I pray i wil neva b there

^i pray you will be here..

[img]http://2.bp..com/_ckBlasgNSzg/Sc_zkcefOaI/AAAAAAAALr8/B8w_p-Gi8Oo/s400/Snake+Bed.jpg[/img]

Ala is a goddess of the Ibo, African people of eastern Nigeria. The daughter of the great god Chukwu, she is the Mother Goddess of the Earth, ruler of the Underworld, guardian of the harvest, and Goddess of fertility for both people and animals.

According to Ibo beliefs, Ala makes a child grow within its mother's womb. She remains near and watches over the child as the child grows into an adult. Later when the individual dies, Ala receives him or her into her womb, known as the pocket of Ala. The goddess is also a lawgiver who shows people how to live a good life. Her laws emphasize moral values such as honesty.

Throughout the Ibo region, Ala is worshiped in large square houses with open sides. These structures, called Mbari, contain life-sized mud figures of the goddess painted in bright colors. Usually, Ala is surrounded by sculptures representing other deities, animals, and humans.



According to Ibo religion, Ala sends a sign such as a snake or a bee's nest to tell her priests where to build a Mbari. Groups of men and women work together to assemble and decorate the structure. Construction can take years and is considered a sacred act. However, once built, the Mbari houses are left alone to decay For this reason, new houses must continually be produced, which ensures that the Mbari tradition will be carried on by younger members of the group.



Read more: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/A-Am/Ala.html#ixzz2YRspQ0ug

collins.123:
*hisses on thread and continues sipping alomo + black label & 2 packs of Target cigarettes and waiting for mama oyoyo to finish my catfish pepper soup while playing ludo.

You just won kill yaself by yaself

On to the next one

collins.123:
*hisses on thread and continues sipping alomo + black label & 2 packs of Target cigarettes and waiting for mama oyoyo to finish my catfish pepper soup while playing ludo.

You just won kill yaself by yaself

On to the next one

I just remembered my days in Ebonyi, 135, Ezamgbo amudo... NYSC sweet oo

The green snake (Aka nwogo) is worshipped nd respected by non christains. it is not poisonous and is found both on trees nd in or around builds. if killed mistakenly, it is buried like a human being. every community like okposi has what they worship; lizard, tortoise, monkeys, rodents etc.The green signifies that okposi ls endowed with a lot cultural heritage, minerals like salt, uranium etc nd agricultural products.

DP

ban master: I just remembered my days in Ebonyi, 135, Ezamgbo amudo... NYSC sweet oo

Any tori to yarn cos na our area b that?

I serve in okposi ohaozara too they told us to just sprinkle water on it when we see one as a newcomer that it will go itself it part of their tradition there.it scaring thou

Very true. I also served in okposi and I have a most vivid recollection of how those people use to rever and pay homage to these creatures whenever they approach. They are all over the place and I believe that a combination of the importance accorded them plus some evolutionary machination must have made these reptile achieve the level of domesticity that they enjoy. I mean they are as domestic as lizards. Before my service year I use to shudder to think of the idea of coming face to face with a snake but as at the time I was leaving okposi I tell you I would sit on an arm-chair in front of my house, sipping palmie, while a horde of snakes stride gingerly along the verandah.

peppy luv: Does throwing away custom make them civilized?is being religious civilization D whites who brought civilization are they all so religious??
Pls don't bring in town sentiments,we knw u r from enugu(typical enugu man always want to look wise(an attribute of a fool)).I have a frnd from Nsukka,a popular rich family (ifesinachi)who always lament abt d way his pple who just embraced christianity not quite long completely abandoned their tradition,thou some were bad eg making a woman swear an oat of faithfullness in d shrine but d man doesn't.but what abt d yearly masqurade which is all for fun in many parts of d east,they also abandoned that and becoming too catholic (80% of them r catholics)for his liking! Is that what u call civilization(Mind u I'm catholic) if u talk abt civilization u pple are not near Abia or Anambra or Imo infact some ebonyi pple are more civilized than u. So take a seat and stop throwing stones

Believe me, U no sabi anytin

Dat snake is nt dangerous,i have stayd dia 4 upto 4yrs.

Cityofdavid: When my NYSC call up letter requested me to report at Ebonyi state, I leaped for joy because I wasn't posted to the North where the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents were rampant. I once thought that the only thing worthy of dread was the Boko Haram sect, but it has occurred to me that Boko Haram is just one of the many unsualiness in parts of Nigeria. The most memorable moment during my odyssey to Ebonyi state from Lagos was the point when my vehicle crossed the river Niger which borders Delta State and Anambra State. The memories of Chinua Achebe's novel "Chike and the River" nostagically swept accross my mind like erosion on Benin roads. I recalled how the adventurous Chike crossed the Niger and providentially emerged a hero following his effort in helping the police to nab the leader of a notorious gang of robbers. But unlike Chike who crossed the Niger out of cheer curiousity, I crossed the river Niger for the first time in the quest of serving my fatherland. While on the Niger bridge, it became instinctive that I'd encounter things (fair and foul) that would be worthy of documentation. One of such things has created in me an uncontrollably drive which has forced me to commit my pen to paper.

The NYSC camp in Afikpo, Ebonyi State may not be the best total institution in the world but the lessons I learnt in the camp were priceless. The psyche of the NYSC programme presented a regimented life which involved physical drills, skill acquisition, national orientation, patriotism and self-reliance. Mixed feelings trailled my departure from the camp to a destination which my posting letter revealed to be Okposi in Ohaozara Local government. The road which linked Afikpo town to Ohaozara must not be travelled by a truck conveying crates of eggs because of the unmotorable state of the road. The desolate state of the hamlets along the road painted a vivid picture of rurality, or rather, it supported the disorted NYSC acronym which has it as "Now Your Suffering Continues". The fact that my suffering has continued was alarmed by two female corps members who wept helplessly in the vehicle. The ladies were crying because like every corps members posted to Ohaozara local government, they have been stripped off their modernity as well as their urbanized way of life.

We arrived Okposi few hours after midday. The town seemed to be the most developed region in Ohaozara local government. The town has motor parks, restaurants, a hotel, a police station, churches, markets, petrol stations among others. The roads within the town were motorable, the people were Igbo speaking and quite industrious. The villagers were hospitable to corps members and the females were readily available to meet the sexual needs of male corps members. One thing fascinated me about the social life of the Okposi people in Ohaozara local government. The fascination arose from their reverance of green snakes in private and public places.

It is highly forbidden to kill green snakes in Okposi while it is forbidden to kill any species of snakes in some other parts of Ebonyi State. The green snakes of Okposi must not be killed given any circumstances. The reason being that, green snakes were worshipped by the ancestors of the land. Green snakes could be seen as frequently as Lizards are seen in South-Western Nigeria. Green snakes creep into rooms, churches, car parks, compounds etc and they are not killed. A stranger is mandated to conduct a burial ceremony if he or she intentionally or unintentionally kills a green snake. This queer custom of the Okposi people has invalidated my initial view that snakes were wild animals. A senior corps member narrated the story of how a green snake crept into his church during a certain sunday service and how the snake was only pampered out of the church auditorium.

The hospitality shown to green snakes in Okposi has advanced the sociological views that what is "wild" or "domestic" is cuturally determined. Before you start labelling the custom of the Okposi people as barbaric and archaic, think about the unusualiness in your own society, think about the fooliness of some of your own beliefs. Indeed, the way of life of a people vary from one geographical area to the other. I would have loved to continue my ethnographic writings but I've to feed the green snakes approaching my reading table now.

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Good day Nairalanders........ Please I was given an assignment to get a write-up on the burial ceremony of the people of okposi before 1960............. Please who is going to help me?

Also, in uli, ihiala LG, Anambra state where i served,they dont kill python (eke) bt they kill green snake which they said is poisonous.

Finally I read your article on nairaland. good one bro. Just remembering those days in okposi with ismaeela, Yusuf dickson joy edjeba and my rugged self d solistic solo in okposi development center.