This festival that was celebrated was Ogba Ekwensu, and it was held in honour of Ekwensu, whom the Ikengas represented.
The Iyase was the military Shogun of the town; he was a war leader and king in his own right.
In Osomari, he is always from the Inwala lineage.
The first Iyaase of Osomari was Alaguda, a man known for his skillful hunting prowess and powerful warrior status.
After he was made Iyase, a festival was celebrated in honour of his military achievements.
Three small ikenga were made, and a large one for the community was also made. They were given to Alaguda and his family as an insignia, effectively cementing their status as war leaders.
The Ikenga subsequently became the war shrine of the Osomari people.
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Prior to the spread of Christianity, Ekwensu was an Igbo deity dedicated to war, bargains, vengeance, restitution, and deals; it was a deity who also had the reputation of trickery.
Because Ekwensu is zooanthropomorphic, he was depicted with horns and was terrifying enough to make enemies flee.
The Ekwensu/Ekwensi cult was established in Igbo communities with a known history of constant wars, conflict, and communal clashes, such as most Western Igbo communities, which were always embroiled in wars with Benin, Igala, and Igabo communities, and western igbo towns such as Ezi, Asaba, Isele Uku, and Igbuzo.
The Ine festival was celebrated every year in Igbuzo and Asaba and involved several days of festivities resplendent with military parades and war dances where they paid homage to the Obi, the Iyase, and the Odogwu.
The festival is a relish of all their military accomplishments of the past. One popular saying in reference to Igbuzo is "Isu fulu ogu ju nni," a testament to their battle exploits.
There was also a proliferation of Ekwensu devotees in the Nsukka and Ngwa areas.
In fact, among the Ngwa, another mikitarized tribe with a bloody history of wars and bitter battles, when they were crossing the Imo River, the cult of Ekwesu seems to have taken deep roots.
They honoured Ala, which ensured fertility and bountiful harvests, and Ekwensu, who led them in war victories...
There are still Ngwa and Nsukka communities bearing Ekwensu to this day. Obi Ngwa has the village of Umuekwensu.
People with violent tempers, mania, or children with ADHD were said to be possessed by Ekwensu. In terms of peace, such characters were destructive, but in times of war, they were harnessed and channelled onto the battlefield. The Ekwensu were more prominent in Northern Igbo Mgbedike war dance masks.
Because of the fierce and frightening nature of the Ekwensu deity, missionaries in the Igbo translation of the Bible saw it as a perfect candidate for the proverbial Satan.
Cc by Kelechi Charles Alozie
