KWENU! Our culture, our future

Revisiting the Alusi concept

CHINEDU MADUABUM

Onitsha, Nigeria

Sunday, April 18, 2004

“It baffles me how Ndiigbo have abandoned their customs and culture, which is biblically acknowledged in preference for the western brand that is not biblically traceable: yet the bible remains the major reference point of moral control of Christianity”

Amaechi B. Chizota,PhD

INTRODUCTION

Our society has been seriously injured since the Western culture was given more preference, to the extent that every single practise in our cosmic philosophy is regarded as devilish. It perplexes me how even our educated sons and daughters have joined the train in criticising and educating the young ones that our ancestors were ignorant of God thereby engaging in devilish practises. In a TV debate in a local station in Anambra State, one of the speakers was very proud to say that the White man taught us how to wear clothes. That prior to the arrival of the mercenaries, our people used to move around half-naked and, not only that, they -- the perfidious albinos -- brought us out of the dungeon of primitivism.

Such statements are evidence of a very high degree of Western ignorant dictates because the same man failed to understand that Adam only covered his skin after he had known evil, yet the supposedly informed fellow reads the Bible. Apart from that, if we are to check in the whole continents the people who are half naked in contemporary society, we will discover that the same people who taught us how to wear clothes may have discovered that it is even better to be half-naked. In the streets of America, people move around half-naked, the movies (more especially the soft-core pornographic varieties) and the music are all substantial examples of half-naked people moving around. So what lesson do you decipher from it?

The Alusi concept has received more criticism than any other practises found in the Igbo culture. As a matter of fact, it is referred to as the visible devil more especially in Christianity. One man I was discussing with told me that his God warned him not to worship any other god beside Him. Good and fine, and no one is arguing about that, but the point is that if only the man is aware that the name God is a taboo compared to the Igbo interpretation of Chi-Ukwu, he may never had made that statement. The name God, whether with a big "G" or a small "g" means object of worship. It is so little for the Almighty to answer because there are so many Gods we worship every day. The man you call "Oga" (Lord) in the market or working place is an object of worship. In the courts and in our everyday life, we greet our elders with respect by either bowing our heads or holding both hands together indicating an object of worship. Ignorantly, the man has so many Gods beside his God going by his belief. Or don’t you think so?

This paper will therefore seek to correct the wrong impression that has been attached to the Alusi concept and also take a critical and expositional look at the divine plan, pattern and mission of the concept.

THE CONCEPT AND PURPOSE

Alusi is an institution of moral control of the society. But how is it a means of moral control. The name, "alusi" may sound devilish from the point of view of the critics who have decided to be blind, even though the word when interpreted means “evil should stop.” The word is derived from the words alu (evil) and si (stop) as in "ekwutosi." In other words and in some communities in Igboland, it is called Alukwusi; that is, "Let evil stop." A friend of mine from Umunnya told me how every okolo (youth) in the community is expected to buy a cane and leave it with the chief of the Alusi that governs the community. If you commit a crime anywhere, an unseen force will flog you until you go to the market square and confess. Could this be devilish?

Most shrines are symbolised with a tree, as we shall see later. It is believed that the root of these trees serve as a current to every part of the community. When an evil is committed within the jurisdiction of the Alusi, the roots immediately get the signal and an alarm is forwarded to the chief priest who summons a meeting with the elders of the community. A message is immediately sent to the effected family and the punishment rendered so as to appease the spirit and to ensure that no further evil is committed to that effect. This does not mean there weren’t cases of people committing evil and going away with it but the ratio was minimal compared to what we have today, even with the police and, above all, with Christianity as institutions of moral control.

THE CONTROVERSIES

Alusi in Igbo land is an institution of moral control of the society as earlier stated. It is located in secluded areas, far from the city and mainly in thick forest. In Igboland, there is hardly a family without a holy place in the compound known as Obi. This holy place is sacred and only the head of the family goes in there to consult the spirit of his ancestors. The Obi is a place to consult the guiding angel of the family and, in the community as a whole, Alusi serves as the place of spiritual consultations and only the chief priest (ezemmuo) goes in there. The Bible has it in Genesis 21 verse 33 that Abraham planted a grove in Beer-Sheba, where he always went to reverence the Almighty.

This idea of using special trees (ogilisi, in small scale, like in the family setting, and ngwu, at village levels, for examples) to represent the site is also a practice in Igboland, which may have had its root from Abraham. The argument here is that these trees are being worshipped, which is a great mendacity. Abraham did not worship the tree; rather, the tree reminds him of the exact position where he had consecrated, so also is the purpose of some of the objects used to signify a consecrated place in Igboland. It is like a church built and a name written on it. The place serves as a holy site to all those who worship in the building, and there are places in the building that only the priest or pastor enters. Does it mean that they are worshiping the building? No, not at all but the building is a reminder of where their holy centre is located, lest they go and worship in another building.

The other issue that has attracted criticism is the presence of a red and white material that is used to enclose the total land surface. I cannot see the devilish presence in red and white. I think, if God is interested in having a flag for his nation, then he would definitely go for red and white and even blue because red is a symbol of salvation, white for holiness, and blue for blue vow that requires 40 days of fasting, which Christ underwent. When Christ was pierced, blood and water came out from his body. The red signifies remission of our sin and the white for the washing of the body by water (holiness). The presence of water at the entrance of the shrine is used to wash away uncleanness, and the sacrifice of animals is also a symbol for the remission of sin. Is it different from the ritual of the Christ?

The red cloth stands for remission of sin while the white stands for purification by water. If I may ask, is it for the White man to teach us that Christ is the lamb God that takes away our sins, or the Igbo man who had practiced the ritual before Christ? The White man does not even know and has never practise the ritual of killing animals like fowl, goats, and lamb for remission of sins. The White man finds it even difficult to kill animals. But the Igbo man knows that blood is very important to cleanse the society and, anytime the society is defiled, animals mentioned above are used to cleanse the society, depending on the gravity of the crime. The highest of such sacrifice is human blood. Any Jew or mystic will agree with me that the food of the spirit is blood. Christ was ritually sacrificed so as to appease the Almighty Spirit, for no other sacrifice would have appeased Him if not a human sacrifice. Thus, Christ was used as the bridge towards reconciling the God-man interface.

Another controversial figure is the chief priest or mediator between the spirit and human. It is not given to every one to be a chief priest. Some are called to be lawyers, others doctors, others teachers, and so on. It is an anointing that possesses a person and not a nominal cum electoral process. Christ was not elected to be the chief priest; he was called, chosen, and anointed by God. The guiding angel of the community calls, chooses, and anoints the person who will serve in the capacity of the chief priest. These people are not expected to work, but they live from the tithes and gift offered to the spirit. Is it not the same concept in our denominations? Do your reverend fathers and pastors work? Don’t they feed from the tithes, offerings, and gifts you give them? So who copied from the other?

Be an impartial observer and post your answer into your minds.

Christianity has completely copied and destroyed our customs and culture to favour the Western culture, and it quickly tags our religion "devilish." If you look deeply, you will discover that almost all the practices in Christendom were copied from our customs and culture but, this time around, they were made to favour the Europeans. The family, which is the sole ground for inheritance, has been shifted to government; education is now at schools; skill acquisition has been destroyed by the introduction of machines, just to mention but a few. Capitalism, Democracy, and Christianity are the arsenal of Western dominance. Abraham saw it and continued to live in booths; the Israelites also pitched their tents outside the city gate until the city of Canaan was delivered into their hands. It is time you pitch your tent outside Western system that are summarised in Capitalism, Christianity, and Democracy. The Alusi concept was never the idea of the devil and will never be; rather, it is the idea of God for a pattern, which we shall now see.

THE PATTERN

When the Most High divided the nations to their inheritance, He assigned to each a guiding angel (Alusi). This particular statement is found in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32 verses 8. There are some Bibles this particular verse was omitted and changed in others to favour the Europeans who interpreted the Bible to their various languages. These angels were to serve as guiding spirits to the communities until the arrival of the Messiah, who would be the ultimate mediator. So, when Christ came, it marked the end of all imperfections (1Cor. 32:10). They are imperfect because even after all those practices our ancestors still died, but Christ brought everlasting life through his death, which will be actualised in His second appearance and the ultimate establishment of the kingdom of God here on earth.

These practices were supposed to cease, but it is an acknowledged fact that the Jews are yet to accept that their Messiah had come and performed the ultimate feast of Passover. The orthodox Igbo man still believes in consulting the shrine and to kill animals for the remission of sin because he is yet to acknowledged the hypothesis as well. That is where the problem is. The Alusi concept became invalid the very day Christ was raised on the cross and sacrificed. But because our people are yet to come to that knowledge, the concept continued. The concept was never an evil one but a plan of God for a while until the arrival of the Messiah who will then perform the feast of Passover once and for all and every other practice of killing animals for the remission of sin will cease because the ultimate price has been paid.

This is the knowledge our person needs to develop into and not to criticise and condemn the concept as having originated from the devil. The concept was never the ideology of the devil, but the devil merely used it as a means of deceiving the people even the very elect if it were possible. The devil is very much aware that the mysteries of God are hidden in those practices, which he set up as sketch towards a divine realisation of his kingdom here on earth. Thus, he blinded the people and quickly made us to believe that our customs and culture are devilish and that of the White man was from God. No doubt the Bible even warns that the things of God in the last days will look like that of the devil, while that of the devil will look like that of God. And he has hidden these things from the wise and prudence, but reveals it to little children (see Matt 11: 25). Who would believe that Alusi is a God-oriented ideology?

CONCLUSION

I have always stated and will continue to state that you are the chosen race in the world. Cut out from Israel as the 10 lost tribe with the mantle as the Ephraimites, who will rise in the last days to rebuild the Tabernacle of David that is fallen. It takes a prophet to unveil these things and only a prophet can reactivate Abrahamism in you because he is given an eagle eye to see afar off. And today a prophet has been raised from among you, as Moses prophesied, to restore our hope.

I stand to be challenged.