ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
Home Features

How Enugwu-Ukwu women revive age-long practice

9th May 2018
in Features, oriental news
0
How Enugwu-Ukwu women revive age-long practice
44
SHARES
493
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

In this age of technological advancement, most traditional practices in Igboland as they relate to farming, marriage and other cultural practices have been discarded or relegated to the background but not for the women of Aboatulu kindred,  Avomimi  village,  Enugwu- Ukwu, Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State.

Among the traditions of the people of this area is the communal harvesting and production of palm fruits for palm oil.  Known in the local parlance as Akwu Oha, the practice entails mandating the womenfolk to go on a certain day into their common farmland to harvest palm fruits and even firewood on a large scale. After the mass harvest amidst fanfare and bonding of friendship and unity, the palm fruits and firewood are divided among the women.

In a recent harvesting of Akwu Oha by Daily Sun, it was fun as both the educated and the local village women all mingled together throwing banters amidst work.

One of the oldest women in Aboatulu kindred, Mrs. Bridget Mkpume in a charge during the harvest assignment called on the women in the locality to hold fast unto the tradition and culture of their kindred.

She said the present wives of the Aboatulu kindred should respect the culture and tradition of their kinsmen which mandates the women to go to their common farmland to harvest their palm fruits or firewood.

She disclosed that the common farmland was given to the women by their husbands over 100 years ago as a means of  uniting their wives and making them industrious in a common front – farming.
Mkpume regretted that the modern wives appear not to value the spirit behind the practice anymore.

“The young wives do not truly appreciate these culture and tradition that have been preserved over years by their senior co-wives.

Modernity has really ripped the values, cultures and tradition of our kindred and we are truly appealing to young wives of the great

Aboatulu kindred not to allow this great channel of unity be eroded because of foreign ideology,” she said.
Mrs.  Ifeoma Anagor, retired teacher said  the  common  farmland  was unanimously set apart by the men of the kindred for their wives to also cultivate cash crops in order to ensure  provisions of various home needs.

She said the common large farmland of Aboatulu kindred was owned by their husbands’ fathers who gave it to the women as an economic empowerment so as to keep the entrepreneurial  skills of the women alive.

Corroborating  Mkpume and Anagor’s claims, Mrs. Regina Okafor said the gift had yielded much desired results among the women of the Aboatulu kindred.

She said with economic tree like the palm fruits,  trees of firewood and other subsistence farming exercises carried out in the common farmland,  the women have used its proceeds to  raise great children among whom are medical doctors, lawyers, teachers, bankers, pharmacists,  agriculturists, businessmen amongst others today.

Okafor said the family would not lack food in the house as it was expected that the wives would sell their farm produce to get cash.

Mrs. Ngozi Mbachi, president of Aboatulu Kindred Women Union joined the elders to call on the young wives to ensure that the culture and tradition of the women in sustaining the legacy of Akwu Oha and farming in the common farmland do not go into extinct under their watch.

She said their husbands’ fathers and forefathers had foresight and vision of keeping a channel of unity among their wives and son’s wives knowing the importance of peace, unity and economic empowerment.
Mr. Augustine Agu  confirmed that their grandfathers gave the land to the mothers to farm and they in turn have  maintained the legacy.

According to him, their forefathers were wise in the sense that giving out the acres of land to the women alone to farm had solved lots of problems because the women, especially those dwelling in the village are making good use of the land.

Agu said the men only come around when there is problem of any kind of molestation against the women in the farmland.
Mr. Chiadikobi Mbachi said the farmland had really brought out the skills in the women as virtually all of them dwelling in the villages maintained the status quo only for a few of them who resides in the city.

Going down memory lane, Mrs.  Benedette  Okafor,  former vice president, said around1972 when she got  married into the kindred, the women  used to come into the farmland  as  early as 6am to harvest the palm fruits on an appointed date.

She said there were certain rules guiding the farming exercise in the common farmland and that whoever erred would be disciplined accordingly.

Tags: Enugwu-Ukwu womenonitsha women
Rapheal

Rapheal

Related Posts

Season of strikes
Features

Season of strikes

13th April 2021
Evils of oil spill
Features

Evils of oil spill

13th April 2021
3 shot dead by suspected herdsmen in Delta
Features

TPDC: Putting agrarian Owa-Oyibu on national map

13th April 2021
Next Post
Niger State: Return of stone throwing, as House moves to check political thuggery

Niger State: Return of stone throwing, as House moves to check political thuggery

OLUSOLA

Ekiti dep. gov, Olusola wins PDP primary

SECONDUS

Uche Secondus replies Presidency

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

Ramadan: Okorocha urges Muslims to pray for safer, prosperous Nigeria

2023: We did not endorse Wike for President – NYLF

Nearly 1 million going hungry in Mozambique, warns WFP

Financial Reform Initiatives: We are open to stakeholders with valuable ideas – AGF, Idris

Anambra group tasks Obiano on security

Ramadan: Sanwo-Olu to clerics, pray for peace, Nigeria is shaking

Trending

Ondo ex-deputy gov Ajayi reported to police for not returning govt vehicles
National

Ondo ex-deputy gov Ajayi reported to police for not returning govt vehicles

13th April 2021
0

From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure The Ondo State Government has asked the police to prevail on the former...

Establishing Twitter’s presence in Africa

Establishing Twitter’s presence in Africa

13th April 2021
Rivers PDP candidate vows to replicate Wike's development strides at grassroots

Rivers PDP candidate vows to replicate Wike’s development strides at grassroots

13th April 2021
Ramadan: Okorocha urges Muslims to pray for safer, prosperous Nigeria

Ramadan: Okorocha urges Muslims to pray for safer, prosperous Nigeria

13th April 2021
2023: We did not endorse Wike for President - NYLF

2023: We did not endorse Wike for President – NYLF

13th April 2021

Follow us on social media:

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist