Chapter 3 - The Characteristics of the Oka Man

Chapter 3

The Characteristics of the Oka Man

Amu na ato na ulo na ulo:

(People joke with members of their age grade and not other wise)
------Oka saying

The Kind of Person: One Oka man was very like the other. They reacted in the same way to many situations, and showed characteristics evidencing the fact that they came from the same environment.

All Oka people had the same intense pride in their town, and in themselves. And when an Oka man (or woman) bent slightly forward, touched his breast, and said, or asked, was impossible for him as an Oka man to do, or tolerate, it was unthinkable. I, a son (or daughter) of Oka!!

To tell an Oka man “inara eme Oka”, you don’t act like an Oka man!, was to insult him gravely; but to say to him “ime zi dee ka oka”, you have acquitted yourself like an Oka man!, was to give him the highest praise, most satisfying to him. To encourage a young person, one said to him “ina emezikwe ka oka?”, meaning, do you think you are behaving as an Oka man should, or, try and behave like an Oka man, or, try and endure the pain as Oka man should, or, try and behave like an Oka man, or, try and endure the pains as an Oka man should! For the Oka man always acted bravely!!

What kind of person was the Oka man when the British met him in 1905? What kind of person did his environment produce? What kind of characteristics did he pass on to his descendants of today?

The Oka man was above everything else a resourceful man, self—reliant, quick-witted, and a diplomat. As a traveler he made use of these qualities to penetrate with ease the wildest parts of Nigeria, and beyond. He was a natural born linguists, and spoke with fluency the language of the people he came in contact with during his working life. The Oka man believed in himself, and walked the earth with pride. As Mrs. T.J. Dennis observed in 1899, “he carried himself with a dignified air, or perhaps, more correctly, a sort of swagger, as though all the world belonged to him”.

Although the Oka man believed in himself, he never allowed that self-confidence to degenerate into arrogance, lest he aroused hatred against himself.

As he was always traveling, alone, and working alone in alien places he developed those qualities of courage and self-dependence which every Oka boy was enjoined to posses. And wherever he went, he saw to it that the dignity of the Oka man was not trifled with, because that was his best protection. As the saying went, “ebube agu nche” (the personality of the leopard).

There was a story of one Emenogha, called “Emenogha nwa Oka” (Emenogha the Oka man) which illustrated this point. Emenogha was a master blacksmith working in the town of Aguleri Out. He was a specialist in making hoes, which meant that he must work at nights to avoid the intolerable heat of the day.

Emenogha used to begin smithing around 1.a.m.

The people of Aguleri Out had a powerful and dreadful and dreaded Masquerade called Adaka that came out only in the night.

Adaka, must see no light; and it did not like smithing. So, whenever it was about to come out Oka smiths were warned not to work.

On the occasion of this story the warning went out as usual – Adaka was coming out, no smithing!

On that night, Emenoghaa went into his smithy, lighted the fire, and told his apprentice to work the bellows.

The Ogene of the Masquerade began to sound.

The Masquerade said to its followers, “I hear the sound of smithing”. They told it that Emenogha had been warned, but had insisted on working.

Adaka said, go and tell Emenogha to stop work, and get inside his house.

To those who came to give him Adaka’s message Emenogha said, “Death does not kill a man who is fighting for his daily bread, I am fighting for mine” (Onwu anara egbu onye na achu nkie, nkem ka nna achu).

Adaka took this as a challenge. It specially prepared for the outing, and hung all its charms around its body. It then stepped out, and the ogene sound, and the followers sand its praises.

Near Emenogha’s workshop the Masquerade began to dance about, shouting defiance. Before then Emenogha had warned his apprentice never to show fear. He put an “aba” (a charm) under the boy’s seat and told him to sit on it, which the boy did. It gave the boy courage.

When the masquerade stopped in front of the smithy, Emenogha gave it the Oka blacksmith’s salute: he struck his anvil with his hammer – tam!tam!tam! tra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra, three sharp blows and the fourth trailing off to an end. It was smithy. It was called “mbuche otutu”.

The Masquerade said, “Emenogha, nwa-Oka, my masquerade greets you!
Emenogha replied “Great Spirit”! (Nnekwu mmonwu).

The masquerade asked, “Emenogha, nwa-Oka (Emenogha the Oka man) do you know me? “Emenogha replied, “God forbid! I do not know you. The dead and the living do not mingle”.

The masquerade danced away, and then came back.

The masquerade asked “Emenogha, nwa-oka, are you not afraid of me?

Emenogha replied, “I am not afraid”, and he went on working, hammering the red-hot iron and making the sparks to fly.

The Masquerade stood for some time with its head to one side, listening to the music of its ogene, and the chants of its followers telling it that it was above all masquerades, and the most powerful of them all. Then, with a spring, the Masquerade rushed into the smithy, and held Emenogha right hand as he raised it to strike the anvil. Emenogha left the hammer in the grasp of the Masquerade. The masquerade stand rooted to the floor. It could not move.

Calmly Emenogha took out his snuff-box and leisurely took a pinch of snuff, and inhaled deeply. He courteously offered the snuff-box, and inhaled deeply. He courteously offered the snuff-box to the Masquerade, which paid no attention to him. Both continued to stare at each other for a long time.

The followers of the Masquerade began to feel uneasy, and they intensified their dancing outside calling on the Masquerade with their ogene to come out. But the Masquerade could not move.

Then the followers began to throw their own charms about, and their own medicines. But none had any effect. The masquerade stood where it stood. Lastly, they were reduced to begging. They appealed to Emenogha to release their Masquerade. They reminded him that it would be a tragedy if the light of day should meet it there.

Emenogha said, “I say, live and let live” (Egbe bel ugo bel). He then gave his conditions for the atonement for the violation of the sanctity of an Oka man’s smithery. The followers of Adaka were too happy to comply.
Emenogha then made a sign to his apprentice, and the boy got up from his seat. Immediately, the hammer the Masquerade was holding dropped to the floor. The masquerade bounded out of the workshop, as if it had been shot from a catapult!!

Outside the smithy, the Masquerade turned and cried out: “Emenegha now listen to mine: ‘Igabu ejeghejeghe elugh uno’! (You will be a wanderer on the face of the earth; you will never see Oka again). It then danced off with its chanting followers.

And so it happened, according to the story, that year, and every year following, when Emenogha prepared to go home, he would stop mid-way to Oka and say “Oh! I have forgotten such-and-such in my workshop “then, he would turn back to Aguleri Out, and not go home again that year.

He did this several times, and no matter how people tried to persuade him to forego what he said he had forgotten in his workshop he was still a bachelor. But that did not help him. The wife bore him a son, and he called the son “Eluom” (I have reached home), but still he did not reached home.

At last a group of Oka people waited for him on the way, and when he wanted to turn back they seized him physically, and brought him home to Oka. But he did not stay long; he left after a few days, and returned to Aguleri Out. He died in the foreign land, and was buried there. But his descendants returned to Oka.

Emenogha was a typical Oka man; he was brave, fearless and self-reliant.

Hardwork: The Oka man’s love for making things was proverbial. He had the same passion for other form of work. The Oka man had a total dedication to work; no one was allowed to be idle in Oka town unless he was sick; the child was taught from the very beginning that if it did not work neither should it eat.

Oka people took joy in their work, and whether working alone or in groups, they sang. In Oka town, girls returning from the stream sang; women going to the farms sang; men doing blacksmithing or other form of economic activity, like tying yams in the barn, sang or whistle. The Oka man saw his work not as a drudgery but as a joy.

Blacksmith Obuekezie of Amikwo Village was well-known for his songs at work. One pf his songs went as follows:-

“Vba shil na Obuekezie amara akpu ona,
Ma na Obuekezie shia vba
Nwunyem Nwavbulenu,
Ina anuzikwa ivbe ekom n’ekwu?”
(They said, that Obuekezie cold not talk in brass
But,Obuekezie has now become their champion My darling wife, Nwavbulenu, are you listening to The music of my bellow?).

Play: The Oka man worked hard and played hard. Wrestling was the most popular past-time. There was a particular kind of drum music called, Igbe Mbe, played during wrestling matches, and which used to excite young men to feats of valour.

Oka dances, both men and for women, were athletic, intended to exercise and develop the body for men, and grace for women.

Okas loved competitive games, such as foot racing and mock battles.

Humour: In Oka town there pervading sense of humour, which touched every facet of life. The Oka sense of humour, of making fun of things and people, was disconcerting to strangers. Strangers could not understand how Oka people could endure what one Oka man said to the other. But the fact was that people of the same age-grade (ulo) could say anything they liked to one another. They abused one another (in fun), they ridiculed one another, hey taunted one another. But it was all in fun, there was never any hard feelings involved. This banter was limited to people of the same age-grade.

The law was that you could not make fun of a person above your age-grade or below your age-grade; that would be considered insulting. But with people of your own age-grade there were no holds barred; you could say anything as a joke. Amu na ato na ulo na ulo (Joking is for people of the same age-grade) .This was one of the social levers in Oka town, to galvanize young men to great efforts. One who could not bear the taunts and ridicule of the members of his age-grade must make every effort to reach the height other members had reached, to be like them.

If a person was not gifted with a sense of humour then he could not stay in Oka town, because he would be fighting with people everyday of his life. The only panacea for age-grade taunts, and banter, was never to get angry. If somebody told a person that he looked like a slave who had escaped from his master, or, like a fowl that had been beaten by the rain, the person didn’t just turn his thoughts inwards and began to wonder why his dress was all that bad; he simply gave his tormentor back in his own coin, and found something funny to say about him, such as, “I am in mourning for your dead mother”; to which the assailant, not to be outdone, could quickly reply, “But my mother died a long time ago!!” if a person had no ready answer, then he must endure his opponent’s victory, and go to think of what to say to him the next time they met.!

The author’s father (Nwokafor Ndum) and Nwogbo Eto (father of Ozo Charles Nwogbo) were famous in their-life-time for their friendship, and their humorous banter, that is, their playfully teasing language-for they were exactly of the same age. Any time Nwogbo Eto would reply, “But I heard he was dead, about time he died!”, and the bye-standers would burst into laugher. And when Nwokafor Ndum met any of the sons of Nwogbo Eto, he would ask, “How’s your father? Has he returned from prisons yet?” the son would reply, “Our father has not gone to prison, and he is well at home!” and people hearing the thrust and parry would be greatly amused. Such was Oka! A place of fun and laughter!!

Respect: The Oka man had great respect for age. Age was the only recognized distinction among the Oka people. The Oka man gave respect to anybody above his age-grade, he must be speaking disrespectfully to him, otherwise he would draw the retort, “Imakwal ulo ghu?” (Don’t you know your age-grade)? Or, “ Ina akiam anya na anya”, meaning, you are behaving towards me as if we are of the same age-grade, but we are not, be careful!!

It was a serious social offence to insult an elder, even in play; a person guilty of such conduct was severely dealt with by the community, and was forced to make amends immediately.

Sense of Equality: Despite his respect for his elders, it was the characteristics of the Oka man to consider himself the equal of any man on earth. “Ishi akara ishi”, the Oka people say. No head is more valuable than the other. One man might be poor and the other rich, but as long as both were men they were equal, in the eyes of the Oka man.

That was why it was not in the character of the Oka man to genuflect to people. The Oka boy was brought up in that tradition; he was always told to stand up straight, otherwise he was asked, “Ibu zikwa nwoke?”, are you not a man?

The only people to whom the Oka man traditionally bent the knee were his mother’s people, where he was “nwadiana”, and the married daughters from is family (Umu-Okpu). But these two sets of people had a religious significance in the life of the Oka man.

Impartiality: One characteristics of the Oka man was his great love of justice. That was characterized by the Alo which every Oka man, who was Head of a family, must have in his Obu; along with the Ovbo. Ovbo symbolized “Truth”, Alo symbolized “Justice” – the power to give to each according to his deserts; the sovereignty of the Head of the Family over his household. Alo represented the power of the Head of protect and to keep in order, and to decide disputes and do justice to all.

Alo was both the name of a god of that name, and the name of staff, whose body was made of wood, and the end forged in the shape of a pointed iron spear. Alo, the staff, was not carried about, like title-staffs, but remained in every man’s Obu. And when the Oka man died, the last rite before he was put in the ground was for his Ovbo and Alo to be put into his hands, and taken from his hands, and put into the hands of his eldest son – the inheritor of his Obu – to guard and dispense truth and justice in his father’s compound.

Whatever the Oka man might do elsewhere, with Oka town he tried to be upright and just. Since Oka people controlled themselves and were not ruled by any Kings, it was their sense of impartiality and justice that held them together. Whether in his home, or within the body politic, the Oka man tried to act with justice. And in the relationship between the villages there was never any imposition; no matter how small a village might be in population its views must count. Its autonomy was respected. The Oka people in their political decisions among themselves acted on the basis of consensus. Therefore, in the “Izu - Oka”, the meeting, or consultative Assembly of the Oka people, every Quarter must have at least a member present before the meeting could take off.

It was because of the Oka love of justice that strangers found themselves very much at home in Oka town. For it did not matter where a person came from, the Oka man acted justly towards him. In fact, the Oka man was more likely to ill-treat fellow Oka man in Oka town than ill-treat a stranger. He said of himself that he was a traveler – he and his children and, therefore, he must not make enemies, Ojemba enwe life.

Tolerance: The first thing an Oka man did every morning was to pray to his gods with a kolanut. He prayed for the well-being and prosperity of his household, and he prayed for the prosperity and well-being of everybody else. He believed that; “Oganyala ovbu onye but ubiam”, meaning, that one rich man in the midst of very poor people was himself a poor ma. Therefore, he prayed for every one’s prosperity.

One of the frequent prayers of the Oka man was “Egbe bel, ugo bel, nke shil ibie ebene, nku ka nya “meaning let the eagle perch, and the crow perch; which ever says the other should not perch may its wings fail it; meaning, live and let live! If a person lived, let him permit others to live also, but if he didn’t want others to live, then may he suffer failures in his own.

The oak man tolerated people and tolerated views, and that was why when the Christian Missionaries came, the Oka man readily gave them land, helped them to build their own houses and churches, and generally advanced them in their enterprise, even though he and the strangers had different ideas on how to approach God. This characteristics of the Oka man has continued to this day.

Being in the nature of the Oka man to accommodate other people’s views and beliefs, he practiced the apophthegm “to each according to his needs to each according to his beliefs. “Therefore, he did not impose their ideas on him. He did not bow to any man. Neither did he want any man to bow to him.

Adaptability: Notwithstanding her antiquity, Oka town always managed to continue to grow and develop. This was because of the vitality of Oka institutions and the adaptability of Oka inhabitants – the Oka capacity to try new things, new people! Oka did not circumscribe themselves. They were “the most apt to adopt foreign way”, and whatever they saw on their wide travels abroad that appealed to them, they adopted; be it a proverb, a style of dress, a sound of music, or a form of dancing.

Up to the present day Oka men married from every corner of Nigeria and beyond, wherever they could find a good wife. That practice freed their minds, and increased their vitality.

The ancient Roman said: “Ex Africa simper aliquid novi” (Out of Africa there is always something new). In Oka, there was always something new to be found.

Trust: Another characteristic of the Oka man was his trust-worthiness. You could always trust him. When one agreed with an Oka man over something, the Oka man carried out his side of the bargain to the letter. He did not try to over-reach the other, nor to resile from his agreement.

That originated the saying: “Okwu Oka bu boshi izizi”, meaning, the Oka man agrees with you on all the details of an agreement on the first day, thereafter, he stuck to it, come rain, some shine.

That was why other people trusted Oka people: the Oka man’s word was his bond. And that was why, also, they saw in the Oka man a contented person, because he gave thanks for what he had achieved, and did not pursue with mindlessness what he had not got.

Love of Wisdom: The Oka people loved wisdom, and pursued it in all its ramifications. They loved wise sayings, and quoted them, and gave credit to their originators. The Oka man would say: “As one Achalla man once said…….”, or, “as Nwude Mgbeke said …..”or “the Urhobos have a saying……”

In all they did they showed insight and practical wisdom. They gave expression to the accumulated experience and knowledge of their people in their utterances and deeds.

A man was a proudest when his son acted with wisdom and discretion. He would say “that is my son! but he was sorely disappointed if he found that his son was shallow or frivolous. Mal ivbe!” have knowledge, have understanding, was their daily exhortation to their sons.

In the Assembly of the people – Izu Oka – oratory was at its best. A person could come out and make his point, in proverbs and figurative speech, without once using ordinary language. Even in private conversation, illustrating a point with anecdotes and analogies was a common practice of the Oka people.

Oka loved short pithy sayings with deep meaning. When the Okas talked among themselves a stranger would find it hard to follow.