History Of Umuode Nsulu 

Umuode Nsulu community has existed since the 1800s. Umuode means “children (descendants) of Ode.” Ode, the progenitor, was one of the sons of Uke Nsulu. Uke Nsulu’s children founded the 22 villages that make up Nsulu in Isiala Ngwa North LGA of Abia State.  

Umuode Nsulu people reportedly migrated from Umuodeche Nsulu during the long migration in their quest for better sources of water. That search led them to the current location with ample sources of water in streams and rivers. They are Ihumiri, Osogere and Iyi Ogidiala. There is also Onumiri and Ahii.

Oral tradition records that courage and their fighting ability made Umuode Nsulu people famous. They were principled and had the inner strength to stand by their beliefs. Early Umuode Nsulu indigenes fought and won several wars with their neighbours because of this attribute.

There were wars with other kindred of Umuodeche over who should have the Eke Market Day. Umuode won.
There were also wars with Umuosu, the nearest neighbouring village.

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Umuode people also fought with the British colonialists who came prepared for a fight with the community because her fame had spread abroad. Umuode people reportedly killed a member of the reconnaissance team.

 This led to a British expedition to Umuode Nsulu and the great massacre of Umuode sons and daughters at Ahiafo.

Neighbours and citizens alike hail Umuode people as Ode Ogu on account of their war prowess.

Because of its proximity to villages in the Umuahia-Ikwuano axis, Umuode administratively alternated in the early days between Oloko and Nbawsi.

Umuode and a few neighbouring villages were part of the Oloko Court System in the old Bende Division when the court took off in 1908.

 However, the Colonial Authorities constituted the Ohuite Court in 1929 with a location in Nbawsi.

The anthropological report of Major J.G.C Allen, Assistant District Officer in Aba Division, formed the basis for moving Umuode and seven other villages to the Ohuite Court in 1934. Allen recommended the transfer of villages in Oloko Court with similar style and form of Ahanjoku as those of the rest of Ngwa clan to Ohuite Court in Aba Division.

The administrators then moved Umuode along with Umuosu, Mbubo, Ikputu, Ubaha, Umuogu, Umuezeukwu, and Umuodeche to the court in Nbawsi. These communities latter made up the Umunna Nsulu community.

Umuode is one of the twenty-two villages that make up Nsulu. The  villages of Nsulu are

Eziala
Umuakwu
Umuosu
Ohuhu Nsulu
Mbubo
Aro Nchara
Ikputu
Umuodeche
Ama-Asaa
Umuezeukwu
Umuorgu
Amachi
Umuosonyike
Usaka Umuofor
Umuezeta
Umuala
Umuati
Agburuike
Umuomaiukwu
Umuezegu
Umuomainta and
Umuode Nsulu

According to the 1963 population census, Nsulu with a population of 44,262 was the largest single Local Council in Isiala Ngwa. The population of Umuode in 1963 was 1, 742.

Umuode’s population is estimated at about 25, 000 people in 2015.

Umuode has two main seasons in the year; the rainy season that starts from May to October, and the dry season from November to April.

Umuode Nsulu over the years has had a symbiotic relationship with the communities of Ikwuano and Olokoro in the old Bende Division.

 Umuode people being predominantly farmers produce various cash crops. These include but not limited to yams, cassava, cocoyam, plantain, vegetables, maize and egusi. Traders come from Ikwuano and Umuahia to buy the produce and move them to towns beyond Ngwaland.

Umuode Nsulu people are hardworking, industrious and development-oriented. Umuode Nsulu has produced many stars in the various fields of endeavour, including distinguished professors in the likes of Madugba I. Iro and James Amankulor, a Senator of the Federal Republic, Mac Nwulu, famous footballer Ben Bella (Ben Offor) of the old Plateau Eleven and Nigeria, and several others 

 *HISTORY OF EKPE MASQUERADE* 

The Ekpe Masquerade Festival is a vibrant and culturally significant event celebrated by the Igbo people in Abia State, Nigeria. Rooted in ancient traditions, this festival holds great importance for the local communities and serves as a time to honor their cultural heritage, connect with their ancestors, and foster a sense of unity among the people. With its rich history and diverse rituals, the Ekpe Masquerade Festival has become a fascinating spectacle that attracts thousands of attendees, both from within Nigeria and from abroad.

The festival takes place at the beginning of the year, usually in January, although the exact dates and specific details may vary from community to community within Abia State. 

This flexibility allows each community to organize and plan their celebrations in a way that reflects their unique customs and traditions, while still maintaining the essence of the Ekpe Masquerade Festival.

 Regardless of the variations, one common theme remains constant—the vibrant display of Ekpe masquerades and their captivating performances.

The Ekpe masquerades are central to the festival and are revered as embodiments of ancestral spirits. These masquerades, adorned in elaborate costumes and masks, play a vital role in traditional Igbo societies. During the festival, they parade through the streets, showcasing their mesmerizing dance moves and captivating the audience with their presence. The Ekpe masquerades are believed to serve as intermediaries between the living and the spiritual realm, symbolizing authority, wisdom, and protection.

One of the most significant moments of the Ekpe Masquerade Festival occurs when the Ekpe masquerade beheads a goat with a single strike. This ritual act holds immense importance, as it signifies the culmination of the festival and brings about a sense of victory and celebration.

 The Ekpe masquerade, carefully chosen from different clans, is responsible for executing this task flawlessly. Failure to do so may result in consequences such as fines and public disgrace for the entire clan and the Ekpe himself until the next Ekpe festival.

Before the day of the festival, the clan is expected to present the Ekpe masquerade and is tasked with choosing a young man to represent the entire clan. This individual undergoes a process of spiritual purification to prepare for his role. As the Ekpe, he assumes a position of high honor and is treated as a prince within the community.

 During the days leading up to the festival, the Ekpe is advised not to eat food cooked by women, as they are believed to be physically weaker than men. Instead, he is surrounded by mostly male companions, who ensure his well-being and conserve his strength for the forthcoming event.

On the day of the Ekpe Masquerade Festival, the entire village comes alive with excitement. Villagers dress in colorful traditional attire, tying george wrappers around their waists, and gather together to sing and dance to various songs while people appreciate the performances of the masquerade, players and other individual dancers by donating money to them while the music is on. 

The Ekpe, covered from head to toe in his costume, dances gracefully throughout the village, paying respects to both the living and deceased members of the community. This act of seeking strength and blessings from the formal Ekpe figures symbolizes a deep connection between the past and the present, bridging generations and reinforcing the cultural continuity of the Igbo people.

The climax of the festival arrives when the Ekpe approaches a small square shrine, constructed using palm leaves, at the center of the village. In full view of the assembled crowd, the Ekpe enters the shrine and raises a cutlass high into the sky. With a swift strike, he skillfully kills the goat placed within the shrine. The successful beheading of the goat triggers an eruption of joy and jubilation among the onlookers. The Ekpe is praised for his victory, and the celebration truly begins, with music, dancing, feasting, and merriment enveloping the entire village. 

The Ekpe festival has existed for millenniums and which involves so many kinds of Ekpe masquerades performing different kinds of cultural dance.

Here male and female (old and young) dress in their cultural attire, the male must tie a piece of George (wrapper) to make up for the cultural attire.

Male children who have been initiated into Ekpe masquerade, and are skilled in playing the cultural music, show their expertise in their culture while the masquerade performs the dancing.

People appreciate the performances of the masquerade, players and other individual dancers by donating money to them while the music is on.

 *EKPE  UMUODE* 

Ekpe hii-haa!

Ekpe hii-haa!

Ekpe o no ngaa?

O no ya!

The Ekpe festival of Umuode has earned deserved acclaim as a boisterous and lively celebration incorporating dance and drama. It is action-packed and full of song and dance.

Umuode Nsulu has kept the Ekpe in its pristine tradition as ritual, drama and dance.

The Ekpe takes several dimensions. The main Ekpe happens on an Eke market day of the chosen year. It is now usually in the first month of the year.

Ekpe Nkwo takes place the night before the main Ekpe day. There could also be Ekpe on Orie-Ukwu, a day after the main dance.

 *Features of the Ekpe* *include the following:* 

Drumming and dancing.
The Ekpe himself, who does two regal dance movements.
The Okoro-Oji. The Okoro-Oji is a regal, war-like dance by the Ekpe, usually undertaken after severing the head of the goat. The Ekpe shows great artistry in his dance steps.

The symbolic sacrificial killing of a goat , must be accomplished with one stroke of the cutlass to be deemed successful. Success in severing the head of a live goat in one stroke is supposed to symbolise strength and the warrior spirit of the Umuode people. In the past, Ekpe Umuode had successfully severed with one stroke the head of a cow.

Ekpe Okpai. This is the boisterous, even rough male dominated part of the Ekpe festival. A song usually rises ahead of this dance warning the feeble, weak and visitors not strong enough to depart at this point.
O ga la iru la Ekpe Okpai                   (It will soon be time for Ekpe Okpai) 

O ga la iru la Ekpe Okpai                   It will soon be time for (Ekpe Okpai) 

Mbiara nbia la o                       (Visitors stay away) 

The chief actor of the Ekpe festival is the Ekpe bearer. He is the communal representative. He bears the hopes of the community on this special day.

The killing of the goat is a symbolic sacrifice and remembrance of a friend of the village who had to be immolated as a demonstration of loyalty to the village deity, Alumerechi.

The post-sacrifice dance movement also bears great symbolism. The Ekpe and elders lead this dance, exuding self-consciousness and pathos in memory of the original sacrifice. The song goes thus

I mere enyi – e                 (you betrayed a friend)

I mere enyi – e                (you betrayed a friend)

This chant is followed by a response from the group

I mere enyi                     (you betrayed a friend)

L’enyi mere enyi ya        (behold the friend who betrayed his friend)

 

Ekpe Umuode was celebrated each year in August to align with the new yam harvest. However, the effect of Christianity and, in particular, outward migration of indigenes necessitated shifting it to the last week of December or the first Eke in the New Year. It is also now no longer an annual event but held once in two years.

Ekpe is participatory with various compounds playing a role.

The Ekpe himself in the recent past and currently has come from Owo. In the past, the honour was shared with Umuokworokwo.
Drumming at the square is provided by Okpuala and Amangwu.
The main festival itself takes place at Ahia Eke, the Eke market square with Umuegwurum as host.
Uta, Aro and Avo (bow, arrow and basket) on which is placed a mild burning fire that have been provided by Umuonyeodi. (Ogbuonyeugo and his mother wearing trousers in imitation of the whiteman). This provides a good deal of fun and side attraction to the crowd.
Ema Ufor (Sprinkling of contaminated water) by Umuokoro. Ema Ufor is usually used to scare away people from coming close to the Ekpe actor for nobody likes to leave the square on Ekpe day with the smell of the Ofoo (contaminated water).
Isi Ekpe itself (the mask) or Isi Ngwu is essentially Umuode in character, and there is no imitation here. Umuode people must decide on the form of the mask.
Oga-nkwu (a live- (falcon) bird) which adorns the mask is usually caught on the eve of the Ekpe festival.  The appearance of the Oga nkwu just in the nick of time is one of the mysteries of the Ekpe festival.