In Igbo culture, as well as in neighboring communities, people who died under unfortunate or unnatural circumstances—such as suicide, execution, or mysterious illness—were often denied proper burials. These deaths, known as onwụ ike (hard death), left the deceased in limbo. Instead of being buried in family land or a graveyard, their bodies were disposed of in the wilderness, often referred to as the “evil forest” (a term readers of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart might recognize). In such cases, the individual’s spirit would be unable to transition into the afterlife, where they would typically become ancestors or await rebirth. As a result, they were believed to remain on earth, sometimes becoming violent spirits or mischievous poltergeists. These spirits caused disturbances such as making household items disappear, frightening people, or causing distress to relatives.
In Igbo belief, spirits have an aversion to earth or soil. This is also seen in the legend of owummiri (mami water), a spirit that hovers above the ground when walking. Throwing soil or earth on malicious spirits is therefore believed to repel them, a key element in rituals like the one Thomas documented.
Source:
Northcote W. Thomas – Anthropological Report on the Ibo-speaking Peoples of Nigeria, (Igbo-speaking people of the Awka district), 1913.
Achebe, C. (1958). Things Fall Apart. Heinemann
