Uchenna Mba had visited her farm two weeks ago, and to her shock, a gang of monkeys had destroyed much of her crops which were almost at the stage of harvest. Such is the reverence of monkeys in Awka amidst Christianity.
Mrs. Mba is a staff of ANPC, publisher
of National Light newspapers. Encouraged by the state
government's initiative on agriculture, besides taking advantage of the rainy
season, borrowed money to cultivate maize. She was lost for words, as she has
to fulfill her obligation of the loan.
She was helpless in her situation, as she
could do nothing to the monkeys, even as they continued to damage her crops.
Reverence of monkeys in Awka amidst Christianity. She is not alone as there are
many others with such experience. Monkeys are revered by the Awka people and
have an immunity status from harm or even consumption.
The Awka people's reverence for monkeys is as
old as the history of the city. The Awka monkey is symbolic to the people.
History has it that the Awka people had a dispute with a neighbour over a piece
of land. The neighbour had planned an invasion of Awka, unfortunately, the
forest the enemies encamped was that which was dedicated to the Awka
deity.
So the deity sent his emissaries to the monkeys living in the forest to notify the people. The monkeys roaming the village square were strange that a diviner was consulted who exposed the invasion plan of the Awka’s enemy.
Another version had it that when invaders
came to Awka, the monkeys were making loud noises which alerted the people and
they took up arms and defeated the attackers. Since that time, it became a
taboo with severe consequences of either killing or eating the meat of monkeys
in Awka. Since then monkeys became a totem, hence Awkanaasoenwe,
meaning Awka forbids any harm, killing, or eating of monkeys, with severe
consequences for Awka people of the version boils to monkeys savingAwka people
from their enemies.
By tradition supposing an Awka indigene saw a
non-indigene kill a monkey and didn’t report it, it’s believed Awka deity will
visit its consequences on the indigene, and when an Awka person intentionally
kills a monkey the person should be ready to face the wrath of the community’s
deity. Reverence of monkeys in Awka amidst Christianity.
When a non-indigene kills a monkey
unintentionally, it is expected the person presents himself or herself to the
deity with a token, which could be in any amount to be cleansed from any
consequence that might arise from the monkey’s death. Reverence of monkeys in
Awka amidst Christianity.
An Awka person, who kills a monkey
unintentionally is required to do the same and is absolved from any wrath of
the gods. But when done intentionally, the person is expected to accord the
animal a burial deem fit for a human being.
Today, Awka people profess Christianity as
their main religion, although some retain belief in their traditional religion.
The Anglican Communion made inroads into Awka when a teacher's training college
in Awka was created in 1904, the Catholic Church was established in 1906 and
followed by the advent of Pentecostalism, which gives the city shade of
Christianity. Given the religious configuration of the city, the sacredness of
the monkeys has provoked questions as monkeys destroying crops constitutes an
environmental challenge among others and others.
A customs official and indigene of
Awka, Charles Offordile argues that Awkanasoenwe is because the monkeys are not
mere monkeys but human spirits in the animals which control it. He stated that
Christians have no business with monkeys. “What people don’t understand is that
the monkey is a cult in Awka.
If you look at Imo Awka, it’s a deity
borrowed from Igaland, where a young virgin was used as a sacrifice, as a
Christian you have no business with that. Though, Imo Awka and monkey reverence
have no shared history. But people who are deep in traditional worship in Awka
use the monkey to deal with others. Reverence of monkeys in Awka amidst
Christianity.
Except you profess to be a nominal Christian
what association have you got with monkeys? As a Christian monkeys are not
supposed to come near your compound. The monkeys you see in the neigbourhood
are those with the human spirit that is used to the locality which is why you
see them in the neighbourhood looking for something to feed on.
Don’t you know that those monkeys with the
human spirit who have a score to settle are the ones destroying other people’s
farms? Anyone who references monkeys means that the spirit of the monkey still
lives in such a person and is a candidate for the monkey’s cult. Not everyone
knows that this monkey is a cult. Reverence of monkeys in Awka amidst
Christianity.
‘’Why do they ask you not to kill it? Once
such a human spirit is in the cult and you kill it, the person whose spirit is
in the monkey dies. The woman that you referred to having her crops destroyed
by monkeys wasn’t done by mere monkeys, ordinary monkeys won’t do that.”
A trader and Awka indigene, Mr. Anayo Nweka,
says he fears no such since he did not believe in it, “If I see someone killing
a monkey, I would not report such, since I have no business with monkeys. And
if I happen to kill a monkey and don’t report it, I believe nothing will happen
to me, because as a Christian, God’s power will subdue that of any animal or
deity.
“Many people are confessing faith and are
still running away from things that they feel will kill them forgetting we
still die. The way we practice our faith here is not commendable, if you
understand what faith is, you see monkeys destroying your crops or property,
and because they say it not be killed and I kill it, if that would take my life
I would see it as a good death.
‘’The moment more people see such a step
those that claim to revere the monkey would do something about it, even the
monkeys would understand that they are a target and will disappear. Just look
at some communities where they revere pythons, you hardly see such reptiles run,
let mistakenly stray into another, and you will see it flee.”
A businessman and Awka indigene, Ikechukwu
Chukwuemeka, believes that the issue of monkeys should not arise at this time
because he operates on a different platform., ‘’Whatever business with monkeys
is for those that profess traditional religion as their faith. I’m an Awka
indigene, but as a Christian, the issue of reverencing any animal does not agree
with me. If as a Christian you want to eat a monkey go ahead, for every animal
God created is for consumption.
‘’The word of God supersedes whatever anyone
tells you about any animal or thing. And mistakenly, if you kill a monkey, you
don’t have to bother yourself with any penalty or repercussions. If monkeys
constitute problems to you, the device means to scare them away if you can, and
where it happens that any gets killed, as a Christian fear not.
A clergyman, Pastor Emeka Ezenwa, says the Awka community no longer lives in the Stone Age. No form of animal or beast should be allowed to roam around to destroy people’s crops or properties in the name of reverencing it. Pst Ezenwa wants the monkeys gathered in a zoo or a reserved area, they are not supposed to be intermingling with human beings.
He stated that however, the myth or history surrounding these animals is that it was in the past when such things as idol worship were associated with the community.
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