IKORO THE GONG OF THE LIVING AND THE GODS

IKORO THE GONG OF THE LIVING AND THE GODS

 

Written by

Mazi Mike Osuji,

email; osujimichael60@gmail.com;

Tell; +2348033865418

Powerfully and aesthetically made, Ikoro is a slit wooden gong which is significantly symbolic of spiritual power, priesthood, royalty, and unity of purpose within the realms of Igbo traditional and cultural anthropology. This wonderful instrument is handcrafted and symbolically made from the trunk of a special tree known as Ụкọr, and, of course, from other trees which are known to possess similar spiritual powers and characteristics as the Ụкọr tree.

The Ụкọr tree, of which the Ikoro gong is carved is uniquely, a special tree which represents a deity commonly referred to as “arụsị”, in this context, meaning, angel, goddess, deity or spirit; which is why Ikoro commands maximum respect and equal admiration within a typical Igbo society.

 Ikoro usually commands special attention due to its extra-ordinary large size and it’s extremely intimidating sound as well. The ụкọr tree on its own is intrinsically elusive, being only accessible and obtainable within the jungles and forests of Igbo land.

MOVABLE AND NON-MOVABLE IKORO GONGS

The gigantic nature of Ikoro not with-standing, the instrument enjoys a classification into movable and non-movable Ikoro, based on the status and purpose to which a particular Igbo community places their Ikoro. The purpose and status given to a particular Ikoro can vary from one community to the other due to the vagaries of geographical location, and ancestral origin.

THE NON-MOVABLE IKORO GONGS

The non-immovability of an Ikoro is determinant upon the status of  goddess and deity to which it has been accorded within a particular Igbo community. The size and weight of any Ikoro can be responsible for its classification into a non-movable Ikoro as well. As non-movable Ikoros gongs, they cannot be easily moved from one location to the other by a single individuals or small group of individuals. Curiously, if such Ikoro must be moved at all from one location to the other, it became necessary, therefore, that certain rituals must be observed, and sacrifices offered to seek the auspicious appeasement of the gods of the land.

A non-movable Ikoro is usually stationed at a particular spot within the village square of a particular Igbo community and inside a small zinc or thatch mud house built for that purpose.

Some Igbo communities worship their own Ikoro in one way or the other, especially those communities where the Ikoro has been adopted as own deity and goddess. In which case, special rituals are observed during which sacrifices are offered and libations are poured in order to appease the Ikoro goddess.

Families and individuals were at liberty to approach the Ikoro goddess for one favor or the other, through the intermediary of the high priest, offering sacrifices of fowls, kola nuts, and goats. People can approach the Ikoro goddess for different reasons such as protection, fruit of the womb, or demand for a boy child, disease prevention and cure, cover from spiritual attacks and premature deaths.

PEOPLE ENTERERED INTO COVENANT WITH THE IKORO GODDESS IN RETURN FOR FAVOURS

A baby boy born to an Igbo family could be taken to the Ikoro goddess for dedication, during which covenants are entered into between the family of the boy child and the deity through intermediary of the high priest.

The contents of such covenants are usually promises by parents to always undertake homage paying visits to the Ikoro deity every season with sacrifices and offerings of live fowls, kola nuts, and goats’ un-behalf of the boy until he was old enough to continue on his own. The deity shall among other things guide and lead the young man from growing into a successful figure in the society.

The gods shall among other things ensure the maximum protection of the boy child from deadly diseases, spiritual attacks and sudden death.

VIOLATION OF COVENANTS WITH THE IKORO DEITY AND THEIR CONSEQUENCIES

Covenants between humans and the gods are very strict and solemn agreements most of which are sealed and delivered on oaths. These solemn agreements are highly spiritual and are not meant to be broken at all by either of the parties.

The gods are spirits, and without doubt, possess enormous powers, being invisible, full of might and incredible rage, and having the integrity to deliver on the promises to their people. The Igbo gods were known to have delivered on their promises to the people , and may not be in the pious position to tolerate any violation of any of their covenants as doing so usually attracted the consequences of incurable diseases-obirinajaọcha, abject poverty-ụbịam, and sudden death-nnwụchuọnwụ. The ancient Igbos, were very religious about these, and on their own, always fulfilling their own part of the bargain to avoid the anger of the gods.

IKORO AS A SYMBOL OF THE PEOPLE’S AUTORITY AND MEDIUM OF COMMUNICATION

However, there is a traditional hierarchy of spiritual, political, judicial and administrative powers that has been weaved around the Ikoro in the administration of a typical Igbo community. This hierarchy is rotated around the high priest-Ezemuo, the king-Eze, or, Igwe, and other members of the Nze-na-ozo ruling cabinet with the Igwe presiding as the Eze-in-council.

Ezemuo has the exclusive powers to authorize the sounding of the Ikoro, while the Igwe or Eze can also do so only in consultation with the high priest, Ezemuo, whereas the town crier can only sound the Ikoro based only on directives from either the high priest or the Igwe-in-council.

The Ikoro produces an incredibly intimidating booming sound, which is believed to be supernatural enough to travel across forty villages as a way of summons to all the people. The booming sound of the Ikoro is very rare, and when it occurs, it comes as a summons or clarion call to all the people. The clarion call by the Ikoro is meant to be taking seriously, and obeyed and responded to by all with immediate effect irrespective of one’s busy schedule.

REASONS BEHIND THE SUMMONS OF THE IKORO

The Ikoro could boom for various reasons, such as the outbreak of war, enemy invassion, death of the king or the high priest-Ezemuo, or natural disasters like floods, and bush burning.

Other factors that could necessitate the clarion call of the Ikoro are defilement of the land, occurrences of abomination, violation of the traditional taboos such as incest, adultery, and theft. Ikoro has its own idiomatic slangs and languages that suits every occasion. Whenever each of the idiomatic slangs is sounded on the Ikoro by the town crier, the people will understand, and they will respond accordingly; “onỿе aкрaІa nwaɡụ aкa n’ọdụ m’ọdị ndụ ma ọnwụгụanwụ”, is a popular Igbo war chant sounded on the Ikoro to indicate that war has broken out,  summoning the warriors to battle.

Assuming the Ikoro is booming against war or enemy invasion, the able bodied young men of the land and the elders are expected to appear with their weapons of war such is dane guns, cutlasses, catapults, bows and arrows, charms and talisman. However, while the elders proffer war strategies, it was the young men that would hit the war front to confront the enemy.

MOVABLE IKORO GONGS AND THEIR USES IN THE IGBO SOCIETY

The movable Ikoro can be categorized into what is known as Ikoro Njima, Ikoro Ndanda, and Uhie. This is the point where the various sizes, shapes, and functions of lesser Ikoro are taken into consideration, including mobility and distinction in uses and functions.

These categories of Ikoro are highly acoustic, and because of their acoustic importance, the Igbo societies take advantage of their musical properties and employ them for music making, and dance presentations.

Ikoro Njima, Uhie, and Ikoro ndanda, are by very high standards, indispensable in the making of masquerade and wrestling music within the Igbo society. The art of making masquerade and wrestling music will not be completed without the acoustic accompaniment of Ikoro Njima, and Uhie.

In most Igbo societies, these classes of Ikoro are easily brought together with other Igbo acoustic instruments such as Ogene, ekwe, osha, udu, and opi, to form an ensemble for the purpose of making festival, coronation, and funeral music, for entertainment, and dances.

Ikoro is by all standards a talking instrument, which are widely, used in the Igbo societies for praise singing and worship, iti mkpu, that is , name –calling, and adulation. The Igbo race are a hardworking and a proud people whose tradition is enriched with the culture of name-calling and adulation, iti mkpu, and peoples’ ego are easily raised to high heavens if their nick-names and titles are mentioned by the Ikoro, especially at public functions.

IKORO NDANDA AS THE SOURCE OF MUSIC FOR THE GODS

Ikoro ndanda eventually refers to a form of movable Ikoro gong which is uniquely made for the multipurpose of divination, fortunetelling, and  consultation with the gods of the land.  Ndanda in Igbo parlance refers to the existence of a minute soldier ants, though, very small in size, but capable of carrying very heavy and clumsy loads; “Ivu anyi ndanda”, no load, no matter how heavy can surpass the ant-ndanda.

 I believe that Ikoro ndanda is so called because of its small size but powerful functions in comparison with the small but mighty soldier ant, being the smallest among the categories of Ikoro. Ikoro ndanda was usually stationed within the inner chambers of the shrine and temple of the gods for the auspicious purposes of divination, fortunetelling and consultations with the gods of the land.

Every shrine and high temple had a chief priest assigned to it, who served as an intermediary between the gods and the people. People who had issues bordering on land boundary disputes, communal crises, and land defilement issues, inter-village disputes, and marital cases, could approach the gods for settlement through the intermediary of the high priest.

The chief priest would in his capacity summon the gods by playing chants of praise on the IKoro ndanda which were rendered in coded languages and slogans to effectively beckon the gods to appear for consultations. It is believed that the gods enjoyed the “surugede” music produced from the Ikoro ndanda by the chief priest who was usually filled with chants of worship and adulation to the gods.

Historically, the ancient, Igbos relied so much on supernatural powers for the purposes of adjudication and judicial administration within the Igbo society. Difficult cases bordering on land boundaries, communal boundary cases, land defilement issues, taboo violations, and theft were referred to the gods for final adjudication.

The high priest, therefore, played a music art form, chanting on the Ikoro ndanda, known as “Surugede”, to summon and beckon on the gods for their attention, and “Surugede” is geneally known as the music and dance of the gods.