OPINION: Dead or alive, a married woman in igbo land belongs to her father's kinsmen

By Anayo M. Nwosu

Immediately Dr. Tochukwu Enendu certified Mama Obiora dead, Prince Obiora, my eldest brother realized that our mum had finished her assignment in our father’s family of Nwosu Ezeonwaneti.

Yes, the leasehold we regard as marriage had just ended and the ownership of our mother would have to revert to the her father’s kinsmen. My mother was with us but not of us.

To avoid unprovoked enquiries upon her death, my siblings and I had to notify my mother’s siblings when Mama Obiora fell terminally sick and periodically provided briefs on her progression until she breathed her last.

The doctor's death certification was not conclusive yet. Prince Obiora knew what was expected of him having been schooled in our tradition and having held various leadership positions in the community. He had to call the head of Charles Enumah’s (i.e Mama Obiora's father's) family to come urgently to ascertain "if their sister was performing magic or just plainly joking". Such calls are normally attended to promptly for only those well-behaved children of a dead sister. Those uncaring ụmụ nwadịana or children of a married sister would have more explanation to do.

Chief John Enumah, the first son of my mother’s father, arrived to confirm the sister dead and then directed on what next needed to be done. The corpse belongs to him and his family not mine or Nwosu’s family. He came to our house with one of his sons and with the "aid" of Prince Obiora, they took their sister’s corpse to the mortuary.

The point to stress here is that the bride price paid to marry an Nnewi woman is just a lease payment which tenor ends whenever the woman dies or is divorced. Once the woman is dead, the husband’s people must return the corpse to her father’s home for burial or exchange the corpse with the woman’s very important household possession called ngịga which is a woven basket with a small orifice.

It is insider the ngịga, which is usually hung to a long rope dripping from kitchen roof and is about three feet away from the fire place, that a married woman stores all her cooking condiments which need the heat from the cooking fire to be preserved.

Invention of stoves, gas cookers and modernity have conspired to withdraw the use of ngịga. The dead woman's life picture portrait is now being used in exchange for her corpse. That is after the husband's people must have provided some other material requirements with prescribed entertainment.

My father's great grandfather was the late ruler of Nnewi, a town which headship has been hereditary. Therefore, my brother and I know the tradition and we must hold forth even though my brother is a man of God, a catechist of St. James Catholic, Otolo Nnewi, he still knows that our mom's leasehold contract has ended and the title of the deceased has reverted to her father's family.

Ndị Nnewi have moved more forward than Idoma people who still insist that a wife must be returned to her father's house for burial. They do this up till date.

Even with many kids and illustrious service to my clan, Mama Obiora referred to as Nwaọkpụ Ọkpụnyo Nnewichi, never belonged to the Nwosu's. She has always been the property of the Enumah's as she was deemed to be on a marriage pilgrimage to my father's house. Upon death, her mission has been accomplished and she must be returned to her people.

Until my mother's people come to take either her body, ngịga or picture home and perform separation rituals now conducted in a pseudo-christian way, her spirit would not allow the Nwosu's rest.

The actual ritual by which a dead woman's spirit is taken back to her father's home is called "I bu ozu nwa ada" in Nnewi. In the case of late Mama Obiora, these have been agreed to happen on the 24 November 2018, a day after her internment.