Nze na Ozo
Encyclopedia
The Nze na Ozo society , is the highest and most important magico-religious and social grouping in the Igbo society of Southeast Nigeria
. To become Ozo implies that the title holder is now an ‘Nze’ implying living spirit and an ancestor. One then becomes the moral conscience of the community and is seen to be a fair adjudicator in cases of disputes within the community. In times of crisis, most Igbo communities will rely on Ozo members for leadership. Generally, in most Igbo communities, only holders of Ichi
title may become candidates for Ozo title., however although anthropologist such as Jeffreys reports cases of women with Ichi scarification, only men can belong to Ozo with membership according the individual extreme prestige, power and influence in the community.
Taking Ozo title is extremely expensive with the lower grades costing in excess of US$25,000 in initiation cost and up to another US$2000 in annual subscriptions. Although there is hegemony across Igboland on the notion of Ozo, categorisation and grades of Ozo titles are different across Igbo communities. For example, with the exception of the Onitsha
and Delta Igbo, certain titles of the Ozo such as ‘Ezeana’ may not be taken until the candidate was seen to have been ‘a man’. Being that Igbo’s are gerontologic in outlook, the basic pre-condition for such an assessment was to ascertain whether the father of a candidate was still alive. If a candidate’s father was still alive, the title could not be taken. This rule however does not apply to Onitsha
Igbo’s who can take Ozo title while a candidates father is alive. In other Igbo communities, especially those in the Awka
-Nri axis, some exceptions are made where the candidate completes the initiation rites into Ozo, but is referred to as ‘Nze-agbala’ until the father dies. Such a person may however not be allowed to dance to Ufie
music which is a sacred music danced by Ozo holders on special Igbo religious festivals such as the New Yam Festival
. Another major difference in taking of Ozo title in Igboland relates to the pre-requisite for the candidate to have earlier taken Ichi
title (gbue Ichi). While taking Ozo title in most Igbo communities in the Awka
-Nri axis requires the candidate to have taken Ichi
title, in Onitsha
, Ichi
is not a recognised institution and is therefore not undertaken by the Onitsha
Igbo and some of the Delta Igbo,. The Nze na Ozo society does not exist in most southern Igbo communities such as the Aro
. Instead, these communities have masquerade societies such as Okonko and Ekpe.
In most of parts of Igboland, there are generally two major classes of Ozo. The first is nnukwu Ozo (big Ozo). Within nnukwu Ozo, there are three grades consisting of Dunu, Dim and Ezeana. In the second class of Ozo referred to as obele Ozo (small Ozo), again they are generally three grades exist consisting of Eyisi, Ezuzo and Okpala. It must however be recognised that until about 1930, nnukwu Ozo had a fourth (and highest) grade of Ozo referred to as Igwe (Sky) which only the Eze Nri, the spiritual leader of the Ozo system held. This has however changed with most Igbo communities being led by a senior Ozo holder referred to as Igwe or Eze
. The different grades of Ozo are not necessarily distinct based on nomenclature alone. For example, while Ozo Okpala is regarded as obele Ozo, the position is usually taken by the fist son in a lineage who by taking the title becomes responsible for arbitrating internal family disputes.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. To become Ozo implies that the title holder is now an ‘Nze’ implying living spirit and an ancestor. One then becomes the moral conscience of the community and is seen to be a fair adjudicator in cases of disputes within the community. In times of crisis, most Igbo communities will rely on Ozo members for leadership. Generally, in most Igbo communities, only holders of Ichi
Ichi (scarification)
Ichi was facial ritual scarification worn by mainly men of the Igbo people of Nigeria. The scarification which indicated that the wearing had passed through initial initiation into the highest society Nze na Ozo., thus marking the wearer as nobility. The scarification was found among men in the...
title may become candidates for Ozo title., however although anthropologist such as Jeffreys reports cases of women with Ichi scarification, only men can belong to Ozo with membership according the individual extreme prestige, power and influence in the community.
Taking Ozo title is extremely expensive with the lower grades costing in excess of US$25,000 in initiation cost and up to another US$2000 in annual subscriptions. Although there is hegemony across Igboland on the notion of Ozo, categorisation and grades of Ozo titles are different across Igbo communities. For example, with the exception of the Onitsha
Onitsha
Onitsha is a city, a commercial, educational, and religious center and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria....
and Delta Igbo, certain titles of the Ozo such as ‘Ezeana’ may not be taken until the candidate was seen to have been ‘a man’. Being that Igbo’s are gerontologic in outlook, the basic pre-condition for such an assessment was to ascertain whether the father of a candidate was still alive. If a candidate’s father was still alive, the title could not be taken. This rule however does not apply to Onitsha
Onitsha
Onitsha is a city, a commercial, educational, and religious center and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria....
Igbo’s who can take Ozo title while a candidates father is alive. In other Igbo communities, especially those in the Awka
Awka
Awka is the capital of Anambra State, Nigeria with an estimated population of 301,657 Nigerian census. The city is located about 600 miles east of Lagos in the centre of the densely-populated Igbo heartland in southeastern Nigeria...
-Nri axis, some exceptions are made where the candidate completes the initiation rites into Ozo, but is referred to as ‘Nze-agbala’ until the father dies. Such a person may however not be allowed to dance to Ufie
Ekwe
An Ekwe is an Igbo traditional musical instrument. The ekwe is a type of drum with rectangular cavity slits in the hollowed out wooden interior. The ekwe is made out of wood and most commonly a tree trunk. The ekwe comes in a variety of sizes and designs and each size is determined by the purpose...
music which is a sacred music danced by Ozo holders on special Igbo religious festivals such as the New Yam Festival
New Yam Festival of the Igbo
The New Yam festival of the Igbo is an annual harvest festival by the Igbo people held at the end of the rainy season in early August. The Iwa ji festival is practiced throughout West Africa and other African countries and beyond, symbolizing the conclusion of a harvest and the beginning of the...
. Another major difference in taking of Ozo title in Igboland relates to the pre-requisite for the candidate to have earlier taken Ichi
Ichi (scarification)
Ichi was facial ritual scarification worn by mainly men of the Igbo people of Nigeria. The scarification which indicated that the wearing had passed through initial initiation into the highest society Nze na Ozo., thus marking the wearer as nobility. The scarification was found among men in the...
title (gbue Ichi). While taking Ozo title in most Igbo communities in the Awka
Awka
Awka is the capital of Anambra State, Nigeria with an estimated population of 301,657 Nigerian census. The city is located about 600 miles east of Lagos in the centre of the densely-populated Igbo heartland in southeastern Nigeria...
-Nri axis requires the candidate to have taken Ichi
Ichi (scarification)
Ichi was facial ritual scarification worn by mainly men of the Igbo people of Nigeria. The scarification which indicated that the wearing had passed through initial initiation into the highest society Nze na Ozo., thus marking the wearer as nobility. The scarification was found among men in the...
title, in Onitsha
Onitsha
Onitsha is a city, a commercial, educational, and religious center and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria....
, Ichi
Ichi (scarification)
Ichi was facial ritual scarification worn by mainly men of the Igbo people of Nigeria. The scarification which indicated that the wearing had passed through initial initiation into the highest society Nze na Ozo., thus marking the wearer as nobility. The scarification was found among men in the...
is not a recognised institution and is therefore not undertaken by the Onitsha
Onitsha
Onitsha is a city, a commercial, educational, and religious center and river port on the eastern bank of the Niger river in Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria....
Igbo and some of the Delta Igbo,. The Nze na Ozo society does not exist in most southern Igbo communities such as the Aro
Aro people
The Aro people or Aros is an Igbo subgroup with Akpa and Ibibio elements who originated from Arochukwu kingdom in present day Abia state, Southeastern Nigeria. The Aros can also be found in about 250 other settlements mostly in the Southeastern region and adjacent areas...
. Instead, these communities have masquerade societies such as Okonko and Ekpe.
In most of parts of Igboland, there are generally two major classes of Ozo. The first is nnukwu Ozo (big Ozo). Within nnukwu Ozo, there are three grades consisting of Dunu, Dim and Ezeana. In the second class of Ozo referred to as obele Ozo (small Ozo), again they are generally three grades exist consisting of Eyisi, Ezuzo and Okpala. It must however be recognised that until about 1930, nnukwu Ozo had a fourth (and highest) grade of Ozo referred to as Igwe (Sky) which only the Eze Nri, the spiritual leader of the Ozo system held. This has however changed with most Igbo communities being led by a senior Ozo holder referred to as Igwe or Eze
Eze
Eze is an Igbo word which means King; with further implied meaning of chieftain of the tribe or kingdom. Such words as Igwe and Obi plus others are used by Igbo people as titles of respect and homage to the Eze...
. The different grades of Ozo are not necessarily distinct based on nomenclature alone. For example, while Ozo Okpala is regarded as obele Ozo, the position is usually taken by the fist son in a lineage who by taking the title becomes responsible for arbitrating internal family disputes.