HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Alusi
OR:
Alusi on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Arusi (also spelled Alusi or Arunsi) are spirits that are worshiped and served in the
Igbo religion Ọdinani (), also ''Omenala'', ''Omenana'', ''Odinana'' or ''Ọmenani'', are the traditional cultural beliefs and practices of the Igbo people of south east Nigeria.Afulezy, Uj"On Odinani, the Igbo Religion", ''Niger Delta Congress'', Niger ...
. There are many different Arusi and each has its own purpose and function.


Ancestors

The Igbo world is divided into several interconnected realms, principal among them being the realm of the living, the realm of the dead or of the ancestors, and the realm of the unborn. Individuals who led an honorable life and received a proper burial proceeded to the ancestral realm to take their place among the ancestors ("''Ndichie''"), who are separate from the Arusi. From there they kept a watchful eye on the clan and visited their loved ones among the living with blessings such as fertility, good health, longevity, and prosperity. In gratitude the living offered sacrifices to them at the family hearth, and sought their counsel.


Arusi worship

Each major Arusi has a priest in every town that honors it, and the priest is assisted by a group of acolytes and devotees.


Children and Arusi

Children are still considered the greatest blessing of all and this is reflected in popular names such as Nwakaego; a child is worth more than money or Arawakan; no wealth is worthier than a child, or Nwabuugwu; a child is the greatest honor. In a small part of Igboland (Imo and Abia states- Mba-area), women who successfully deliver ten children are rewarded with special celebrations and rites that honor their hips. Infertility is considered a particularly harsh misfortune. The Igbo believe that it is children who perpetuate the tribe, and in order to do so children are expected to continue Igbo tradition and ways. Parts of Igbo divinities is ''Agwu'', the alusi of health and divination. Agwu is a concept used by the Igbo to explain and understand: good and evil, health and sickness, fortune and misfortune.


Pantheon

*
Ala Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to: Places * Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village * Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village * Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province * Ala, Gotland, Sweden * Alad, S ...
*
Ikenga Ikenga (Igbo literal meaning "strength of movement") is a horned Alusi found among the Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria. It is one of the most powerful symbols of the Igbo people and the most common cultural artifact. Ikenga is mostly maint ...
*
Igwe Igwe (meaning ''"Sky"''), is a royal title or method of addressing traditional rulers that control autonomous communities in Igboland. In other words, Igbos approximate the term to the HRH style. An Igwe is therefore defined as a holder of a titl ...
( Sky Father, also known as Igwekaala in some areas) *
Anyanwu Anyanwu (''anyaanwū'', meaning "eye of the sun" in Igbo) is an Igbo solar deity and a surname given to people of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Anyanwu is also the name given to a major character in the Octavia E. Butler's '' Patternist seri ...
* Idemmili, river goddess * Agwu * Ahobinagu, wildlife god *
Ahia Njoku In Igbo mythology, Ahia Njoku, also known as Ifejioku, Aha Njoku, is a goddess worshipped by the Igbo people of Nigeria. She is responsible for yams, which were an important ingredient in the Igbo diet, and the men who care for them (Farming y ...
* Amadioha *
Ekwensu Ekwensu is a trickster of the Igbo people, a trickster spirit of confusion,that serves as the Alusi (god) of bargains and the tortoise.Crafty at trade and negotiations. He is often invoked for guidance in difficult mercantile situations. He is p ...
*
Njoku Ji Njoku Ji is the guardian deity of the yam for the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is ...
*
Ogbunabali Ogbunabali ( ig, Ogbúnàbàlị̀, lit= ekills at night) is the traditional Igbo death deity. His name is considered to be a literal description of his character as he is said to kill his victims in the night, these usually being criminals or tho ...
* Alusi Okija * Agbala, prophet of the Igbos * Eke, Orie/Oye, Afo, Nkwo, embodiments of the days of the week in the
Igbo calendar The Igbo calendar () is the traditional calendar system of the Igbo people from present-day Nigeria. The calendar has 13 months in a year (''afo''), 7 weeks in a month (''onwa''), and 4 days of Igbo market days (afor, nkwo, eke, and orie) in a wee ...


See also

*
Igbo mythology Ọdinani (), also ''Omenala'', ''Omenana'', ''Odinana'' or ''Ọmenani'', are the traditional cultural beliefs and practices of the Igbo people of south east Nigeria.Afulezy, Uj"On Odinani, the Igbo Religion", ''Niger Delta Congress'', Nigeri ...
* Orisha *
Loa ( ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerat ...
* West African Mythology *
Winti Winti is an Afro-Surinamese traditional religion that originated in the colony Suriname, part of the Dutch Empire. It is a syncretization of the different African religious beliefs and practices brought in mainly by Akan and Fon slaves durin ...
*
Yoruba religion The Yoruba religion (Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), or Isese, comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Ogu ...
*
Nkisi or (plural varies: , , or ) are spirits or an object that a spirit inhabits. It is frequently applied to a variety of objects used throughout the Congo Basin in Central Africa, especially in the Territory of Cabinda that are believed to conta ...


References

---- {{Odinani Igbo religion