Another consideration that brings out the kola symbolism is the question of the rightful person to break it.
In Izziland, is it the youngest or eldest in any given gathering in Izziland? There are two major
traditions. In a place like
old ohaozara in Ebonyi south, it
is the youngest in any group breaks the kola, while in the north west
and northern parts Igboland the
eldest person breaks the kola. In
both cases, the breaking of kola helps in the tracing of seniority in Izziland
in particular, and in Igboland in general. The young
man tradition says that the young is
preferred because he is presumed
to be innocent, and his hands are not polluted by blood shed in battle.
This tradition has a loop – hole because
at times there are gatherings where no one is really young in Izzi, or where
the youngest in the group is also
elderly. This tradition is nurtured by the philosophy
of Izziethical Puritanism. The puritan
ethics or mentality is strongly founded in izzland.
The old man tradition is
preferred because the eldest man blesses the kola, holds the ofo and
represents the authority of the
ancestors. One of the strongest reasons for
religious activities like blessings by the eldest person is that in Izzitraditional society, the first
born or eldest man in a family or Umunna (kindred) assumes some priestly
function ipso facto. It is more by reason of his priesthood
and not necessarily because of his
age that the eldest man is
preferred, and this is why today, the eldest man gives an ordained minister the
kola to bless as a privilege. The ndi icheie akwa mythology
gives what seems to be the solution to the problem of the right of breaking the
Izzikola as regards the two conflicting traditions in question. In Igboland as a whole, the aros became very powerful during the slave trade mainly because of the one
Ndi Icheie Akwa which is in their possession. Thus they wished to dominate
the Igboland as a whole and with the
advantage of the oracle, they hatched a plan as the author puts it the aros
then borught an Afa oracle message from God ‘chukwu”
to all parts in Igboland
The divine message said that the Igbo
tradition of the oldest persons
rights to break kola had been abrogated by God so that the right had been transferred to the
youngest person. This oracle message automatically gave the Aros who were the youngest of Igbo family groups,
the right to break kola whenever the Igbo
people were gathered as a nation, many
communities in the southern part of Igboland, among which is the Izzipeople obeyed the divine message and changed their tradition
of the eldest man’s right to
break the kola. However, the most probable solution is that the eldest man blesses and breaks the
oji and gives it to the youngest in the group
to share and distribute. Another
probable solution is that the eldest man blesses the kola and give it
to the youngest to break and share not only in
Izziland, but in the whole
of Igboland .
This second alternative will eliminate
monopoly of function by the eldest man.
References
Culled from Izzi identify and personality vis-à-vis Izzi/cum Igbo cultural symbols,
being the thesis presented for the doctorate degree by Rev Fada Nwofoke E.N