WRESTLING THE ANCIENT IGBO SPORTS .

WRESTLING THE ANCIENT IGBO SPORTS.

The Cultural Sports of Igbo People

Written by Mazi Mike Ngozi Osuji

Tel: +2348033865418

Email: Osujimichael60@gmail.com

The Igbo race as a people are undoubtedly, endowed in almost every aspects of human endeavours and activities. Among the numerous traditional sporting activities of the Igbo race, wrestling is the most prominent and most universal within the Igbo society. Wrestling is a naturally evolving sporting traditional practice of the Igbo race which enjoyed the patronage of all age groups including both masculine and feminine and genders.

CHARACTERISTICS OF IGBO WRESTLING SPORTS

First and foremost, Igbo wrestling sports required able bodied men who are breast-chested and studded. The sport is characterized by muscle flexing, intrigues, suspense arms-twisting, and acrobatic body moves. Others, were studs, speed and agility of wrestlers, pushing, mesmerizing legs and hands moves, catwalks carrying up and throwing down of opponents, and Summersaults.

Wrestling is a unique sport which comes with many trappings of emotions, entertainments, and excitements. The uniqueness of Igbo wrestling lies in its masculine domination, the musical side attractions and dance accompaniments.

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It was a freestyle sport in which two men are squared against each other in a wrestling combat. Though, Igbo wrestling is a freestyle sport, It does not involve punching, beating or kicking. The styles which involved lifting and throwing down of an opponent were not regulated in the wrestling ground. Pushing of an opponent was also part of the few styles in the Igbo wrestling sport game.

There was no special wrestling ring, built for its purpose, except that the hard ground of the village square provided the sport arena. It did not enjoy the services of a referee no a moderator. There was no time limits or rounds regulations, neither pinfals nor fouls were observed in any of the ancient wrestling tournaments. There was no stalemates either in any ancient Igbo wrestling bout, hence the two combatants who were loging horns were permitted to continue fighting until victory or surrender was obtained.

Moment of victory comes in Igbo wrestling when a wrestler is thrown with his back touching the floor, or if he lands on the ground with his butocks or if he surrendered

Wrestling was an inheritance sport of the Igbos, because it did not involve teaching and coaching for one to become a wrestler. To become a good wrestler all one needed was to keep watching and emulating the styles of village champions. Igbo wrestling was a self-taught sport by virtues of inheritance, and talents. The old local champions served as role models to the young ones.

However, some natural body attributes were necessary to attain the height of a good wrestler, some of which were masculinity, muscularity, and speed. Youthfulness and height were also much needed natural endowments for attaining the status of a good Igbo wrestler.

WRESTLING AS AN IGBO TRADITIONAL PRACTICE

Wrestling was part and parcel of Igbo culture and traditions. It was the way of life of the people with many ancient Igbo youths priding themselves as wrestling representatives of their communities.

Indigenous wrestling tournaments were common in those days. Wrestling combats were staged between villages to determine who leads the other. Such wrestling tournaments were like mini battle grounds in which villages struggled to establish suppremacy over the other through a wrestling combat.

In some Igbo societies, wrestling enjoyed the status of sporting and cultural festivals. The wrestling tournaments were preceded with much funfair, pomp and peagentry, with the attraction to the wrestling arena of a large crowd of spectators consisting of the young and the old. In such occasions, able bodied wrestlers, both amateurs and renowned champions gather in one arena to log horns against one another to the admiration and entertainment of a crowd of spectators.

WRESTLING AS A WAR SPORT

The olden days Igbo fought many inter-village wars to establish supremacy over one another. A time came when those wars were no longer fashionable, and a peacefu altenative to war was found in wrestling.

Wrestling tournaments between villages were viewed and regarded with high degree of commitment and preparations. The Oracle was consulted in most cases for direction, while rituals were performed to strengthen the wrestlers representing the combatant communities.

Unlike wars, wrestling did not require weapons like guns, bows and arrows, cutlasses and spears. It did not cause bodily harm, death and destructions unlike wars and battles.

What was expected of a wrestling champion was his muscular body built, speed, styles and intellect with which he could defeat his opponent and obtain victory for himself and his community.

THE USE OF CHARMS IN ANCIENT WRESTLING COMBATS AND WHY.

In those days, the use of charms, amulets, and talisman were the order of the day especially during inter-village wrestling combats. Inter-village wresting tournaments usually assumed the tempo of war, which made the protection and strenghtening of wrestling warriors very neccessary.

Wrestling tournaments were usually staged between villages which called for serious preparations on both sides. The method and level of preparation by combatant villages were normally shielded in absolute secrecy. Your opponent must not know how you are preparing to avoid sabotage.

Preparations for a wrestling match of such high magnitude entailed consultation with the oracle to know how to go about it, whether to go or not, and the type of "Ọtụmọkpọ", that is charm, to use during the wrestling combat. Using charms to prepare a wrestler for a match is called,"Oshishi", that is, cooking him in charms. The wrestler had to be cooked literarily into herbal medicines to make him impervious to any spiritual pinning by the opponent or his agents. Another underlining reason for the use of charms in wrestling was to confuse the opponent on stage and defeat him. Another reason is to protect the wrestler from deadly charms that maybe deployed against him by the opponent's team of handlers.

Preparation for high level wrestling combats did not end in use of powerful charms alone. The physical fitness of the wrestler must be ensured and he must be seen to be in high spirits and psychologically up to date. He must not entertain fear of the enemy, neither must he develop any form of inferiority complex of himself, the wrestling fame of his opponent not-withstanding, nor nurse any form of overconfidence of himself.

HOW VICTORY WAS DETERMINED DURING IGBO WRESTLING COMBATS.

Lifting up and throwing of an opponent and smashing him on the floor was the hallmark of any wrestling bout. However, to achieve victory over an opponent, his back must land on the ground of the wrestling arena. Throwing an opponent on the floor with is back landing on the floor was always the climax of any wrestling tournaments.

Other factors occasioning victory were falling on the ground with the butocks by a wrestler after being thrown down by his rival on stage. When a wrestler surrendered due to exhaustion or his death on the wrestling arena victory would be pronounced in favour of his rival.

Using Ibeku Okwuato, in Mbaise, as a typical example of an Igbo wrestling community, wrestling was not only regarded as sporting activities, it was like a mini-war to the Ibeku people. The Ibeku community produced many fearless and courageous wrestlers in time of old which earned them respect and supremacy over other neighboring villages such as Umuhu, Lagwa and Amaohuo to mention but the least.

A wrestling champion enjoyed the same accolades as a warrior and Ibeku Okwuatọ produced many wrestling champions and won many inter-village wrestling tournaments which led to a popular slogan in Ibeku that says, "Ana ajụ ụmụ-Ibeku ajụjụ mgba?", meaning, "does anybody challenge Ibeku youths to a wrestling combat"?.

Wrestling provided alternatives to war when inter-village wars were no longer fashionable. Through wrestling, villages were able to determine who was superior to each other through wrestling tournaments. Every village worked very hard to produce their own wrestling champions to defend their integrity as a people. Wrestling tournaments were usually staged as annual events of which both the young and the old looked forward to it every year.

WRESTLING AS AN ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL SPORT.

The razzmatazz that is associated with Igbo wrestling gives it the coloration of an entertainment sports. Wrestling in Igbo land was normally accompanied with a special music to which the name of the wrestler was tuned to.

The Ibeku Okwuatọ people call it "Ekwirikwe-Mgba. The Ekwirikwe-Mgba music was used to praise the names of the wrestling champions, and to galvanize them into extraordinary feats of actions during wrestling combats. The wrestlers hear their names as they are been hailed by the instruments which was led by the xyllophone. Hearing their names from the xylophones, known as "ekwirikwe", they got energized into extraordinary feats of actions which made them to see their opponents as mere pawns as they revelled in absolute confidence unto victory.

Ekwirikwe Mgba was used in name-calling accompanied by other drums such as Udu, Mbembe-ala, ekwe, ọsha, and opi. In other instances, Ịkoro, Uhie, ekwe, and ịgba are used to play wrestling music. Ịkoro is also capable of calling names of champions in order to spurr them to victory.

Ancient Igbo wrestling tournaments witnessed matches between underdogs, light weights and feather weights, and finally the heavy weights, which forms the climax of every wrestling tournaments.

WRESTLING, MGBA, AS A ROYAL SPORT

Wrestling, otherwise known as, Mgba, was the favourite sports of the high and mighty of the Igbo society. The hierarchy of Igbo traditional heavy weights enjoyed watching and relaxing with wrestling games performed live by able bodied men. Igbo wrestling sports contains mesmerizing body moves, intrigues, and suspense that invokes youthful nolstagic feelings in the elderly folks of the society.

The acrobatic movements notable with wrestling sports, the muscle flexing between able bodied combatants and their cat-like walks, and the missed studs gave the ancient Igbo kings reason to cheer up, smiling, laughing and happy, and richly entertained within the comfort of their royal palaces known as Obi-Eze.