COLA ACUMINATA (ỌJỊ IGBO) AS A SACRAMENT OF UNITY AMONG THE IGBO

Abstract

Human beings naturally live in community which engenders intersubjective relationship that makes for mutual learning and healthy cohabitation among human beings. This is punctuated in a special by their use of reason that marks them out among other animals. Every society worthy of the name nourishes this coexistence to maximum fruition through communication and other forms of interaction. The Igbo people of Nigeria enjoy and cherish this communal life. This is evident particularly in their spirit of hospitality. This welcoming spirit is usually initiated by invoking the gods in prayer through the use of kola nut. Kola nut is a sacred nut which is accorded recognition in every occasion and as such used to call on the gods through prayer. Hidden in its sacredness is the underlining bond of unity (vinculum unitatis) that it signifies. Just as the lobes are naturally but neatly tied together every prayer offered with kola nut, and every celebration in which it is used implicitly evokes that unity upon those being prayed for. To that effect, this research aims at exposing the inner logic of this sacrament of unity which is enveloped in this sacred nut. The research will adopt a descriptive methodology geared towards delineating its unifying aspect. To realize that, the researcher will use the analytic approach to unveil the symbolic unifying force of this sacred nut. Finally, the researcher will recommend that Igbo people should have to concretely demonstrate this unity in every community where they live.