The Izzi people have used many
different kinds of rituals in many social settings, and many of these rituals
include the use of the kola nut .
the nut grows from the kola tree and contains
more caffeine than a serving of tea
or coffee. It also contains a heart stimulant,
kolanin, that increases alertness and suppresses hunger Izzi warriors were
often given the kola nut before they went into battle, it is used in purification rituals as well as in
sacrifices in which ancestors are meant to partake in it. Most importantly, however, the kola nut promotes social interaction between members of the Izzi
community. In social gatherings, including friends visits, marriage, child dedication, burial, and in the case of no
longer. At easy, homecomings, different quantities of nuts
are presented according to
custom. Kola rites are divided into four parts: the presentation, the blessing, the breaking, and t
he distribution. While
Christianity has spread throughout
Nigeria in the 18th and 19th centuries and Achebes novels indicate a decline in its
importance, the kola nut has remained central to the social practices of the Izzi people.
With regard to no longer at
ease, the kola nut represents the traditional ibo values and practices coming up against the emerging Christianity. Upon obis return home, and old man suggests that a
kola nut be broken obis father, a
Christian, does not wish to break
it. A compromise is reached, and
the nut is broken in a Christian
fashion.
This types of compromise has become increasingly
common as Christianity has become more
widespread, the Izzi people continue to hold
on to some important traditional
beliefs while at the same time accepting some important elements of Christianity. The traditional worship that
most Izzi people practiced that centered around the kola nut
in morning prayers and in social rituals is limited but they symbolic
importance of the nut has not diminished. It is still very widely respected,
and the communion of the kola nut is an important aspect of nearly every kind
of gathering. Prayers often accompany
this communion, signifying the spiritual
nature of the nut. The rituals involving the kola nut serve to keep the Izzipeople unified, allo3wing them to hang on to elements of their cultural past. The compromise depicted in no
longer at ease is an acceptance of spiritual
differences that allows the Izzipeople to exist in harmony even as different religious view points emerge