war dance
THE HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF WAR DANCE
This aspect of the Ohafia people’s history remains fundamental to the Ohafia people’s sense of identity.
The ancestors of the Ohafia people were renowned as mighty warriors. They were constantly on the lookout for wars in which to take part. They became something like mercenaries and the people of Arochukwu, who were all over Igboland ‘hunting’ for slaves, harnessed this warlike spirit in Ohafia people to their own advantage.
The warrior’s cap or “leopard cap” (Igbo: Okpu agu)is well known and is an associated product of Ohafia.
The Ohafia warrior tradition is embodied in the performance of iri agha. The practise of beheading a fallen foe was a favourite pastime. A human skull was valued as a souvenir, and it was a proof of a man’s courage, which brought to the Ohafia man different types of honour. Only those who brought home a human head could join the Ogbu-Isi society and wear the eagle plume of courage. The love of military glory became a consuming passion and the focus of all social values.
The Ohafia people, whose warlike exploits made peaceful travel impossible, were now able to work abroad. By 1913, most of
them were trading at Itu, in Akwa Ibom State, and Calabar, in Cross River State.
EKPE
Igba Ekpe, is a famous cultural festival and traditional masquerade in Ohafia, Abia State, Nigeria. It features energetic leopard-symbol masquerade displays, rhythmic native drums, and precise traditional dance steps that unite the community.
Origins and Meaning
- The Leopard Symbol: The word Ekpe means leopard. It stands for strength, victory, and freedom.
- Historical Roots: Ohafia people adopted and adapted the Ekpe tradition through historical trade and migration ties with Cross River and coastal neighbors.
- Community Unity: The festival celebrates peace, good harvests, and age-grade milestones.
Key Features of the Festival
- Masquerades: Dressed in elaborate raffia and woven costumes (Ugbo-Ekpe), performers dance with exact rhythm to the beating of drums.
- Age-Grade Displays: Different age groups (Uke) use the platform to display unity, civic pride, and social organization.
Timing: It is often tied to seasonal celebrations like the New Yam Festival (Iri Ji) and major community homecomings.
IRI JI: CELEBRATING THE HARVEST AND HERITAGE
Iri Ji, commonly known as the New Yam Festival, is one of the most significant cultural traditions among the people of Ohafia. More than a celebration of the arrival of a new agricultural season, Iri Ji represents a profound expression of gratitude, community, ancestry, family and cultural identity. It is a time when the people come together to celebrate the fruits of the land, honour their heritage and renew the bonds that unite the community.
Yam occupies a special place in Igbo culture and has historically been associated with hard work, prosperity, strength and achievement. For the people of Ohafia, the cultivation and harvesting of yam have traditionally been closely connected with the rhythm of community life. The arrival of the new yam therefore provides an opportunity to acknowledge the labour of farmers, give thanks for the harvest and celebrate the abundance provided by the land.
At the heart of Iri Ji is the ceremonial presentation and eating of the new yam. Traditionally, the new harvest is not treated as ordinary food. It carries cultural significance and is welcomed through appropriate traditional observances before it becomes part of the community’s regular diet. The ceremony symbolises the transition from the old agricultural season into a new one and expresses hope for another year of abundance and prosperity.
Iri Ji is also a time for family and community reunion. Sons and daughters who may live outside the community return home to participate in the celebration. Families gather, meals are prepared and shared, visitors are welcomed, and relationships are renewed. In this way, the festival strengthens the bonds between generations and reinforces the principle that, regardless of where people live, they remain connected to their ancestral home.
The festival provides an important platform for the expression of Ohafia’s rich cultural traditions. Traditional music, dances, masquerades, ceremonial attire, storytelling and other forms of cultural display may form part of the celebration. The distinctive cultural identity of Ohafia—its history of courage, communal solidarity and respect for tradition—is reflected in the way the people celebrate and present themselves during important cultural occasions.
Iri Ji also provides an opportunity to recognise the importance of traditional institutions, elders and community leadership. Elders serve as custodians of cultural knowledge, while traditional and community leaders help preserve the customs and values that give meaning to the festival. Their participation provides continuity between the experiences of past generations and the aspirations of the present.
For younger generations, Iri Ji serves as an important cultural classroom. Through participation in the festival, children and young people encounter traditional foods, language, music, dances, stories, symbols and communal practices. They learn that culture is not merely something found in history books but a living inheritance that they have a responsibility to understand and preserve.
In contemporary Ohafia, Iri Ji can also serve as a platform for community development and cultural tourism. It provides an opportunity to showcase the community’s history, traditional craftsmanship, cuisine, music, fashion and landmarks to visitors and members of the diaspora. Proper documentation and promotion of the festival can help create greater awareness of Ohafia’s cultural heritage while encouraging younger people to take pride in their roots.
Ultimately, Iri Ji Ohafia is a celebration of harvest, heritage and hope. It brings together the past and the present, the farmer and the family, the individual and the community. It reminds the people that prosperity is not measured only by material possessions, but also by the strength of relationships, respect for ancestry, preservation of culture and the willingness to pass cherished values from one generation to another.
Iri Ji is therefore more than the eating of the first yam. It is a celebration of who the people are, where they come from and the heritage they are entrusted to carry into the future.