Remembering the Long Juju of Arochukwu

[kulata]

The Long Juju of Arochukwu was a popular and revered deity during the colonial era. Joe Nwachukwu revisits the relevance of the deity to many Igbo communities.

Deity, as explained by in many English dictionaries can be said to be a goddess from which people draw their spiritual and supernatural strength. Most deities as they are, are kept in an isolated area; they are made sacred for the purpose of mystery.


As a result of this regard or preparation of these deities by the people so concerned and going by the culture, custom and mode of worship of these deities, mediating between them and God almighty always help solve their problems.


As such, the people keep the shrine where the deities are holy and sacred with some rules and regulations to checkmate entrance into the shrine. Most people or communities prepare the deities according to their market days. Like it is done in Igboland where traditional market days are named after deities such as Nkwo, Eke, Orie, and Afor. Some of the deities are regarded as the goddess of the sun, harvest and even of the farming season.


The people traditionally worship and appease the goddesses according to their problems. For example, many people before consuming their farm produce during harvest will first worship and appease the goddess of harvest with the hope that it will help them have bumper harvests. Now, talking about people of Arochukwu in Abia State, one would simply remember the famous Long Juju of Arochukwu. This deity is so endeared to the people of Arochukwu that no matter the strength of their Christianity, the people still make reference to and collaborate with the Juju.


Going by this history, worshippers of the Long Juju deity began to worship the deity before the arrival of colonial masters in Igboland in 1857. By 1900, the British Government had taken over Igboland from the Royal Niger Company (RNC) and the era of administration with the Christian missions had been set in motion. The British Government gained a foothold by using force in the interior but not without opposition from native groups like the Arochukwus, whose Long Juju, the government thought, was responsible for slave trade and failure to introduce English currency.


The attack on the Aro, the destruction of the juju shrine and hanging of some of the chiefs united the entire Igbo nation against the colonialists and initiated one of the longest war the British government ever fought with the people of West Africa. When the British government established its dominance, in-land penetration became a matter of serious concern. Yet, the government thought that peaceful penetration was quite impossible so long as the Aros ruled the entire Igboland by means of their famous juju. The best solution was to reduce the power of the Aros with military option.


The Long Juju of Arochukwu was the most powerful and prominent of all the oracles in Igboland. It was Igbos’ greatest oracle whose shrine later became the court of appeal throughout Igboland. To it, the most serious internal and inter-group strifes were often referred. This made the Arochukwu very important in Igboland. In those days, the Igbos believed in oracles. They made appeals and offerings to the oracles for rain, to avoid drought in any particular year and also to avoid bad harvest and famine. Igbos equally believed that these oracles could bring good fortunes and luck in their barren business. Some of the oracles were believed to control fertility and barrenness and people appealed to these oracles to answer problems of barreness in women. Cases were also taken to these oracles for judgment. Among the common cases in Igboland before 1600 are land disputes, theft and murder.


These oracles were believed to be impartial. They were also used economic purposes. They are believed to be suppliers of wealth in the society. In later years, they sold those condemned by the oracles to slavery. The oracle, which later became known as the Long Juju resided in a lonely cave situated in the heart of Arochukwu land. Whatever the deity really was at that time was only known to those initiated. It was given an exotic name in order to infuse fear into the minds of non-members of the secret society by those who worshipped it.


They were of fine physique with delicately moulded extremities and features more nearly approximating the Europeans who came into contact with this section of the people. They found them so superior in intelligence, craftiness and diplomacy that only European origins could account for such traits. The Aros were always against the inland penetration of Europeans having sufficient intelligence to see to the end of their rule or misrule. And in their efforts to discourage such in roads they were responsible for much of the trouble that was encountered when opening up the country.


They would pose as white men and in this character would raid villages, destroy farms and enslave the inhabitants. This method indicated the possession of cunning and intelligence far too subtle for any indigenous race, for the Aro never appeared as the enemies of Europeans, and yet managed to oppose them on every occasion. The control over the deities gave the Arochukwu people a large measure of respect among other people of the land. Aro people became mediators between the people and the Long Juju and the Aro territory soon became a trading centre tainted with religious sanctions.


It was the Aro who could travel in the land without any molestation. All other people from the rest of Igboland could only travel in their company . However, since the shrine of the Long Juju was allocated on the main trading routes to the Delta region, Aro rulers found the deity to be a convenient instrument for the maintenance of community discipline. The trouble posed by the Aros in relation to opening up the interior of Igboland to trade had earlier engaged the attention of the Royal Niger Company (RNC) and the high commissioner for Nigeria coast protectorate.


Before the revocation of the company’s charter, plans to invade the Aros and destroy the Long Juju were hatched by the high commissioner, Sir Ralph Moore, and despatched to the Under Secretary of State on September 9, 1899. In order to justify such operation on the lower Niger, Sir Moore spelt out the objectives of the expedition in a carefully-worded memorandum. Some of the issues were:


To abolish the fetish deity of the Arochukwu people known as Long Juju which, by superstition and fraud, causes evil among Igbo tribes. While this juju existed, it is impossible to establish effective government in the territory. To open up the entire Igbo country lying between Cross River and the Niger to civilization and trade and to induce the natives to engage in the legitimate trade of collecting natural products of their country and to develop it to the best advantage.


And finally, to establish a labour market to take the place of slavery throughout the territories. The Long Juju of Arochukwu has a Chief Priest who comes from the three kindred that make up the town. The three kindreds are Ibom-isi, Oke nnachi and Eze agwu. The Chief Priest of the Long Juju comes from Ibom-Isi, which according to history, founded Arochukwu. Arochukwu was the capital of Aro tribe, the home of the Long Juju, sited not too far from Cross River town, Itu. Between December 25, 1901 and January 13,1902, the British forces were engaged in fighting in the Aro neighbourhood.


Eventually, the war spread beyond the immediate vicinity of the Aro districts across Cross River and the Ibo districts south of Aro. Inspite of better equipment, the British command did not find the Aro forces inferior in tactics and strategy . At the end of the heavy fight, all the 14 Aro towns were completely destroyed including the Long Juju and those leaders of Aro who were arrested and tried in the military tribunal set up by the British government.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/28042007/igbo_cul.html

[fancy]

wow.

[Adachi]

Yea...we are actually from Atani in Arochukwu but after the war and all them shege we ended up in Ihiala, Anambra and my people never went back! When people ask us where we are from we just say Anambra since that nah where we go to when we dey go to our village/ where we build house

I remember my dad taking us to Arochukwu on 2 occations for the benefit of the little ones wey no remember the 1st trip and driving us around showing us places and all (Chei those wonderful days). I guess he never wanted us to forget that we be Aros oh!

[Sophia]

so NKECHI is from Aro...nice choice dear

[Mr.Wahala]

Aro Kwenu!!

[bigmomma]

abeg who is goinng to all aro usa in nj mem day weekend?