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CHAPTER ONE | |||||
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND STUDY, PHYSICAL AND HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION OF
OKPEMERI
“Okpemeri”
is a term, which denotes oneness in other words the term “Okpemeri” means “we
are one” the group of people “Okpemeri” who are identified with this name are
those that sphere the same cultural historical and linguistic attributes the
towns are situated in the northern part of Edo State specially in Akoko Edo
Local Government Area. The towns are:
1.
Aiyegunle
2.
Bakuma
3.
Ekor
4.
Ekpe
5.
Dagbala
6.
Ekpesa
7.
Eshawa
8.
Ihillo
9.
Ikiran-lle
10.
Ikiran-Oke
11.
Imoga
12.
Campese
13.
Makeke
14.
Ogugu
15.
Ogbe
16.
Ojah
17.
Ojira
18.
Oyanubuza
19.
Somorika
20.
Ugboshi-Ele
21.
Ugbosi-Ele
22.
Unumu
The languages of these twenty-two communities are quite
similar, hence the term “Okpemeri” was been adapted to represent all that the
communities stand for. Among the various ceremony and festivals of the
communities the initiation of young girls into womanhood is one of the most
important. This ceremony is generally called “Oviliok”. The term ovilivia
represent the initiated. This festival takes place once a year in each of the
villages mentioned above. Ovilivia is a festival of initiation of young girls
of marriageable age into womanhood. It is a revered culture, which upholds the
moral purity of the “Okpemeri” communities. That the festival has to do with
both morality and religion is only to be expected. According to Idowu in his
book the “sociology of education (1978)” said “morality is basically the first
of religion and that to begin with, it depend upon it”. The ovilivia festival
is not a festival of mass wedding rather, it is a festival which declare young
women mature, qualified and old enough to marry. In some areas initiating
maidens could be interms of circumcision but the “Okpemeri”, it is not so.
During the ceremony, young girls are decorated with “Elopo” (beads), which is
worn round the waist, her neck and hands to identify that they are undergoing
the festival. This could also serve as a medium to show that they are eligible
for marriage. The parent distributes sugar, Ahu (local beer brewed at home).
There is also the shooting of guns to signify that there is a festival going
on. (J. O. Odutola, 1963) in terms of customs during the Olivia festivals the
maidens usually dressed with Ojah (woven cloth) tied around their waist but
decorated with beads and bangles both on their hands and necks. They are led to
the market square by the age women in the villages where there are cultural
groups dancing to entertain them. However the Ovilivias also partake in the
cultural dance as they get to the scene. This was always accompanies by ovation
of spectators from almost all the villages in “Okpemeri”. Later the chief of
one of then villages in “Okpemeri” comes and perform the necessary rites and
from there, dancing and singing continues. During this time suitors come out
and seek for their future partakers, when this is done, they make their
intention known to the girls parents who reject or accepts the suitors.
ORIGIN OF THE
CEREMONY
The
origin of “Ovilivia” festival is like the origin of the other aspects of the
culture of Okpemeri people, which is last in antiquity of the past. However,
there are too speculation about the origin of the festival. The first
speculation is that perhaps the festival first started several years ago as a
nuclear family affair when the communities had evolved and had became tolerable
stable after the migration era of the evolution of the communities. As a result
of the importance of classify in the festivals, it is speculated that worried
mother might have been forced to consult oracle due to rumour which spread
among the suitors of their daughters that their were not faithful, [perhaps
such a rumor was scaring many suitors away from their daughters. The worried
mothers who then consulted the oracle will be told a different story. The
parent who felt highly elated by this discovery, then regretted with their
daughters. As a result of this development, many men were then encourage to
seek the land of this lady in marriage and the lady made her choice to prepare
her (probably named Ovilivia) for her future role as a wife. The mother gave
her more training, perhaps this yielded nice results that encouraged more
families to organize the same type of festivals for their spinsters’ daughters
as their conveniences, the festivals then gradually grew from a family to
kindred, then clan and finally communities’ affairs.
The
second speculation is that perhaps the Okpemeri people borrowed this idea from
Owo and Benin, two of the communities that the people came in contact with
during their immigration from Ile-ife to their present location. In Owo a similar
female initiation festival into womanhood called “Igogo” festivals is being
organized. However, one thing to not about the origin of the festivals has been
its colour with religious outlook. Like most African cultured groups, religious
form the foundation and governing principle of life for the Okpemeri people.
Religion permits their lives so much that it expresses itself in multifarious
ways it forms the theme of songs, folklores.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
Culture
and tradition of many areas in Nigeria have not being given the benefit of
documentation again mush has not been known on woman initiation. Specially in
this area of the world. Modern girls see their festivals as being barbaric in
the sense that the exposure of there bodies which is part of their virtue too
in human. This also affects the academic performance in the school in the sense
that the girl will be shy to go to the school the following day. This is
because her opposite sex who is in the same class will tease her. Sometimes
some will not go to school again. Also parents of the initiated girls see this
period as a period of display of wealth. In the olden days, it was moderately
done. But today, the number of Elopo (beads) worn by a girl shows her parents
wealth young men use this period to ridicule the young girls, this affect them
psychologically as they (girls) now feel they do not anything to be proud of
again.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
STUDY
This
research is on the “initiation of young girls into women-hood” it is an attempt
to document one of the most important customs of the Okpemeri. It is also an
attempt to highlight the way women in this part of the country exhibit and
prove their chastity before going to their manhood homes.
SCOPE OF STUDY
The
focus of this study is one of the relevance of initiation of young girls into
women hood in the area. Emphasis is however, placed on the importance of the
initiation within the culture of Okpemeri people. The other area touched in
this research is the mode of initiation and this includes dance performance,
customs and entertainment. There is also an attempt at suggesting meaningful
recommendations.
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Friday 25 October 2013
INVESTIGATION INTO PUBERTY INITIATION OF YOUNG GIRLS INTO WOMANHOOD
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