A Y-shaped currency piece known as àpá in Igbo, or the 'Ogoja penny', it replaced an earlier hoe-shaped currency in the Cross River Igbo area (around Arochukwu) known as ányú. Taken in 1908. British Museum
The Y-shaped currency, referred to as àpá in Igbo, holds significant historical and cultural value in Igbo society. It was commonly…
Iri Agha is a war dance of the Ohafia, Igbo subgroup, from southeastern Nigeria. The dance is an energetic interpretation of this culture and expresses the past martial arts activities of the Ohafia communities, who are very well known for their bravery and skill in battle.
Traditionally, the Ohafia were a tribe of feared warriors, and their culture glorified those people who returned from the battlefield with the heads of their enemies-a proof of their bravery and status. Iri Agha dance is done to commemorate such achievements through energetic movements that mimic what exactly a warrior would do during combat. Dancers, usually in their warrior attire with ornamental swords or machetes, move in steps showing valour, agility, and victory of the Ohafia warrior tradition. The music of the dance is usually provided by drums, flutes, and other musical instruments.
A boy about to undergo the Dibia initiation in Ohafia-Igbo.
In the Ohafia-Igbo community of southeastern Nigeria, the initiation of a dibia (diviner or spiritual healer) is a revered process steeped in symbolism, mysticism, and spiritual awakening. This rite transforms a young initiate, often a boy or adolescent, marking his journey from ordinary life to a…
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…