A BEFITTING LIVING OR BURIAL: PERSPECTIVES OF LIFE AND DEATH IN IGBO ONOTOLOGY

Abstract

Man, from primordial times has been preoccupied with the search for the meaning of ultimate reality - life and death. He has continued in the quest to find meaning to his reality in order to be able to properly situate his existence. From the ancient period to this age, the debate concerning the goal of life and death has raged. The Cyrenaics, for instance, believe that the ultimate goal of life is pleasure. Aristotle in a similar way holds that the end of life is eudaimonia - happiness. According to the Cynics, good living entails living a moral life. As opinions and worldviews differ on the meaning of life, so has there been a divergent view on the concept of death. While some believe life is transitory, others like the Epicureans are of the opinion that death is the ultimate end of man. In Igbo Cosmo-ontology, like other African societies, the concept of life and death has been approached from their gamuts of meaning. The Igbo people hold dearly the sacrosanctity of life. Life is respected and protected. Ndi Igbo believe that life is like a journey, like a market place (uwa bu ahia) where everyone leaves after business transactions. At the end of one's life journey on earth, one joins the ancestors in the great beyond. However, there are criteria necessary if one must be accorded a befitting burial which serves as the gateway to joining the cult of ancestors. While ndi Igbo revere body of a deceased family member, such respect is accorded to those who have lived a good life, married with kids and also died at a ripe old age without suffering from strange diseases like leprosy or swollen stomach before death. It is based on these Igbo worldview regarding life and death that the research questions: what is good living in Igbo ontology? What does death mean for ndi Igbo? What is the correlation between good living and a befitting burial? How does a befitting living or burial affect believe in reincarnation?, is anchored. In the bid to do justice to the above research questions, we shall employ the hermeneutic and analytic methods for adequate interpretation and critical analysis of such concepts for proper understanding.