ABSTRACT
The subject of study is the dominant presence of Roman
Catholic Church in Odozor; the desire to undertake this study is motivated by
the curiosity to understand the factor for the dominant presence of Roman
Catholic in Odozor. In carrying out this study, simple random sampling was used
to select five towns from the study area. The Five towns which constitute the
population of study are Ebe, Abor, Awhum Okpatu and Umulumgbe. The researcher
made use of primary and secondary sources in data collections. The review of
literature revealed some dependable variable which formed the theoretical
framework for the study. The data and peculiarities of missionary enterprises
in Odozor was analyzed and interpreted. Based on this frame work, the following
findings were made; that, the dominant presence of the Roman Catholic church in
Odozor is due to the domineering influence of local chiefs and political heads.
Other factors are the evangelical zeal of early converts and lay agents, mode
of baptism and the Roman Catholic Church enculturation process also remains in
factor. As a result the researcher therefore recommends that laity participation
in evangelism should be encouraged. Secondly is that Christian denomination
should adopt an enabling policy towards positioning African Christianity into
African world view. Finally, rigorous subjection is not necessary for the
eternal salvation of soul.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Christian religion has come a
long way with the first missionary station at Badagry in 1842. In 1857, the
church missionary society established the first mission church at Onitsha under
the leadership of Rev. Henry Townsend. From Onitsha, the gospel started its
slow but steady journey into the interior. The C.M.S established a station at
Enugu Ngwo in 1912. The visit of Rev. Isaac Uzowulu to Ngwo triggered off an
expansionist sprit among the missionaries
This itinerant evangelist
embarked on house to house evangelism and established a station at Umuabi, Udi
and Okpatu. From the station at Okpatu a mission station was found in Umulumgbe
in 1936. In an interview with Elder Amadi of Eke,Town, he said that “Udi area
witnessed missionary scramble
in the second decade of the 20th Century”.
This pioneer position gave the
Church missionary society added advantages. During this period many communities
were desirous to open up C.M.S mission station in their communities. In the
face of the increasing demand for mission contact, the Holy Ghost Congregation
of the Roman Catholic mission emerged on the scene. Ilogu (1974) pointed out
that 1885 witnessed the emergence of the Holy Ghost Congregation of the Roman Catholic Church in Igbo land. The entrance of Roman Catholic
mission in Igbo land compelled missionary drive into the interior. This drive
led to missionary rivalry in their adoption of apostolic policies. Ekeche
pointed out that the Roman Catholic explored the interior through the creeks,
from Aguleri, to Olo, Achalla, Owa and Oghe to Eke in 1914. Rev Fr. Aloysee
Muller opened up a mission station at Eke with Mr. Ikem peter as the poiner
teacher. From Eke, like the biblical mustered seed the church spread as far as
Nsukka, Ogaja and Makurdi to the North, Ebenebe and Ida.
From the above description, we
can have a fair picture of the enormous apostolic activities of the pioneer
missionaries of Eke. By 1889, Eke mission station has gave birth to five town
parishes of Ebe, Abor, Ukana, Okpatu and Umulumgbe and constitutes mainly Roman
Catholic population.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The Church Missionary Society
and the Roman Catholic Church are two major actors in mission evangelism in Igboland.
As early as 1912. The presence of the C.M.S. was established at Enugu Ngwo and
Udi area respectively. In spite of this early development the people of Odozor
are dominantly Roman Catholics when compared to other areas in Udi Local
Government Council Area.
This
raises a number of questions such as:
(a)
What are the factors for the sudden
twist of events in the C.M.S. evangelizing mission?
(b)
Can this sudden twist be attributed
to method, charisma, strategies employed,
and political influence of the local chiefs or inadequacy of trained local
agents and laity groups?
1.3
Purpose of the Study
The urge to undertake this
study is to look into some distinctive religious and ecclesiastical issues of
the various Christian missionary enterprises in Odozor Local Government
Development Council with the view to find out the factors for the dominant
presence of Roman Catholic Church adherents viz-a- viz other areas in Udi Local
Government Area Council.
1.4
Scope of the Study
The study area is Odo-Ozor
Local Government Development Council. The council is made up of the following
towns: Ebe, Abor, Ukana, Awhum, Okpatu, Umulumgbe, Umuoka and Ukehe. These
towns share common paternal, socio-cultural and religious tie. Due to the
congenial nature of the study area, a selective random area was undertaken. The representative
study areas are Ebe, Okpatu, Awhum, Umulumgbe and Abor.
1.5
Significance of the Study
The response of OdoOzo people towards various Christian
missionary endeavors is of great significant. An expository view at the above
will help to clarify missionary enterprise in the area. Also the study stands
to offer an insight into the level of commitment of the various missionaries in
carrying out their primary assignment. It equally stands to contribute to
scholarship on the faith ideology of the people of OdoOzor Missionary
evangelism. The research finding could be used to draw conclusion on the
enduring strategies in faith propagation. Finally it stands to correct the
misinterpretation of the past with the view to improving the present situation
and achieving a balanced view of activities in Odo-Ozor Local Government
Development council.
1.6
Methodology
The nature of the research
demands a multi-dimensional approach. The researcher made use of Historical and
analytical approach. The nature of the study compels this study to rely more on
primary sources. Under this approach interview guidelines were designed so that
discussion will be focused on the content specified in the research objective.
However; based on the relative criticism of the interview method, the
research variable made the researcher to feel strongly that any method that
would promote anonymity would yield reliable result. For this reason question
were framed to cover people response, missionary strategies and factors for the
dominant presence of Roman Catholic Church in Odo-Ozor.
The questions were both closed
and open ended to enable respondents less bored and unable to suppress or
distort basic response to the question. The researcher also made use of group
discussion method. A key topic on Christian Missionary enterprise in Odo-Ozor
was raised and expressed views of discussants made useful information for this
study. The discussants include Traditional rulers, Academicians and clergy men
who represented their interest groups and callings.
The researcher also made use of
secondary sources in data collection and in the evaluation related literature
on the topic of study, documented materials such as text books, journals;
magazines unpublished works were also used. On the basis of logical evidence,
the researcher applied logical reasoning to arrive at conclusions.
1.7 Definition
of Terms
For clarification of terms, the following terms used there need
to be explained in the context of their usage.
Traditionalist
These
refer to people that practice or the adherents of Africa traditional religion.
Warrant
chiefs
These
are class of people mandated by the colonial masters to exercise political,
social and economic influence on the people living in a geographical area.
Their mandate was necessary because of the absence of organized political
structure in Igboland.
Response
This
is the level of the Peoples acceptance of specific missionary stimuli.
Christian
missionaries
This
refers to the group of people who go out to propagate the Christian faith to
non- members.
Missionary
work
This
is used to refer to those activities designed to affect the expansion of the
church among men and beyond its boundaries.
Mission
– The sending out of religious teachers to convert people by preaching.
Mission
statement – This refers to the objective or aim
in embarking on a venture.
Sacrament
– This refers to the solemn religious ceremony in the
Christian church such as baptism, confirmation, matrimony believed to be
accompanied by great spiritual benefits. Sacred - to treat something
with great respect or reverence.
Itinerant
Traveling from place to place.
Laity
– refers to all the people not in the Holy Order, those who
are not clergy.
Parishioner
– inhabitants of a church parish.
Expedition
– journey or voyage for a definite purpose.
Explore
a) – travel into or through a geographical area for
the purpose of learning about something.
Explore
(b) – To examine thoroughly problems, possibilities in other
to test or learn about them.
Odozor
Cult – A secret guild.
Christian
village - An enclave where Christian live such as monastery.
Receptive
– Responsiveness or unresponsiveness of the gospel message.
Gospel:
The life and teaching of Jesus Christ as recorded in the
first four books
of the New Testament.
Pastoral-
Office of the pastor, time during which he holds briefing.
Odozor-
The name Odozor is derived from a compound verb root “Odo
and Ozor”. “Odo” means masquerade cult and “Ozor” a prestigious
traditional title. It is used to refer to a group of communities known for Odo
cult and Ozor title taking.
1.8 Origin and Migration
The source for the
reconstruction of the tradition of origin, migration and settlement of the
people of Odozor is scanty. What is presented here represents no more than
version which are at the moment generally accepted by the people concerned. A
study of the oral traditions collected showed that despite the differing
versions, the origin, migration and settlement of the people of Odozor focused
on Ojebe and Ogene the grand parent of Odozor clan.
Towns
Odozor is made up
of Ebe, Abor, Ukana, Awhum, Okpatu, Umulumbe, Umuka and Ukehe.
Location
The land location of Odozor as
shown in the map lie at the Northern end of Udi Local Government Area of Enugu
State. It is bounded in the South by Eke town and Ngwo both in Udi Local
Government Area, in the West by Oghe in Eziagu, Egede and Affa town in the
North West boundary.
It is bounded in the North by Ukehe, Ochima in Igbo-Etiti
Local Government Area, In the East by Nike in Nkanu Local Government.
Origin
and Migration
In the midst of diverse
tradition, myth and legend, the most acceptable, is that; the people of Odozor
migrated from a common ancestral mother who was born and bred somewhere on
earth. The name of the founding mother “Ojebe” remains constant. All the towns
that make up Odozor agree to the consanguinity in the name Ojebe.
Another tradition by Sir Moses
Iyi, points to Eziagu as a place where Ojebe migrated as a wife to the father
of Ebe. He sees “Ogene” as a woman and the mother of Ojebe. However, Sir Iyi
could not mention the name of Ojebe’s father nor the father of Ebe. This
assertion disagreed with Mr. S.O. Attah’s view point. Mr. Attah relied on
linguistic judgment to maintain that Ojebe remained feminine while Ogene is
masculine. This implied that Ogene is Ojebe’s husband.
If we bear the relevance of the
various traditions in mind and the contiguity of these towns, we can agree with
the traditions that these towns are paternally and maternally consanguine.
Furthermore, if the linguistic parameter is applied in judgment, it is
observable that the dialects of all these
communities have closer homogeneity than the dialect of other surrounding
towns.
1.9
Traditional Pattern of Life
Uchendu
(1965) speaking of igbo people generally maintain that the Igbos have a culture
and a history which is unwritten. Uche (2006) see religion as a matrix of
culture. This indicates that religion as exemplified in the work of Christian
missionaries could offer archeological data.
Before the advent of
Christianity in Odozor; traditional religion was practiced as a general rule.
The people believed in the existence of a supreme being called Chineke or
Chukwu. There is a belief in religious pantheon of gods. Chukwu delegated
function to the Earth goddess Ani, the oracles and shrines. The Ani priest and
the ofor holders were in charge of religious matters and represented their
people in religious matters. The Ani priest was spiritual in settling disputes
that could not be settled by the council of elders due to want of evidence.
The Earth deity was the
ultimate source of morality. Oaths taking before the Ani oracle lend credence
to claims and put to rest all arguments arising from one evidence. According to
the District Officer’s Report of 1945 and 1957 traditional religious practices
in Odozor were relevant to the religious life of the people. Archival sources recognized
the guardian sprit of the departed which is symbolized in Odo-cult.
Belief in the continued
existence and influence of the departed is very central in Odozor. The ancestors
are felt to be still present, directly concerned with the family and watching
over their well being.
Cult festivals are performed
between the end of the planting season and harvest period every leap year. The
people believed that the ancestors as symbolized in the Odo cult are the
custodian of the people’s laws, traditions and customs; they are believed to
send sickness or misfortune upon any person who violates or infringes upon
their dictates. During the Odo cult festivals certain rites were accorded to
the ancestors. Offering are made to commemorate the death of the dead or to
elicit their support for a particular venture. Sacrifices are also made to
invoke the ancestors and request them to pass on their petition for safety to
the appropriate quarters.
Besides all these; ancestral
rite is the provision of choice food and drinks. This is done to mark the end
of the festival. During this event, the living and the dead share a common meal
in harmony.
During the festival, Christians
and even ordained ministers partake openly in these traditional rites. This
situation is an indicator that Christian theology needs to pay more attention to some
aspects of traditional African belief in the communion of saints.
Politically, the Odozor people
like most Igbo communities maintain a structural system of government which is
gerontocracy in nature. In this system of governance, the oha remain the
highest legislative and judicial organ of governance, while the organization of
young men (age-grade) form the executive organ. The executive arm of government
is made of various age grades. They enforce discipline and provide labour for
communal purposes. In the absence of a monarch, the most elderly man in the
“oha” preside over communal matters and issue out communiqué on behalf of the
communities. The political and administrative structure remained in this form
until the advent of the colonial masters. The colonial masters very much
conscious of the absence of a monarch introduced the warrant chief system of
governance.
================================================================
Item Type: Project Material | Size: 101 pages | Chapters: 1-5
Format: MS Word | Delivery: Within 30Mins.
================================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.