'IWA-AKWA' IN IGBOLAND: THE GATEWAY TO ADULTHOOD
Résumé
In traditional African Society, life is sacred, observed, reserved, reverenced, celebrated from birth, growth to death and even here-after. The African does not just migrate or move into the next social status or group as though he is walking into his neighbor's house from his own. Consequent upon the African's belief in the spiritual forces, their relatedness and involvement in physical world, the gods and the entire supersensible world should and must be involved, not just for the pump and pageantry but for the attendant spiritual protection and position such change can bestow on the initiates. This movement has been properly identified as Rites of Passage. One of such Rites of Passage is 'Iwa-akwa' among the Ihitte/Uboma people of the present day, Imo State of Nigeria. Ordinarily, translated into English Language as Wearing Cloth Ceremony, this rite of passage ushers in male adolescents with its accompanying rites and rituals into manhood or adulthood. However this rite draws our attention to a more critical area of passage which is the gravamen of this work that Rites of Passage are not limited to life crisis Rituals, but may accompany any change from one state of being to another. In this study, the researcher adopted observation, documented and interview methods as his sources of data collection while this work remains a descriptive and sociological methodological approaches in solving the problems set out in this work. The findings remain that such a cultural celebration reflects among others the thinking of the community, their hope, aspirations and belief that humans are intrinsically connected to the supersensible world so much so that each movement from one stage of life to another must and should be celebrated not only with pump and pageantry but also with the accompanying rites and rituals to so properly fortify himself to face the vagaries and vicissitudes of life. This to the Igbo man is the sure way to live and fulfill his purpose here on earth.
