Omenana and Odinana in the Igbo World: A Philosophical Appraisal

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Periodical article

Title:	Omenana and Odinana in the Igbo World: A Philosophical Appraisal
Author:	Ezekwugo, Charles M.
Year:	1991
Periodical:	Africana Marburgensia
Volume:	24
Issue:	2
Pages:	3-18
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Nigeria
Subjects:	Igbo customs Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Abstract:	'Omenana', also written 'omenani' or 'omenala', refers to the culture of a people, in this case the Igbo of Nigeria. For many authors, 'omenana' is synonymous with 'odinana' (sometimes spelled 'odinala' or 'odinani'), which means 'as it is in the land', i.e. the 'tradition' or 'custom of a people'. The two concepts obviously merge in scope and content. The present author investigates the meanings and contents of both with a view to distilling the salient differences between them. Both aim to protect and preserve the purity, sanctity and sacredness of the land and the people therein. However 'omenana' is man-made; it is changeable and adaptable. 'Odinana', on the contrary, is a code of life, handed down from Chukwu, from God the Creator, to Eri, the patriarch of the Igbo race, to prevent chaos and confusion. The earth spirit, Ana, is 'odinana', as is the sacred role of yam in the Igbo world, the right of inheritance, and the place of the elder. 'Odinana', as the immutable customary rites and traditions of the Igbo world, is enduring and cuts across indigenous Igbo people, while 'omenana' is rather relative from one section of the Igbo to the other. Notes, ref.