Onyishi

is a gerontocratic form of government in some parts of Igboland, Nigeria. It is also a common term or name normally taken as a surname or title by a person or persons whose father is the eldest in a village, or one who is the eldest in the town of Nsukka or its villages. Nkalagu in Ebonyi state, Nigeria also reserves such a title for the eldest man per village.

simply means the oldest, head, or leader—be it man or woman. In normal Nsukka settings, once a man or woman becomes the oldest in his or her village, he or she is given the title .
For one to be in a village, the person must be the eldest in that village. The title is also used as a surname by the family members but is not permitted if the is a woman. An example of the title's usage as a surname is Chief Samuel Maduka Onyishi.

The title of is never campaigned for; it is believed to be a natural occurrence. If one becomes an , the person in question has to host the entire village and well-wishers after which he will be given the staff of office (). If a woman becomes the eldest in her village, she will be regarded as (the oldest of all our daughters). She summons all the women from the village for meetings if needed and speaks on their behalf. No is given to her because they are only permitted to be given to men.

The in Nsukka culture is a staff of office, like the ceremonial mace, and is about . The is carried in bulk by the village head daily to his ancestral home, commonly called (palace) in the mornings. On getting to the , he prays in the presence of the using kola nut and leaves the there until dusk. In the evening, the goes back to the and brings the home. The practice continues like this until the present dies.

This practice has been in existence for centuries. In Nsukka, or Nru Nsukka precisely, there are that are over hundreds of years old yet unrecorded due to the late arrival of the needed technologies in Nsukka. The family name is thus very common among the Nsukka people.

The in recent years has been disputed by some Christians who claim it is a form of idolatry and instead give their colleagues a crucifix on attaining such age.

According to Atugwu Kenechukwu from Nru Nsukka, every in Nsukka has a style of dress which normally includes a red cap with a red feather (called ) from a special bird fixed on it, a short stick from a known tree called '' oho'', and a hand bag. In every gathering an must always hold the in his hand whenever he speaks on matters concerning the people. He also noted that no village is recognized in Nsukka without an as its head.

The ''oho'' also stands as a symbol of office and justice, and it is held by all and the whenever the person speaks on matters concerning the people. It is expected that whoever holds the should always speak the truth as it is a symbol of justice. The is not transferred from the deceased like the . Each new receives his own before his coronation day.

It is a common belief in Nsukka that if one speaks lies with the in his hand, the person will be struck dead by the ancestors.

Demise of an

If a reigning dies, the man taking over from the deceased must visit the funeral home of the deceased and perform rituals before the burial proceeds. This practice is limited to incoming male ; a woman does not necessarily need the ritual process.

The rituals are done in various ways now due to the arrival of Christianity. In the most common ritual, the incoming prays before the corpse and in the presence of the corpse and mourners. He brings kola nuts and a cock, which he must slaughter, declaring that if he had a hand in killing the whose place he is taking over, he should die within a month.

After the ritual, the daughter of the incoming collects the (ceremonial mace) from the home of the deceased. She then proceeds to her father's compound, carrying the on her shoulder, followed by a procession of the new and his well-wishers while the burial goes on.

When the is brought home, the incoming will not touch it for 28 days (one month according to the Igbo calendar). At the end of the month, the new is then crowned by other in his area (Nsukka) and other title holders called .

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the eldest man in Amaogbo village is called Onyishi same with other village in Nsukka


The eldest man (Onyishi) in the Nguru villages as you can see here remains the legal signatories with regards to the community village affairs where he leads is concerned

Nigeria
Igbo culture