Ebira people have a unique culture of cerebrating the exit of their loved ones, especially when the deceased lived a fulfilled life and pass away at an old age.
In Ebiraland, a man who lives up to eighty to hundred years is believed to have attained old age and worthy of celebration when he pass away. Ebira people strongly believe in life after death and so burial ceremony is regarded as a noble and cherished duty towards the dead whom they anticipate will reincarnate back to life one day.
The type of burial ceremony depends on the age of deceased, sex, wealth and social status. the history of this tradition can be traced to as far back as Ebira people have been in existence.
The burial rites is classified into two categories: the ‘Ogugu’ burial rite and ‘Onyi muruwei’.
The “Ogugu” burial rite is done for a male elderly person while the “Onyi muru wei” is performed for a female elderly woman.
In the past when an elderly man die, the first way of notifying the people of the departure of a member of the village is to beat the local drum called “Arigede” the surroundings will now be decorated with assorted cloths. This is what the people refer to as “Avahi”
The family will proceed to organize what is called “Osamakuru” to announce his death around the village at the next dawn. Osamakuru as the name implies is coined directly from the name of the night masquerade, osamakuru, a night outing where a night masquerade known as osamakuru dressed with palm front leaves, and his face covered with a black charcoal paint go round the village to announce the demise of the deceased.
After the osamakuru is done, arrangement for “ogugu” is then kick started the next day, during this process children and grand children of the deceased will hold a family meeting to share roles as it relate to arrangement of the necessary logistics needed for the “ogugu”.
During this “ogugu”, local foods like apapa, iya “pounded yam”, Uka “amala” and local wines like palm wine “eche omo”, corn wine “eche ayi” also popularly known as burukutu in Hausa dialect are prepared for the entertainment of guest. While all these are on going, an “anuva” a dancing and singing procession is organized at the paternal home of the deceased where some few selected native singers and day time masquerades known as “eku echichi” visit at interval to pay homage to the decreased.
“Onyi muruwei” on the other hand is done for an elderly woman who passed away, but before that the children of the deceased must seek the permission of the “omenyi” the paternal family of the deceased because they alone hold the right to dig the grave and bath the deceased formal therefore no formal burial of a woman is allowed to hold in their absence.
What differentiate this “onyi muruwei” from “ogugu” is that osamakuru, eku echichi is not needed, but local foods and drinks will also be prepared as “anuva” procession go on, native singers from immediate clan of the deceased and neighboring village perform to entertain the guest and eulogize the spirit of the deceased.
While some selected female members of the family go round the village with a picture of the deceased and a traditional dancing artifacts known as “enya ohu”.
The secret behind this “enya ohu” remain a mastery till date, it is believed to be a very highly powerful artifact which form integral parts of women’s powers. in the olden days, only women who are believed to have power to communicate with the spirits can set up “enya ohu” and once its done the secret of what is used in doing it remain within them.
On or after the ninth month of the burial, the house of the deceased is normally cleansed. The wives/wife of the deceased will go to wash in a stream to prepare them (herself) fit for normal life again. On this day (which is usually very ceremony) the deceased’s wealth, including wives and children, are shared. It is on this day too that the house of the deceased is cleansed for reoccupation.
Ebira people believe that even though a person is dead, his spirit is still in the former dwelling place, hence nobody is normally permitted to live in the place until after formal ‘cleansing’ on the ninth month when the deceased should have left finally! All burial ceremonies and mourning normally end on this day of cleansing which is usually fixed on a local market day.
– Amb. Aliyu Mahmud Amoto
