people, and which has since been partitioned, sold and or shared among Chief Silas Ugwu-Nwokolo, the principal seller and Chief Basil Ugwuanyigbo, Marcel Odoke (Anibuodi) and Anthony Oka (Ojijieme), and James Asogwa.  From this portion or site, the school was later further transferred to Afor Umunko market site where since it has remained till date.  Also inclusive among the early teachers in Umunko, were Basil Nwugwunwarua of Ekwegbe, John Nwike of Amagodo village Umunko, Simon Ezugwu etc.  (Onubuleze, 1983).
It should be noted that prior to the establishment of any school in Umunko, Christianity was already on the ground in Umunko; and before even Christianity was introduced in Umunko some citizens of Umunko were already Christians.  The first ever-converted Christian in Umunko was Chief Patrtick Odo Agu (Odo Aguogwu).  He was already a Christian before Christianity came to Umunko, and it is on note how he assiduously and untrammeled worked harder to see that Umunko people embraced Christianity, and communally built the multi-purpose building for school, church, meetings, etc.  (Onubuleze, 1983).
The said multi-purpose building used for school, church, meetings and occasions etc. was a product of joint and united efforts of all Umunko Adult Natives financially and otherwise – Traditional Religionists and Christians alike.  According to Chief Odo Ugwu in Kris Onubuleze (1983), during the construction of the school/church block, the natives cooperated, and without their joint efforts, the building should not have been a success.  According to him, it was the natives that provided the sites, the building materials, and moreover, financed the construction of the building from foundation to roofing (Onubuleze, 1983).
Despite all the efforts exerted by the natives, it is interesting to note that on the invitation by the missionaries to the natives for them to send their children to school, the natives became very reluctant to send their children to school to the extent that some of them even accused the missionaries of exploiting them, the natives, of their sons and daughters, hence they branded the missionaries with the name “Onye ocha na amu na Ishi-nne” to mean “the white man that beget children when the children have already grown up.” (Onubuleze, 1983:26).
The people of Umunko at the early stage of their educational development viewed Christianity with its attendant school and style with some degree of skepticism, suspicion and fear.  Christianity as viewed by Kris Onubuleze (1983) came to Umunko community in Western personnel, Western culture, Western philosophy, Western Theology and Western psychology and cultural values like monogamy, institutional celibacy, flowing garments reminiscent of the Roman Toga or of medieval Europe, Western names an d concepts of authority etc. and all these contributed in scaring some natives from joining the missionaries and attending their schools.  
Continuing, Kris Onubuleze (1983:27), viewed Christianity as exhibiting some cultural disregard and subjugation, and social degradation.  He also observed that in revolt, some of the Christians in Umunko especially the opportunists among them in the community, devised means of having their one leg in Christianity and another leg in the African Traditional Religion (ATR), while others unequivocally denounced their membership and or association with the Christian Religion and their schools.  To Chief Lawrence Ugwu (2005:5), “the missionaries on arrival under-rated the Umunko cultural heritage, vandalized and cajoled our ancestral worship, desecrated protective forests and vegetations, introduced divide and rule system in the native courts and polity.”

EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
 The coming of the missionaries according to Chief Ugwu (2005:3) brought with it love, equity, justice, fair play and unity in Umunko.  The missionaries came in with three Bs (BBB): Bibles, Bullets and Business.  With the bible, Umunko were taught about God; bullets were used to bring about colonization through fear and intimidations; and, business brought about trade in Umunko which was used as vehicle of exploitation.
Then education was before based on 3Rs, that is Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, until later when the 3Bs were introduced, and both methods have uncountable impact on the education and development in Umunko community. Umunko, which before had no functional literate indegenes, today has many functional graduates in the varying fields of human endeavour.  According to Chief Ugwu (2005:6), the introduction of UPE in 1955 in the Western Nigeria and 1973 in the old Anambra State of Nigeria marked the explosion of school population and encouraged the recruitment of many teachers, which Umunko is among of the beneficiaries.  It is on record that Umunko had between 1950-1960, only about three trained teachers.  But today, Umunko can boast of many trained teachers and who are variously and gainfully employed.
Notwithstanding the population inadequacy of the community, she achieves what she wants to achieve through adequate attention and educational trainings she gives to her children (Onubuleze, 2005).  As at today, she has produced many men of timber and caliber.  In the words of Chief Lawrence Ugwu (2005:7), “She can today boast of a Chief Magistrate in the person of Chief Kris Onubuleze, and several other lawyers, sound educationists, a Chief Medical Consultant and Neuro-Surgeon in the person of Prof. Dr. G.O. Eze, and other medical and veterinary doctors and other Para-medical practitioners, engineers of assorted disciplines and majors, business magnates, eminent politicians like Hon. Ig. Ishienyi, Hon. Okey Agu, Hon. Dr, Lasbon Onubuleze; seasoned and renowned administrators, engineers, top business men, scientists, linguists, clergies, Reverend Fathers, and other religiosities, technicians and artisans of repute, men of civility, etc.”

SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN UMUNKO
 “For any society to be stable, it must have sound social, economic, political and educational systems.  The absence or inadequacy of these systems in any society will bring woes, rancour, disunity, anarchy, character assassination and battered economy in that society.  In very severe cases, it may even lead to extra judicial human killings, kidnappings etc.  Such phenomena can never bring meaningful development in any society.  (Frank Agbowo (2005:1).

The Social Sphere – Umunko people have very high regard for social activities.  Many ceremonies, feast and festivals are celebrated every year, and they spend ostentatiously on them, but because of crumbled economy in the country today, little attention is being paid to some of the smaller feasts.  A lot is still being spent on death and second burial and funeral ceremonies annually.  Such festivals as masquerade (Odo) festival and New Yam festival are very much attended to.  Birth and naming ceremonies are other areas, which the people do not joke or play with.
 According to Godwin O. Eze (2005:1), socially, Umunko has abundant interactive activities.  Such activities are marriage ceremonies, funeral ceremonies, Odo festivals, Ozo title taking ceremonies, Echi-ukwu, naming of newly born babies, Ama ceremony and “Shujioko: (new yam festivals).  However, with the advent of development in religion and ardent instructions of religious leaders, the center can no-longer hold as it was in the past.  There is now serious impairment and the shadow of the social activities in the recent times has greatly been severed.
Youths of Umunko according to him, are also very much engaged in sporting activities.  During Christmas periods, the youths in all the villages in the community engage in friendly football matches among themselves.  Such friendly matches also extend to their neighbouring communities like Diogbe, Ukopi, Ekwegbe, Ukehe, Umuna etc.  According to oral tradition, during the time of their forefathers, wrestling was very much in vogue especially during the new yam festival (“Ovu-eja”) celebration. Then, people from other five villages in the community and neighbouring communities used to go to Amagodo village for the purpose of wrestling and other social interactions.
The Economy – from time immemorial, agriculture has been the main occupation and economic base of Umunko people. These include also farming, tapping, fishing, hunting, animal rearing etc. Other activities like hunting and fishing are done on part-time basis.  This is, probably, because the father of Umunko by name Dulunankwa was a farmer cum hunter.  So, it is a legacy transmitted to them from their ancestors. 
Although, agricultural activities are carried out in traditional ways with crude implements like hoes and cutlasses, the community has been able to produce enough food for family consumption and for sale in her local market.  However, today the occupation of the people has been diversified.  Many people are today civil servants of different categories.  Others are engaged in businesses of different scopes and dimensions.  Some are petty traders while others are giant merchants, drivers, farmers, etc.  The people of Umunko get their livelihood form these exercises. (Godi Eze: 2005)
According to Eze in the past most of our residential houses have thatched roofs with mud walls, but today, many modern houses with varying architectural designs are being built because of the improved economy and civilization.  The community also has many other infra-structural facilities such as rural electrification, pipe-borne water, Health Center, Secondary Schools, Primary Schools, Civil Centers and established market called “Afor Umunko” where they showcase their agricultural and other economic products.  All these are as a result of the economic awareness and desire for development of the people of the community.
The Political Sphere – In the past, the only system of administration in Umunko was the traditional system of government.  The Council of elders, made up of the clan heads, was the highest organ of administration.  During that time, the community experienced many inter-tribal wars, but in the present dispensation, there are the Town union, Youth’s associations and women organizations, which help to foster developmental activities in the community.  In the modern system of government, Umunko is not left out in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Politics.  (Eze: 2005).
According to him, Umunko ranks the third community as far as the political administration of the Local Government Area is concerned.  He said that their people participate actively in politics today and occupy very important political positions.  In his words, “Umunko community is a politically peace-loving society, and embrace the politics of “No victor, No vanquished”, playing like the players in the football field, not daunted, but fighting to win or lose gallantly”.
From the foregoing, it could be deduced that sound social, economic, political and educational systems bring about even development in a society, which is a change from one stage to another.  In Umunko today, there are a lot of social, economic, religious, political and educational improvements.  As a vibrant and dynamic society, Umunko community is a community to be proud of and emulated, especially in its drive for peace, security and development.

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