Igbo Fowl’s Wellerism and the Concensus of other Animals: the Issue of Literature Begetting Culture

Abstract

Wellerism, the figurative expression that quotes the character in the course of communicating by the proverb is part of the Igbo people’s linguistic ornaments. In their wellerisms, there are various characters like the old woman, Swallow, Lizard, Fowl, etc. Igbo Fowl’s wellerism is the one which a goat used in giving a reason for the permission of his absence at an important meeting of animals. The wellerism was that Igbo Fowl pledged that whatever consensus other animals reached at the meeting he was absent, he would accept. So it was by the wellerism that he was selected the worst victim of ritual sacrifices in Igbo custom. It is this expression of literature that resulted to the culture of using Fowl for various ritual sacrifices. This work, which its data were sourced from the library and interviews, showed that literature is part of culture. The work is interested in the culture implications only and does not have interest in profound biology or animal husbandry. It is discovered that one of the culture implications is sacrificing of Fowl at ritual ceremonies.