A STUDY ON THE NIGERIANS ON THE CONCEPT
OF CREATION IN
RELATION TO GOD WITH
CRITIQUES.
INTRODUCTION
Nigeria is one of the largest
923,768 km2 and geographically, socially and culturally most
diversified African countries. It is the most populous country of Africa for
its population estimated at 110 million in 1990, and potentially one of the
richest.
Historical setting of Nigerian people
Nigeria's main ethnic groups are
Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. It is the most populous country
in Africa and its economy is considered one of the fastest growing in the
world. Nigeria is known for being the regional center of West Africa.
Nigeria has a long history that dates back as far as 9000 B.C.E. as shown in archaeological records. The earliest cities in Nigeria were the northern cities of Kano and Katsina that started around 1000 C.E. Around 1400, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was founded in the southwest and reach its height from the 17th to the 19th century. Around this same time, European traders began establishing ports for the slave trade to the Americas.
Nigeria has a long history that dates back as far as 9000 B.C.E. as shown in archaeological records. The earliest cities in Nigeria were the northern cities of Kano and Katsina that started around 1000 C.E. Around 1400, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was founded in the southwest and reach its height from the 17th to the 19th century. Around this same time, European traders began establishing ports for the slave trade to the Americas.
Nigerian culture
The
people of Nigeria still cherish their traditional languages, music, dance and
literature. Nigeria comprises of three large ethnic groups, which are Yoruba,
Hausa-Fulani and Igbo. However there are other ethnic groups as well. Thus
culture in Nigeria is most positively mult-ethnic.[1]
Art
practiced in Nigeria.
This gives a lot of value to different
types of arts, which primarily include ivory carving, grass weaving, wood
carving, leather and calabash. Pottery, painting, cloth weaving and glass and
metal works.
Polygamy is widely practiced among Muslims,
among adherents of traditional religions, and among Christians who belong to
independent African churches.
Clothing in Nigeria symbolizes religious affiliation, wealth, and
social standing. Northern Muslim men wear long, loose-fitting garments such as
the kaftan, together with colorful embroidered hats or (among traditional
officials) turbans. Most Yoruba men also wear elaborate gowns and hats,
somewhat different in style. Many Nigerians in the south wear casual Western-style
dress. Women wear wrap-around garments or dresses, typically made from very
colorful materials, and beautiful head-ties that may be fashioned into
elaborate patterns.
Diets vary regionally and between city and
country. Grain-based dishes such as tuwo da miya, a thick sorghum porridge
eaten with a spicy, vegetable-based sauce, dominate the northern diet. Dishes
made from root crops, such as pounded yam and gari (a granular product made
from cassava), are more prevalent in the south. Northerners eat more meat,
either in sauces or as kebabs known as tsire. Yogurt and soured milk (nono)
produced by Fulani pastoralists form an important part of rural northern diets.
Modernization has made cheaper bulk food staples such as cassava, maize (corn),
rice, white bread, and pasta increasingly important in both rural and urban
areas.
Music and Dance
Virtually all Nigerian cultures have their own traditions of music and dance, which are central to the way Nigerians remember their past and celebrate their present. Songs and dances are played on drums, flutes, trumpets, stringed instruments, xylophones, and thumb pianos, and are often linked to specific places and events, such as the harvest.
Virtually all Nigerian cultures have their own traditions of music and dance, which are central to the way Nigerians remember their past and celebrate their present. Songs and dances are played on drums, flutes, trumpets, stringed instruments, xylophones, and thumb pianos, and are often linked to specific places and events, such as the harvest.
Language
Most Nigerians speak more than one language. English, the country's official language, is widely spoken, especially among educated people. About 400 native Nigerian languages have been identified, and some are threatened with extinction. The most common of the native languages are Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo.
Most Nigerians speak more than one language. English, the country's official language, is widely spoken, especially among educated people. About 400 native Nigerian languages have been identified, and some are threatened with extinction. The most common of the native languages are Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo.
Religious
setting in Nigeria
Islam, Christianity, and indigenous
religions are central to how Nigerians identify themselves. In the late 19th
century, Christianity became established in southern Nigeria. In the Yoruba
southwest, it was propagated by the Church of England, while in the Igbo
southeast the Roman Catholic Church dominated. Today, close to half of the
south-western peoples and far more than half of the south-eastern peoples are Christians,
usually along lines established by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist,
Lutheran, and Baptist missionaries. Christianity is also widespread in the
middle belt, but it is virtually absent in the far north except among migrant
populations. In recent years, Protestant fundamentalism has grown, particularly
in the middle belt. Nigeria also has many independent African Churches such as
Cherubim and Seraphim which incorporate African cultural practices such as
drumming, dancing and polygamy into Christianity.
Dominant in the north, Islam continues to spread, especially in the middle belt and in south-western Nigeria. However, Islamic practices such as the seclusion of women and strict fasting tend to be ardently observed only in northern cities. Islamic fundamentalists have increased in recent years, resulting in clashes with other Muslims, with Christians, and with the state
Dominant in the north, Islam continues to spread, especially in the middle belt and in south-western Nigeria. However, Islamic practices such as the seclusion of women and strict fasting tend to be ardently observed only in northern cities. Islamic fundamentalists have increased in recent years, resulting in clashes with other Muslims, with Christians, and with the state
Concept of Creation
The Yoruba of the South-western Nigeria beliefs see the
world made up of two connected realms. The visible world of the living is
called Aye,and the spiritual world of the Orisas, the ancestors and spirits, is called Orun. Aseis the life
force that is given to everything by the Creator of the universe. Aseis in everything: plants,
animals, people, prayers, songs, rocks, and rivers. Existence is dependent upon
Asebecause
it is the power to make things happen and change.
The Yoruba believe in the Creator who rules over the
entire universe along with many other gods that serve underneath him. The
Creator of the universe is called Olorun.
Olorun lives in the sky and is considered to be the father of all other
gods. Olorun is the only god that
never lived on earth. Olorun is the
supreme god and has no special group of worshippers or shrines, like the other
gods do.
Some Yoruba legends have a pair of gods, Orishala (Obatala) and his wife Odudua, as supreme creating deities,
either independent of almighty Olorun or preceding him. One legend has Olorun creating the world and then
leaving Obatala and Odudua to finish up the details; other
interpreters have considered Olorun and Obatala one and the same. Obatala, often a sculptor-god, has the
responsibility to shape human bodies; the Yoruba consider the physically
deformed either his votaries or the victims of his displeasure.Olorun, however,
reserves the right to breathe these bodies to life. In some places, Obatala also rules over all of the orisha, or minor gods, as king,
although still subordinate to Olorun.
The Yoruba explained to early missionaries that these minor gods descended from
the single almighty god, just as Jesus was the son of the Christian god.
God's Decision to Create
In
his study Kurt Browne found a
work written by a practising Ifa priest, C. OsamaroIbie known as “The Complete
works of Orunmila”. The Divinity of Wisdom in which he observed that Ifa
encompasses the "revelation, way of life and religion taught by Orunmilahas
revealed that Olodumare created all the Divinities to assist him in the
management of the planetary system and that they all owe total allegiance to
him. The Divinities all have free will, up to a point, and regard themselves as
servants of Olodumare sent by Olodumare into the world to help him make the
world a more livable place for mortals so that through them, the Divinities,
man may be able to appreciate how Olodumare loves his creatures. There then
followed a process of unfoldment which culminated with the Kabbalistic model of
the Tree of Life with its four worlds.In the Yoruba tradition there is no such
obvious unfoldment.
First
there was Olodumare. Oludumare then decided to create his servants and it was
so - 200 lower Divinities were created. They were the first inhabitants of
heaven and they all "lived normal lives in heaven, each in the image which
took after Oludumareown."LaterOludumare decided to create man and he sent
one of his favorite divinities, Death to fetch the clay with which man's image
was to be moulded after those of the Divinities. Oludumare then cast the human
image in clay and told all the Divinities to close their eyes. All the
Divinities did as instructed exceptOrunmila who was peeking. Olodumare caught
Orunmila and as he shut his eyes. Oludumare told him to keep them open since
nothing spectacular was ever done without a living witness.
So
Yoruba people have the following belief.
·
There is God (Oludumare).
·
God lives in Heaven.
·
God
wills to create.
·
God
creates the Divinities with both passive and expansive qualities in His own
image.
·
All owe total allegiance to Him.
·
God
chooses to create humankind in His image.
·
Death, one of God's favourite creations,
fetches clay.
·
God forms man and breathes life into him.
Following
the creation of man, Oludumare decides to "carve out the earth". Man
was considered too young and inexperienced to found this new abode, so the
Divinities were sent to establish earth with their knowledge, experience and
discretion.
After
creating man, heaven was becoming too populated so Olodumare decided to send
the Divinities to Earth to "form it". Olodumare then decides to
become pure Spirit, only connectable through Spirit. To the Kabbalist, a
separation is taking place. God is moving out of Creation into Azilut and
beyond, connectable through Spirit and physical earth is being formed. It is
interesting to note the injunctions placed on the Divinities with regard to the
establishment of Earth.
The First Attempt to Establish Life on Earth
Olodumare sends Arugba, his maid, (messenger, the
feminine principle) to inform the Divinities that they are to report tohim in
order to go on a mission. Orunmila who practices divination every day is told
to prepare a special meal for a visitor.Arugba visits all the Divinities in
order of seniority and delivers her message. When she reaches Orunmila's house,
the lastone, he invites her to a meal and because of his hospitality she
confides in him Oludumare's plan. She advises him thatwhen he goes before Olodumare
he should ask for four things: the chameleon; the multi-coloured hen and God's
Divine bag,Arugba.
Orunmila goes before Olodumare and his four wishes are
granted. He puts into the Divine bag a snail’s shell, Arugba, thechameleon and
chicken plus a sample of all the plants and animals he can lay his hands on.
Note that the Divine bag had thecapacity of accommodating anything, no matter
what the size and also could produce whatever was required of it.
All Divinities leave for Earth via the Palm Tree which
has roots in heaven and its branches spread over water below. Orunmila, the
youngest, leaves heaven last and meets hisbrethren on the branches. He too
waits. Arugba then calls to him from within the bag and tells him to turn the
snails shelldownward towards the water for within it is the foundation soil for
Earth. He does as instructed.
The water below begins to bubble and within a short
time heaps of sand begin piling up around the branches of thePalm Tree. After
many heaps are formed, Arugba again calls to him and advises him to drop the
hen down. The hen sets towork scattering the heaps and after a large area of
ground is spread Arugba calls to him to set the chameleon free to test the
solidity of the earth. This Orunmila does and the chameleon walks on the earth
proving its firmness. As soon as this was done Oludumare released the dike
holding rain in the sky and the ensuing downpour of rain flooded and consumed
the world. So ended the first attempt to establish life on earth.
Remember that Orunmila is the first Divinity on the
earth. The Palm Tree is considered the first creation. It has its roots
inheaven and is respected by all Divinities. It is the root of their genealogy.
All Divinities spread out from the Palm Tree to No one is to take
advantage of Oludumare’s physical absence. They must always show respect for
Him.
In the creation myth of the Angas
people of Plateau State in central Nigeria, reproduced almost that in the
Golden Age, before the ruin of humanity, the hoe pulled itself through the furrows
producing food for human beings. Then, one day the woman, seeing the hoe at
rest in the hut, took it by the handle and worked with it in the furrows
herself. At this the hoe was so offended that it refused ever to produce food
for humans in the old way again, and since then humans have had to work for a
living (Kangdim 1981, 3-8). We see here that the fall of humanity is due to a
caprice, as God gave no command to the man or woman warning them against using
the hoe in this manner. The fallen state of humanity seems due to an oversight.
One might deduce from this a fatalistic twist to the universe: one never knows
whether it will snap back in one's face.
List below are some of the most common
deities Found in Nigeria:
Ala
- The
earth-goddess, the spirit of fertility (of man and the productivity of the
land)
Jgwe
- The
sky-god. This god was not appealed to for rain, however, that was the fulltime
profession of the rain-makers, Igbo tribesmen who were thought to be able to
calland dismiss rain.
Jmomiri
- The
spirit of the river. The Igbo believe that a big river has a spiritual aspect;
it is forbidden to fish in such deified rivers.
Mbatuku-
The
spirit of wealth.
Agwo
- A
spirit envious of other's wealth, always in need of servitors.
Aha
njukuor lfejioku- The yam spirit.
Ikoro- The
drum spirit.
Ekwu-
The
hearth spirit, which is woman's domestic spirit.
The
role of the diviner is to interpret the wishes of the alusi, and
the role of the priest is to placate them with sacrifices. Either a priest is
chosenthrough hereditary lineage or he is chosen by a particular god for his
service, usuallyafter passing through a number of mystical experiences. Each
person also has apersonalized providence, which comes from Chukwu, and
returns to him at the time of death, a chi.There was no shrine to Chukwu,nor
were sacrifices made directly to him, but he was conceived as the ultimate
receiver of all sacrifices made to the minor deities.
These
minor deities claimed an enormous part of the daily lives of the people. The
belief was that these gods could be manipulated in order to protect them and
serve their interests. If the gods performed these duties, they were rewarded
with the continuing faith of the tribe. Different regions of lgbo land have varying versions of
these minor deities.
CRITIQUES
Nigerians
has what resemble with the Christian concepts of God in the followings aspects
that is also shown in the Bible;
Ø The
Supreme God. Nigerians believe in supreme God but this kind of God is different
from Almighty God because is given characteristics which are not his. For
example he is given many names such as Ase
as a force of life, OOlodumareandOrunmila, Ala
- The
earth-goddess, JgweThe sky-god,
Jmomiri-The spirit of the
river. Mbatuku- The spirit of wealth, Agwo - A spirit envious of
other's wealth, Aha njukuor lfejioku- The yam spirit, Ikoro-
The drum spirit, Ekwu - The hearth spirit, which is woman's domestic
spirit.Thesenames are still current and
that more names descriptive of people's experience of God are available in
proverbs, songs, and prayers.
Ø A Tree of Life. According to the legends the
tree of life referred is the palm tree in which the divinities passed through
when descending to create the world. A tree is respected in the sense that
without it the world would not have been created.
Ø Creation
through the Will of God. Nigerians believe that Earth was created through the
will of God and that is true but their wrong is that it was because the heaven
was overpopulated and as a solution there was a need to have another more
space.
Ø The
Flood. It is true that there were flood in the history of this world. Nigerians
perspective in this is that Orunmila
was told in a dream that he and his followers are to climb up the sacred Palm
Tree to Heaven. As soon as this was done Oludumare released the dike holding
rain in the sky and the ensuing downpour of rain flooded and consumed the world
and that ended the first attempt to establish life on earth.
CONCLUSION
The
concept of creation among Nigerians vary from one ethnic group to another ethnic
group. Due to civilization today there are Christians who believe on the Bible
God the creator. Islamic also is a major religion in Nigeria where they view
Allah as the creator of the Earth and heavens.
REFERENCE
Awolalu J.O(1976), Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol.
10, No. 2.
Idowu. E.B (1973), African Traditional Religion,
S.C.M
Mbiti J. S (1969), African Religions and Philosophy,
Heineman.
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