An Iyi-uwa is an object from

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 ...

that binds the spirit of a dead child (known as

ogbanje An ''ọgbanje'' is a term in Odinani ( Igbo: ọ̀dị̀nànị̀) for what was thought to be an evil spirit that would deliberately plague a family with misfortune. Belief in ọgbanje in Igboland is not as strong as it once was, although there ar ...

) to the world, causing it to return and be born again to the same mother. Many objects can serve the purpose of iyi-uwa, including stones, dolls, hair or pieces of the dead child's clothes,

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

s, or offerings. The iyi-uwa must be found and destroyed in order for the ogbanje to rest and stop haunting the mother. To find the object,

shamans Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

known as 'dibia' question the spirit and perform rituals to force it to reveal where the iyi-uwa is located. The novel ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the invasion by Europeans during the late 19th century. It is seen as the ...

'' by Nigerian author

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...

contains a detailed subplot involving an ogbanje child and her iyi-uwa.''Things Fall Apart'' by Chinua Achebe

References

Igbo religion {{reli-stub