The relevance of Ali (Earth Deity): Ritual forms and processes in the 21st century Ikwerre of north eastern Niger Delta

Abstract

The language of religion is often colored with rites and symbols. Man the “homoreligiosus” has in every age and culture, in his horizontal and vertical relationship with the sacred and the humans, evolved means of communicating and expressing his sentiments and belief patterns. Patent and evocative as they may be, rituals in symbolic forms have remained a rhythm of significance in man’s response to the sacred and his experience within the ecosystem. Configured in icons and expressed in metaphors, religious rituals and symbols convey a people’s religious consciousness, thoughtlogic and world view. This study generally focuses on the relevance of Ali ritual forms and processes among the Ikwerre ethnic nationality located in the North Eastern Niger Delta of Nigeria. The study supports the view of earlier scholars that Ali is Ikwerre's principal deity and the watch dog of Ikwerre moral ethos and has various manifestations of rituals associated with it in order to maintain social order in Ikwerre. Most importantly, this study negates the erroneous impression by some foreign scholars, that Africans were not objective in handling the issue of morality. Our finding shows that in the last one hundred years or so, there have been tremendous changes on beliefs and practices relating to Ali deity in her ritual forms and processes. However, the story of the impact of Christianity and other agents of modern change on Ali deity is one in which at the instant of these agents of modern  change, some features of the belief system elapsed while others remain resolute.

Keywords: Ali, Deity, Rituals, Niger Delta, Change