Culture they say is man's sure bet to unlocking the keys to his existence. It is man's most significant compass to understanding his root, his past and his present. All over the globe, there is no society that is bereft of cultural practices informed by history, myths and legend. This explains why people are diverse and yet interconnected by one single element - culture.
In the course of my study on different world cultural practices, I have come across one striking aspect that is not only revealing but is also symbolical and that is the concept of "Totemism" in Igbo land. Totemism refers to the belief in the fact that humans have a symbolic connection with certain spirit - beings in the forms of plants, animals and other entities. It is believed that these entities interact with a particular kin-group or individual (s) which serves as their symbol.
On a general note, Totemism features features attributes of peoples religious and social organisations. It manifests in a lot of forms amongst people whose traditional source of livelihood were based on fishing, farming, hunting, food gathering as well as animal rearing. In other words, totems take the form of our ancestors ' occupation like the fish, monkey, bat, leopard, tiger, elephant, Iroko tree, guns, and many others.
Although the concept of totemism is quite complex as it varies in ideas and patterns of behaviour as a result of its unique and mystical representation of group genealogies, one must not forget that in Igbo land, totems are seen as man's guide, companion, super - hero and even progenitor with superior powers and abilities. Igbo prople accord totems a great deal of of veneration which usually attracts 'Nso" - a prohibition against killing, manhandling or eating them. This is done based on the belief that these highly spiritual elements testifies to man's past existence and reality thus killing or manhandling them would mean prople hurting themselves - an action that could result in severe consequences.
Igbo prople consider totems as sacred communal entities. They revere various plants and animals but this is dependent on a particular geographical location. For instance, in Eha-Amufu, Enugu State, a certain spirit of the river known as 'Ebe' is believed to be in charge of the fishes in that particular river where big fishes are considered to be the counterparts of aged men in the village. As such, in a situation where a villager dies, it is considered a taboo for anyone to fish in that river. In this village, fish as totem is highly revered.
In the same vein, the peoples of Idemili South and North (Anambra State) are well known for their deification of Python. In other words, they worship Python. The prople believe that 'Eke' (Python): represent the gods of Idemili. As such, no one dares kill a Python whenever it visits else such a fellow would give it a befitting funeral ceremony just as it is done for a deceased human. Rather than Kill Python, the prople worship it by singing praises and calling it pet names. And surprisingly, they rarely get bitten. However, in a situation where someone gets bitten, the prople believe that it is either the person is a foreigner in the land or is evil.
In Afikpo, Ebonyi State, the indigenes do not eat crabs and so cannot kill it. Also, they are forbidden to eat or kill monkeys, tortoise, crocodiles, butterflies, snails and alligator. These are considered totems by the prople. Similarly, in Umuokahia, Obi Ngwa, Abia State, a particular Python called 'Okahia' I'd believed to live in the community shrine and is as old as the community itself.
In Nkwerre, Imo State, prople revere 'Enyi' (Elephant) and 'Egbe' (Gun) as totemic entities that represent their land. To them, the gun signifies the early occupation of their ancestors who were gunsmiths while the elephant is an ancestral name chosen because of its size, wisdom and size.
Overall, in Igbo land, totems are protected and defended because it is believed that they do same for the prople.