Ohu, Osu, Beliefs etc
Eric Kalu
Our people say that "okenye anaghi ano n'ulo ewu amuo n'agbu ma o bu mkpu ". Jusk like
a number of people have come out against your recent utterances - I feel
I will be failing in my duties if I do not comment on some of the very
things you have written.
Osu (we call it Opu-nta - "small horn" in my neck of woods) as you have
been told is not same as Ohu. Let me tell you how the logic of this
discriminatory behavior goes in my part of Igbo land. According to you,
your father had a sexual affair (that resulted in an offspring) with an osu.
Because of this singular behavior, all your father's siblings, children etc
will be categorized as osu. It is an irony that you who think of yourself
as freeborn, will be seen as otherwise in another part of Igbo land.
The logic of the argument is that he who partakes of what has been
dedicated to the gods (Osu) must himself/herself become instrument of the
gods. So if you like, apologize to our own people who are today referred
to as Black Americans or if you don't want to, go ahead but be reminded that
they have not identified themselves as osu but to my own part of Igbo land,
you have just identified yourself as one. The way of this world !!
Discrimination is not good because it could be reversed, turned up-side down
and always be justified. I am serious about this. If you were from my
village, your family will have a hard time being accepted as freeborns.
Thank God that enlightenment has helped a lot of us today although some
people who reason like you did in your earlier write-up are still around.
Unfortunately, such people will not have anything to do with you because
you are an offspring of your father. apologize let us move on.
mazi egwu kalu
Africanson
I must apologize for missing the origin of this story about osu, ohu, etc.
In other words, I did not see the original piece that the comments below
were meant for. Accordingly, I must apologize up front if I happen to be
making some comments that are not relevant.
But be that as it may, I know that some of our people at home (and probably
some of us abroad) tend to ostracize the so-called osu people. For
instance, some refuse to marry osu. I consider this attitude/belief quite
unfortunate, and I feel so sorry that some of us believe in such things as
osu and the arrogated "consequences" that might happen to those who
associate with osu. This is, to say the least, ridiculous. There are
several reasons why I consider the attitude to Osu ridiculous. For time
constraint, let me point out one.
My home friend, Cy (from Akpugoeze, Oji-River, LG, Enugu -- a businessman
at Ekwulobia, Aguata LG, Anambra), wanted to marry (circa,1977) a lady he
fell in love with from Ekwulobia. Some of the indigenes of Ekwulobia told
him not to marry the lady because she is osu. Of course, he did the right
thing: he ignored them and married the lady. Today, they have four
bouncing children -- one just finished High School, and all are doing so
well in Nigeria today. The point? NOTHING associated with OSU HAPPENED,
and NOTHING will happen, as a matter of fact.
It is time some of us ignored this unreasonable belief and start
cooperating and uniting with each other. That is all!
Brotherly,
Umez
PS: I know the story of Osu. I simply consider the associated
consequences ridiculous.
Godson_...@dot.ca.gov
---------------------- Forwarded by Godson Okereke/D07/Caltrans/CAGov on
04/05/99 05:51 PM ---------------------------
Godson Okereke
04/05/99 01:45 PM
To: ek...@dingo.eng.fsu.edu
cc:
Subject: Re: Ohu, Osu, Beliefs etc (Document link not converted)
Mazi Egwu Kalu,
Thank you very much. It is clear now that the only self proclaimed OSU in this
medium is SAMCHUKS. Since what is good for the Goose is good for the Gander, I
therefore suggest that we cast the self acclaimed outcast out of this
information group. I will say this to SAMCHUKS "If you live in a glass house do
not throw stones".
Ichie Kalu Chukwu gozie gi.
G kanu Okereke
Eric Kalu <ek...@dingo.eng.fsu.edu> on 04/05/99 12:48:52 PM
Please respond to ek...@dingo.eng.fsu.edu
To: SAMC...@aol.com
cc: igbo...@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu(bcc: Godson
Okereke/D07/Caltrans/CAGov)
Subject: Ohu, Osu, Beliefs etc
Egb...@aol.com
writes:
<< The point? NOTHING associated with OSU HAPPENED, and NOTHING will
happen, as a matter of fact. >>
++++++++++++++
Umez, my brother:
If anything EVER happens, it won't be anything that wouldn't happen to any
other HUMAN person. SAMCHUKS is a living example: His old man lived his life
-- not a day less. How unfortunate that he (Sam) fell prey to the same
mentality his old man had helped to break in his own small way - and during
the dark days of early Eurocentric Christianity. BLESS HIM, LORD; and may his
offspring summon the courage with which to take the fight just ONE step
further by NEVER EVER AGAIN speaking evil ... even where there is a modicum
or rather semblance of the perception of his UGLY assertions.
Umuibe, we must hearken to Okaa Odunukwe's plea. It is a shame that the curse
of "amakaekwu" has no boundaries. It is these uncouth and ineducable Igbo
people who bring down the house on their kind. Which was why the "stupid"
Igbo society took care of such aberrations in their controlled systems ---
until "ndiofeke" took over and topsyturvied our system. And THEY are the
"born agains"!
Let's not turn this issue into a battle ground. It is there; we know. I know
non-Igbo people who know and understand. Yet, there are many who would dig in
and twist. And they have the like of Samchuks to ride on. Trouble is, ayt
times like this, "egbe" (hawk) and "egbe" (gun) suddenly become the same, and
we step on all sorts of toes, including friendly toes.
I don't know how on earth a simple search for a wife became such a headache.
Now some gleeing imbecile is going to send the Canadians crude MISconceptions
of his or her troubled souls as "FACTS," when in fact s/heknows next to
nothing about the particularities of the asylee's communities.
Before I chill on this, let touch briefly on the promised piece, now
truncated. Time was when folks shied away from Onicha women: ["Ha wara anya"
-- they would say] Time was when no Catholic "knight" would attend the
wedding of his daughter if she married an Anglican (their sons marrying an
Anglican would pass!] Time was when it was the Aro [re: Ajalli and Nawfija…
and many others]. Time was when matrilinearity in some Bende (Ohafia?)
communities drove a wedge. Time was when "Owere" women bore the brunt -- for
their "social emancipation" a la Azuanuka! Time was when Mbaise expensive
matrimonial ceremonies became an obstacle. [Tell you the truth: since my
uncle took it to the limit and even more (including the "love nwantiti
Mobilette"] no one from my kindred have dared return the trip -- though they
have come thrice already for our only ONE away match :)))]
Fact is that until we begin to break the barriers, the deadheads amongst us
would win. The first man in my town to marry an oyibo (English) was disowned
by his father, who had fifteen wives and so many children he lost SIX sons to
the Nigeria-Biafra War. Guess what: this lady speaks Igbo with the local
dialect, something some women married from nearby Anambra are yet to manage.
And she is a TOP UNTH medico prof., gets her wrapper right and knows the best
bargain sheds at Ogbete Market. Oh, BTW, my Mbaise aunt speaks the dialect
like she was born and brought up in the village!
SAMCHUKS' father was a pioneer, and history will accord him the FULL
respects, when finally this idiocy is dead and buried. Forget the Osu/Ohu
"bull," what SAMCHUKS preaches today is reprehensible, but I guess it is a
reflection of his own social sophistication. If his friends won't marry an
African-American, I would only imagine they look in all the wrong places....
say some bars across the road from some Project. Need I say more? [BTW, if
I wasn't hooked, I wouldn't be having a man-to-man talk with Steadman about
the belated reply I got from Oprah :))) ]
That fewer Igbo men are married to "Hausa" (read Northern] women as Northern
men married to Igbo women has little to do with ethnicity. Hey, you got to
see 'em to marry 'em J. Sam our brother cannot gloat over his insensitivity
and verbal diarrhea with his personal feelings about his brother (whose story
is sure to be diametrically opposite to what he is feeding us.. at least, it
might have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the caste issue, but everything to
do with his personal creeds and other umunna issues). Sam was wrong and he
should not compound it by insulting our intelligence. If I were the brother,
I would just do the obvious.
I do not think anyone should ostracize Sam in this forum… assuming he has
something relevant to contribute to Igbo--net; that would be descending to
his level. He is a brother and he is welcome to stay. Of course, his
Christian sermons now amount to hypocrisy of the worst kind; of course,
never bothered with such postings. I would rather someone feed me a weekly
piece on Odinani, an old-time religion of my ancestors: MY RELIGION.
Deeme nu.
MOE
Ps: Please do not copy/fwd to another net.