Understanding Ndị Ịchie In Igbo Cosmology – Who Are Ndi Ichie In Odinala na Omenala Ìgbò?

Understanding Ndị Ịchie In Igbo Cosmology – Who Are Ndi Ichie In Odinala na Omenala Ìgbò?

Understanding Ndị Ịchie In Igbo Cosmology – Who Are Ndi Ichie In Odinala na Omenala Ìgbò?

The Igbo belief in the afterlife cannot be complete without an understanding of Ndi Ichie in Igbo Cosmology, as expressed in Odinana na Omenana Igbo. In the Igbo pantheon, the veneration of Ndi Ichie through Iwa Oji/Igo Oji (the breaking of Kola) and Itu mmanya (pouring of libation), is as vital as the worship of Chukwu itself. It is safe to say that without the veneration of Ndi Ichie, Odinana na Omenana will be useless to the Igbo – without Ndi Ichie the Igbo will dare not seek the face of Chukwu; we will be a people without any spiritual and physical heritage.

Who Are Ndi Ichie?

In Igbo Odinana na Omenana, when we call on Ndi Ichie, we are strictly referring to our holy, noble, and accomplished ancestors – not all of our ancestors. Ndi ichie are a group of our ancestors who are set aside for their noble contributions to our race – they are men and women who lived upright lives and obeyed the laws of Chukwu, given to us as Nso ani/ana, and above all achieved their purpose in life as agreed with their CHI.

They are hallowed ancestors who have also completed their Ilo/Ino Uwa (reincarnations circle) which the ancients called Uwa mu asaa/asato (my world seven/eight times), and now reside in a realm known as Obi Ndi Ichie, from where they intercede for us, protect us, and guide us on our paths in life.

When we pray with the Kola nut, nzu, Ose Oji (and other objects of worship), we call our holy and accomplished ancestors to come to partake in the breaking of Oji (Kola nut) and bless us. We say:

“Anyi akpokuo Ndi ichie ka ha bia taa/were Oji”, meaning we call on our hallowed, holy, and accomplished ancestors to come and partake in the breaking of Kola nut.

As a part of Ndi Ichie, we also call on Ndi Mbu na Ndi Egede (the first men/women of our bloodline and the mystical men/women who made contact with higher spiritual powers).

So, during Igo Oji OR Igo Ofo, we say: “Anyi akpokuo Ndi Ichie, Ndi Mbu na Ndi Egede, ka ha bia taa/were Oji”.

We call on them as a sign of respect and reverence, but with a deep sense of their presence with us at all times, since we carry their blood, which is the biological deposit of their genetic memories and consciousness.

Many have referred to Ndi Ichie to be an equivalent of saints in European cultures, but the Igbo understanding of Ndi Ichie goes beyond the understanding of Saints in religions and cultures, such as Christianity. Ndi ichie are not just dead ancestors interceding for us from a spiritual realm; they are ever present in our consciousness, directing us, fighting for us, and removing obstacles in our ways.

In his understanding of Ndi Ichie, Ekene Okwuba, an Odinani na Omenani promoter, and philosopher, said that they are our ancestors who lived and died in the past, who had certain experiences which they encoded in their DNA and passed on to the coming generation. And by proxy, those of us who are alive today are also Ndi Ichie since we carry their memories and experiences in our blood and DNA.

For Ekene Okwuba, Ndi ichie are ancestors who did noble things, and in turn direct those of us who are alive in our navigation of life, to preserve that which they, Ndi Ichie, had achieved while they were alive. If there is a wrong step to be taken by their living descendants, they step in to prevent them from taking that step – they do this when one intends to take steps that will prevent the family from progressing. For example, if one of their living relatives goes to bring a bad charm (Ajo Ogwu) that will kill people, Ndi Ichie knowing the spiritual consequences of taking human life, will block such charm from being effective. Ndi ichie performs all these functions with the aid of male and female spirits that are close to them.

In explaining the presence of the memories of Ndi Ichie in the DNA, he made an example with the day-old chicks of the popular “genetically enhanced” Broiler chickens that did not have the privilege of being incubated and hatched by mother hens, rather are hatched by machines. He recounted when his wife bought the day-old chicks, and had them out in the yard while she cleaned the pen where she would house them. Kites flew past, and the day-old broiler chicks, without a mother, quickly ducked and ran for safety. He observed the occurrence and wondered how the chicks knew the Kite was dangerous without a mother to teach and guide them, just like the local chickens (Okuko Igbo). He concluded that just like humans, these chickens possessed a genetic memory dedicated to the survival of their offspring.

This above event explains the model of how Ndi Ichie guides us throughout our lives, to achieve the ultimate goal which is the prosperity and longevity of our lineage. He pointed to this phenomenon in the enterprising nature of Ndi Igbo, stating that this is because our ancestors were enterprising and were great achievers in business and other endeavors, and as such that trait became encoded in our DNA, and we inherited it, making us very successful in whatever we do. That is why in referring to traits, Ndi Igbo says “na o di onye ahu na obala” – meaning “The trait is in the person’s blood.” And in the case of a thief, for instance, we say “Oshi di ya na obala”, meaning “stealing is in his/her blood.” Ekene Okwuba said that in such cases, it is because the ancestors encoded the Oshi/Ohi in the DNA and the said trait was passed down to the descendants. It will take someone (in the family) with a strong will to decode the DNA and implant new/different memories that will guide the coming generation.

To be continued….