Umunoha
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Umunoha is a town in southeastern
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
near the city of
Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...
. It is a typical
Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
town. It is bounded on the north by
Eziama Obiato Eziama Obiato is a town in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, southeastern Nigeria. It is about 18 kilometers to the city of Owerri. The town is strategically located as it shares common boundaries with four other Local Government Ar ...
and Afara communities; on the south and southwest by Ogbaku, Azara Obiato and Ejemekwuru communities; and on the south and southeast by Ifakala and Afara communities. It is served by the great east-west road, the Port-Harcourt-Lagos Highway. Umunoha is about thirteen kilometers from Owerri, the
Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...
capital. It is a small, compact but thickly populated community with a projected 1997 population of twenty-five thousand people.


Culture and people

Umunoha is known for certain traditions and culture, such as Igwekala shrine, Orie-Amaigwe market,
Mmanwu Mmanwu is a traditional masquerade of the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a count ...
masquerade, and traditional rulership by the Egbuchulam Chimezie royal family. Umunoha's famous Igwekala shrine still in exists, a jungle that covers over 100 acres of land near the center of Umunoha. Igwekala is famous for its healing powers, and people come from all over the continent to receive healing and recover their health. This is also an economic source for some of the and the native doctors who tend the shrine. They are known as "Mbranigwe", meaning members of the Igwekala cult. Igwekala was combed by the British during Colonial times, and was combed again by the
Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. History Formation The Nigerian ...
during the
Nigerian Civil war The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...
(Biafran Genocide, 1966 - 1970). However, Igwekala shrine still exists. Umunoha has a notable market known as Orie-Amaigwe. This market meets every eight days from 5am to 8pm, and is well attended by buyers from neighboring towns and all over
Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...
, and Nigeria at large. The market sells a vast variety of products. Umunoha also has a famous cultural masquerade known as Mmanwu. Every male child of Umunoha born in Nigeria is required by tradition to be initiated into this masquerade cult at puberty, and become an Otigba as they are called. The female children also join the culture, but their membership known as Erere is not as serious as the male children. A male child of Umunoha initiation into Mmanwu signifies and authenticates the child as an Okechi son, or "Diala Okechi" as they hail and greet each other, meaning real son of Umunoha.


History

The town's
creation myth A creation myth (or cosmogonic myth) is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it., "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop ...
usually, but not always, claims it was founded by a common ancestor, who begat several children to whom he allocated areas on which to settle. These areas eventually became villages, according to the tradition of origin of Umunoha, an autonomous community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area (LGA) in
Imo State Imo State ( ig, Ȯra Imo) is a States of Nigeria, state in the South East (Nigeria), South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered to the north by Anambra State, Rivers State to the west and south, and Abia State to the east. It takes its n ...
. According tradition, a sort of warlord called Nnoha Okechi with vague
Aro ARO (short for Auto Romania) was a Romanian off-road vehicle manufacturer located in Câmpulung. The first ARO vehicles were produced in 1957, and the last in 2003. For a short while, Daihatsu-powered AROs were sold in Spain and produced in Portu ...
ancestry, but certainly a peripatetic individual, migrated from Ozuzu in the present
Etche Etche is one of the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State and amongst the 13 federal constituencies representing River State in Nigeria's National Assembly and part of the Rivers East Senatorial District.Okehiis the Council Headquarters and po ...
Local Government Area of
Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...
, and settled in Umunoha, having decisively defeated the original Isu settlers, who resisted him fiercely. He dispersed the Isu, seized their land, and distributed it among his children according to seniority as follows: Duru, his first son, became the progenitor of the present Umuduru village; Okparaoma, Duru's younger brother from the same mother and the third child, the progenitor of the present Umuokparaoma village. Okparafor, the fourth child and third son from a different mother, the progenitor of the present Umuokparafor village; Durundom, Duru's only sister and Nnoha's second child whom he refused to give out in marriage, remained at home and begat the present Umudurundom village; and Mbara, brother of Okparafor and Nnoha's fifth and last child, begat the present Umumbara village. Later the area so divided and effectively occupied was renamed Umunoha. Here is a case where
consanguineal Consanguinity ("blood relation", from Latin '' consanguinitas'') is the characteristic of having a kinship with another person (being descended from a common ancestor). Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are related by blood fr ...
relationship is a
sine qua non ''Sine qua non'' (, ) or ''condicio sine qua non'' (plural: ''condiciones sine quibus non'') is an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient. It was originally a Latin legal term for " conditionwithout which it could not be" ...
for citizenship. From the beginning of the history of Umunoha to present, the town has been ruled by the royal family of Egbuchulam Chimezie of Okwaraihekuna Obakpu, dating as far back as Colonial time(1800s) when they ruled the Igwebuike Kingdom (A collection of communities in
Mbaitoli Mbaitoli is a Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Nwaorieubi (or Nworieubi). It has an area of 204 km² and a population of 327,000. The postal code of the area is 461. Mbaitoli is divided i ...
before the creation of local governments). The third-generation ruler and leader of the royal family, HRH, Late Christopher Nlemchukwu Egbuchulam, Eze Nnoha II of Umunoha who was buried in November 2018, was once the Surveyor-General of Imo State. He left that post to become King, succeeding his father. The present heir to the throne, his eldest son Engineer Chukwuma prepared with the rest of the royal family for his coronation in November 2019 to become the fourth generation traditional ruler. Tradition and law of the land demand mourning for the dead king for one year.


Reading

* * * *


See also

List of villages in Imo State This is a list of villages and settlements in Imo State, Nigeria organised by local government area (LGA) and district/area (with postal codes also given). Villages in Eziama Obaire are Umuakuma Nduhu na Ogbo Ezemenaha Umuduru Ndimbara Ezekwemba ...


References

{{Populated places of Imo State Towns in Imo State Igbo people Places in mythology Society of Nigeria Igbo subgroups Religious places Imo State