The Ecotheology of Ahobinagu:

An Igbo Deity of Wildlife and Forestry

By Nze Izo Omenigbo

Uzu amaro akpu ogene, ya nee egbe anya nodu (A blacksmith who does not know how to
fashion a twin gong should observe the kites tail)
Igbo Proverb

A Primal Birth
Quite plainly, Ahobinagu or Obinagu is identifiable as the Igbo Alusi (Deity) that is
spiritually inherent in the flora, fauna and extensive wildlife of the forest. A brief
etymological assessment of the word itself reveals Obinagu as an essentially aggregated
Deity. In other words, it is a spirit-guild of the countless, highly diversified essences
immanent in the ecosystem of forest life. However, this definition should notby any
meansbe seen as a cementing point of the obviously far more complex nature of this
Deity. Perhaps, a very convenient way to comprehend the nature of this
unique Alusi is to picture a host of spirits, each embodying a specifically assigned
purpose in its nature, but all sharing one great cognitive head. Also, the somewhat
similar image of an octopus might come to mind. But surely, an octopus is no
contestable match for Obinagu, any day.
For a credible theogonical account (Deific Birth) of this Alusi, it is only right to refer
to one of the two well-known and comprehensive cosmogonies of the Igbo world. In
one of these ancient creation stories (or unified field theories as theyre branded
today), both the known and unperceivable dimensions of the universe (Uwa) were
considered to be in a unified state of rest at one time. A state simply referred to as the
primal house in this cosmogony. In this immensely unifying houseonce existed the
secret project of Chi-Ukwu, the colossal God. However, given the very curios nature
of Chi-Ukwus wifeKomosu, this secret project was consequently made known
when she bravely ventured to peep into Chi-Ukwus coveted Obi or sacred enclave,
which was located right in the middle of the larger primal house.
Subsequently, beautiful Komosu was martyred by the impact of the immense primal
energy that escaped from this private enclave, and thusthe known world was born!
In other words, it is essentially in this great outburst of dynamic manifestation that
the basic building blocks of life were seeded or brought into being. However, as the
Divine being that she is, Komosu consequently reincarnated back on Earth, as Ala, the
Igbo Earth Goddess.
So, following a brief analysis, it becomes rather logical that the very earliest seeds to
have possibly emerged from Komosus initial mischance should be the immanent
spirits/essences, incarnated in the infinity of created life across the universe,
especially as is observable here on Earth. In this sense, the Alusi known as Obinagu is
principally one of such primal incarnations. Moreover, as an indispensible ally
of Ala, it is only proper that Obinagu should share one of the Earth Goddesss
imperative attributes, namely, an eco-system.
Given the discovery of what mustve seemed an incredible bond, the ancient Igbos
most likely proceeded to place Obinagu in the readily acknowledged position which it
continues to inhabit today in the larger Igbo Cosmo-theological system. In a more
summative analysis of this multifaceted Deitythen, one can briefly
consider Obinagu as partly serving as a well-realized Spiritual Locus of the Earth
Deity within the intricate natural network of the forest. Hence, the dual meaning of
the name: Obi-nagu (I) That which lives in the forest (II) The heart of the forest.
An Inherent Operative Synchronicity
In the many Igbo traditions where this Deity is highly revered, such as in Udi
Enugwu State, there are many associated activities that are considered sacred to it.
One of such is the Egwu Obinagu, which literally means, Obinagu music. This sacred
music is also known as Igede Obinagu, in other parts of Udi. It is essentially flute music
(Egwu Oja). But the accompaniment of other wooden Igbo musical instruments is not
entirely forbidden. However, the use of metallic musical instruments such as Ogene
(twin gong) appears to be excluded from that opportunity.
Indeed, if one would only stop to consider the profound and unrelenting reverence
that ancient Igbos had for nature, then the much deeper mysteries behind the
resource-specific instrumental selection of Egwu Obinagu will become evident. An
important remark is the fact that the Oja (flute) is an instrument that is totally carved
out of wood. And wood itself being a resource that can only be naturally acquired
from the foreststrikes a note of great importance, in relation to the forest Deity
itself. Hence, the reason for excluding the Ogene and other metal-honed musical
instruments in the accepted implements for making the Obinagu sacred music.
It is also important to point out that the primal resident spirits that inhabit the
various streams and springs that course through forestsare not left out in this
intricate synchronicity of spiritual forces, which in turn aggregates into Obinagu. This
becomes further obvious, following a recognition of the indispensible union between
water and the boundless, naturally-laid network of trees, herbs and shrubsall
layered out in profound harmony, with the rest organic/inorganic presences in Earths
ecosystem.
Indeed, life feels itself and in return, it progresses to express what it feels through
nature. However, beyond the overt, mundane and maneuverable aspect of a Deity
such as Obinagu, there exists a core spiritual dynamic to nature that has continued to
escape contemporary awareness. Yet this simple core can be appreciated once again
through the grasp of a very ancient language. This language is no other than the
sacred cosmic language, Afa. The amazing thing is that were told by the ancients that
humanity once spoke in Afa. And even at that time, it was considered a sacred tongue,
just as its still considered today. In other words, according to Igbo mythic account, if
humanity had once regarded the language of Afa as sacred, then surely, we mustve
at one timealso viewed ourselves, the speakers of this languageas sacred beings.
Were also told that among other things, Afa is also fundamentally a language of
nature; a language of the gods. However, since nature is also our only viable means of
interfacing with the godsthrough Afa, then Afa is also a cosmic language, because
all the higher Deities are principally cosmic beings. Now one might ask, what then is
the basis of such a language and how did it come to be spoken by man? Well, the
simple secret is that Afa language was patterned after the brilliant, vibratory harmony
that is found in nature. And since it is held to be lifes very first languagespoken by
the gods themselvesthen it was destined that humanity should inherit this cosmic
tongue from the gods, just as it inherited other wonderful gifts of civilization from
them.
We dont know how we came to forget or lose the ability of this divine tongue. But a
very mystifying fact about Afa is that it is a language that can only be understood by
nature; which means that we once spoke and communicated with nature, much like
we do with ourselves today. Interesting isnt it? Well, actually not all of us have lost
this ability. Our Ndi Dibia still retain it and in fact, they still employ a great deal of it
in their work. Notice that Afa proves to be an all-encompassing and all-knowing
languageas a result of its ability to interface with all of nature, hence interfacing
with all of life. At this juncture, the spirituality of nature and the bonding nature of
spirituality is made evident, as one makes the connection to the earlier stated
harmonic-essence that is fundamental of the Obinagu Deity.
Now whether in Igboland or elsewhere in the world, we might have succeeded in
convincing ourselves that there are certain, extant members of creation that are
strictly known as plants. However, the truth is that, at one time, man himself was
also a plant in the garden of nature! Specifically, we were once man-plants or what
is known as Akwu. A linguistic variation of this name is still used for the palm-tree in
Igboland today. Moreover, the palm-tree is also considered sacred all over Africa,
especially in its aspect as the tree of life. So, in contrast to the exceptionist
perception of most people todayin respect to the place of man in nature, Afa tells us
that we once viewed ourselves as merely members of the colossal, cosmic organism
known as life, whose outer ornament is the awe-inspiring nature.
For the keen-eyed observer, a plethora of clues abound in Igbo life and culture to
substantiate the mystic remnants of Igbo antiquity, in respect to nature and how
ancient Igbo societies related to nature. One of the most obvious of these is the Igbo
word for name: Afa (pronounced differently). Already, one can sense the overt
etymological relationship between Afa, the name and Afa, the tongue. Still, it becomes
even more obvious when we consider that in Igbo culture (indeed in many African
cultures) ones name is believed to embody their existential lot or destiny in a given
life-timein addition to serving as their natural compass. In other words,
ones Afa (name) essentially becomes a dual conception; especially in the Igbo
sense. Firstly, as their sacred individual code for assessing natures existential
allotment for them (destiny) and then, as their divinely-accorded compass for
identifying their place amidst nature (distinction). Hence, without even recognizing
it, ones name is essentially their own unique cryptogram; their cosmic code for
relating to Chukwu and the gods. And even more, ones name is their
first Afa (divination account).
Without diving too deep into the mystical dimensions of this fact, it can be observed
that humanity actually has no choice but to recognize its sacredness once againas
part of the divine ornamentation that is nature. Therefore, as privileged and
responsible members of this endless festivity of life, our role is precisely that of
caretakers and not squanderers. Furthermore, in relation to this inherent role of
custodianship, another sublime parallel exists here between man and Obinaguas the
custodian Deity of natural life in the forest. However, in the end, it appears that even
more responsibility is expected of man as Mma Ndu, the crown of creation.
Igbo Antiquity and Ecotheology
Regarding the sheer, immense reverence that ancient Igbo societies had for their
natural environment, the opening axiom of this discourse makes it even clearer with
its instructional dictionrecommending that humanity should turn to nature for her
absolute wisdom. In fact, it is arguably only out of such similar, passionate and
overwhelming reverence that the ancient Igbos went as far as condemning the
conception of twins, which they innocently considered an undoing of a primal modus
in their cosmology of the human reproductive systemin relation to the larger
paradigm of nature. All this were done in their honest efforts of preserving the
essentialities of what they considered as highly sacred, the Earth.
However, they also came to realize in the end, out of ensuing wisdom that When
something stands, another thing stands beside it. Curiously, till this very day, this
monumental amendment (termination of the twin taboo) along with its many
theological and cosmological triumphsremains one of many such profound turning
points in Odinala and Igbo culture in general, that have managed to pass by without
any epically recognized or institutionalized celebration of it, for unaccountable
reasons.
At this point, it is also highly important to point out that even at the time when this
act was still practiced, the twins were not exactly killedin the literal sense of that
wordbut were merely taken to the very thickest parts of the forest, where they
were plausibly left in the care of Ala and the forest Deity. An observable reason for
this decision being thatinstead of having to bear the more recognizable karma that
comes with conventionally taking a life, one would rather have the fate of such
children determined by the Deities themselves.
Still, what is far deeply inherent here is that, in this monumental case of theological
defeat, the operative synchronicity of Obinagu and Ala is made even more evident, as
one recognizes the explicit irony behind the act of handing over these children to two
Deities whom were both considered as Divine Nurturers. At this point, we can
imagine the outright perplexity that mustve overwhelmed the ancients. However, in
their infinite wisdom, they would guiltily return back homeonly to mourn these
same children and offer copious sacrifices to appease Ala for the mind-boggling act
that had just transpired.
Essentially, the very multi-faceted and primal status enjoyed by Obinagu, as a
custodian Alusi of the forest is almost unquantifiable. However, one only needs to be
reminded of the highly agrarian nature of Igbo society prior this age to make the
connection. Hence, given the very predictable preference for well-nurtured wildlife
and agricultural yields at the time, there surely couldnt have been a better role for
this Deity.
The Imperative Need for Re-Consecration
The Deities (in their aspects as Gods and Goddesses) are profoundly influential by
nature, and countless in number. However, since the very beginning of time,
humanity as Mma-ndu (the crown of creation) have unarguably enjoyed a God-given right
to explore, harness and negotiate the potentialities of these various incarnated forces.
But just as even the most mundane of lifes activity requires a procedural edict/code of
conduct, so does the consecration of these higher forces require a spiritually sound
arena to be made very effective.
Obinagu, for instance, cannot be aligned or brought into operation in a naturally
deprived environment, because it is a Deity that operates simultaneously with nature
herself, in the capacity of its custodian. Also, the mere knowledge of the esoteric
operatives used in sacred science is not necessarily enough to potentiate a Deity. Just
as an actual car will require a competent mechanical engineer to be present from its
creation process to the manufacturing processso as to ensure optimal performance
in the finished productin the same way, a potential Deity requires a
competent Dibia Ogwu to be present from its creation (or negotiatory process,
depending on the Deific hierarchy) to the erection and final dedication process. More
importantly, a very spiritually disciplined mind/population is also imperative for such
universal principles to be brought downin the first placeto earthly dimensions
and even more, to make them abide for a very long time. This is the inherent strength
and genius of ancient Igbo societies. The discipline of their time should be a strong
fascination for any clear minded Igbo person today.
In fact, one of the utmost advantages of deific consecration to man is that, unlike
modern scientific results and its technological triumphs that often waiver in their
abilities, mystical/spiritual potencies (whether they come in the form of a massive
Esere-Ese/spiritual inscription, a massive pyramid or even in the form of a simple
tree-post) are still essentially non-third dimensional in their potency. Hence, theyre
essentially predisposed to influence (positively) or mercilessly interfere with
anything below their dimensions of origin; just as one cannot help but experience the
inevitable presence of rain and sunshine here on earth, regardless of their personal
opinions about these two perceivable forces of nature, whose origins are well beyond
the third dimension.
So, in consecrating or aligning these Deities, we automatically implore them to
oversee and influence our third dimensional experiences. But in other to be able to
operate these higher forces (especially the more manipulative lesser deities), a sacred
state of being is imperative. In other words, Igboland has to be re-consecrated once
again, because our Deities cannot do much for us collectively at this point, until we
jointly reinstitute our traditional ethics and re-consecrate the land for them to be able
to co-inhabit it with us.
Fortunately, considerable efforts are been made towards this agenda, at this point in
time. But there is no denying the intensity of the task ahead. Nonetheless, it is only
common sense that Igbos all over the world should begin to see themselves as
returning prodigals, in the most productive sense of that expression. Because
eventually, one cannot grow too far from their roots, anyway.
Nze Izo Omenigbo