Cannibalism: The Peoples of Southern Nigeria, Vol III by Talbot, Percy Amaury (1926)

Owerri Division. Except the Oru and Mboaha, the people denied that they brought home the skulls of their enemies, but apparently all — save perhaps the Oratta and Ozuzu-Uzuama — used to practise cannibalism ; the Isu Abaja openly admitted doing so. If a famous warrior were killed the hostile town held a great “play ” at once, as well as at the end of the fighting. For opening up peace negotiations the messenger sent was always a woman who was a native of the other town. Both sides met at the boundary with a cow, which was slaughtered in sacrifice to the Earth and was then shared out.

Helmets and body armour were made of bark and, it is said, would turn a matchet. Guns were mainly obtained from the Aro.(Okigwi District.) No declaration of war was made, and except among the Obowo Abaja, who did not kill women and children, no one was spared. The heads, and usually the hands, were cut off and taken home, where they were eaten. The body was generally left behind as too heavy. The hands — especially the palms — were considered very good eating, and young children the best of all.

On arriving home with a head a war play was at once given, and the owner would dance round with a matchet in one hand and the skull in the other. Townsmen gave the lucky warrior presents of money, goats and even a cow. A great feast was held which lasted for twenty days. The skull-owner was rubbed with cam-wood and saluted with the title of Ogbu-Isi, “Cut off head "; if a man possessed two skulls, he was called Ogbu-Abia, “cut off two,” and if more than two, Oji Abaw Eji, “the man who walks with a basket.”

At the end of the feasting the skulls were hung up; no sacrifices were made to them. If a town wanted peace it sent as herald a woman belonging to the enemy; the two parties met on the boundary, where they sacrificed a tortoise and sheep with palm-wine to Ala, the Earth, and planted Egbo, Obossi and Ogbu trees on the spot. These peoples were among the few which occasionally practised torture upon captives; if they caught a man who was much hated, they sometimes flayed him alive. (Abadja and Nkanu.)

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