Ala by the artist, Ezem, in Enyiogugu, Aboh-Mbaise, Nigeria, 1960. Photo by Herbert M. Cole.
In Igbo mythology and traditional religion, Ala (also known as Ani, Ana, or Eli) is the Earth Goddess or Earth Mother serving as:
- Fertility and agriculture: ensuring fruitful harvests and abundance
- Morality and justice: maintaining social order and punishing wrongdoing
- Protection:…
Photo: Ohafia, 1930s. G. I. Jones.
One version of the origin of Ohafia matriliny describes how pregnant women, during the migrations of the Ohafia people, were sometimes left behind—either because they were in labor or due to the suspicion that they would give birth to twins, which was considered an abomination.
Ohafia's rich cultural history reveals a…