Waawa

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Waawa
Wawa, Ndi Waawa/Wawa

Languages
Waawa Omenani
Related ethnic groups
Igbo, Nsukka

The Waawa clan of Northern

, who was the paramount ruler of Agbaja in the early 20th century.

Chief Onyeama of Eke

Onyeama [1] was born circa 1870s, the youngest of the ten children of Özö Omulu Onwusi, a polygamous titled man of means, and an only son of his mother – Chinazungwa Ijeonyeabo of nearby Ebe community. At 7, his father initiated him into the masquerade society. A puberty rite of passage, this showed the promise of the young man. Onyeama's father died thereafter. His mother also died, probably killed for poisoning a man who had threatened her son Onyeama with violence.

Brought up by his half-brother, Amadiezeoha Nwankwo-Onwusi, Onyeama worked hard and made his mark in business. He traveled to famous Aro-controlled trading centers, including Abiriba, Arochukwu, Arondizuogu, Bende, Oguta, Uburu, etc. When British rule reached Eke in 1908, Onyeama was rich enough to buy his way into the Ozo title society and to marry a local beauty, Afia Nwirediagu, and later Gwachi Ebue.

Slowly but surely, Onyeama got the colonists to award him the “Warrant Chiefdom” of Eke. He took power and defined it. Onyeama saw himself as an absolute ruler whose authority could not be easily flouted.^[2] But the King of Onitsha, Obi Okosi I, also reigned. No Igbo king questioned the might of the supreme monarch of Onitsha, let alone supposedly “lesser chiefs” from the north.

Onyeama signaled quite early that the reign of the Obi of Onitsha was history turned upside down, because he considered the entire monarchy of Onitsha a sub-colonial setup of recent immigrants from the Benin Kingdom. If anything, he (Onyeama) was in the league of the Oba of Benin or Ooni of Ife, the Yoruba monarch. This set the stage for a looming showdown between the kings of the northeast Igbo (called the Wawa) and southwest Igbo (called the Ijekeebé).

And so it was that at the gathering of Igbo kings in 1928, all major kings and chiefs in the old Onitsha province (including Enugu) and beyond assembled in Enugu to welcome Captain W. Buchanan-Smith, the recently appointed lieutenant-governor of southern Nigeria provinces. The Obi naturally occupied the highest seat of honor reserved for the supposed traditional ruler of Igbo nation. When Onyeama came in later with his entourage of security men, chiefs and Igbanküda drummers, he was outraged by the Obi's assumed position of supreme authority in his domain.

Onyeama ordered the immediate removal of the powerful King of Onitsha. A scene ensued with the District Officer trying to placate Onyeama. Furiously, as legend has it, he uttered, “Wa” (the local lingo for “No”); for emphasis and as a mark of immutability, he stated: “Wa–wa!” [Never!] He turned and decreed to the colonial officers: “If that man is still occupying that seat when I come back, the leopard will eat him.”^[3] Onyeama got his way and prevailed as the greatest king in town! Considered an upstart by those who have had longer socioeconomic intercourse with the British, Onyeama did not make himself many friends. A record was waxed in the 1930s accusing him of burying an unfaithful wife alive! A court order forced the German company that waxed the slanderous record to withdraw it from circulation. This and other image-destructive stories of absolute tyranny, wife-snatching and even murder have never really removed from the legend of Onyeama. His people looked at him with mixture of awe and admiration. His secret police (made up of handpicked, local wrestling champions) struck so much fear into both chiefs and commoners that generations still respect the might of this great king.

The current traditional ruler Of Oma-Eke is Igwe Harold Chinwendu Onuoha, Eze-Oha I.

Culture

Amongst the Waawa people there is a lot of cultural diversity, and each locality can be identified by their unique style of music and cultural dance. Some styles by region include:

• ogene around the Anambra borders.
• the "Ibone" (Mmanwu) festival of Umulokpa and some towns in Ezeagu LGA.
• egwu-igede in Udi and environs.
• abia, particularly in Eke. The annual Abia-Nsi' festival held in Eke, showcases the unique abia music style, and is attended by the surrounding communities.
• ubo in Nkanu.
• igba ijele in Umulokpa.
• ikorodo in Nsukka region.

Food

One of the most important vegetables in Waawa cuisine and in the Igbo culture in general is the yam tuber. This is considered the Igbo staple crop and has been dedicated deities such as Njoku Ji, the yam god. Igbo cuisine includes other vegetables such as Pumpkin seed, used to make a soup called Egusi, Bitter leaf which is made into a soup and Okra, of which its name stems from the Igbo language.

The Waawa people eat

.

Aside from than the common

which is known in this part of the country as akpaka. Cassava is also made into ighu, which are larger flakes of the vegetable, prepared like abacha.

All kinds of

joints within the Enugu metropolis.

Waawa Dialect

Each Waawa community has a distinct dialect of Igbo, which are somewhat related to each other but quite different from Central Igbo language

English	Central Igbo	Nkanu/Eke dialect of Waawa	Nsukka dialect of Waawa
how?/what? How is it going? (informal)	kedu?	ndeé? (in-DAY)	Ime-aga? (emaa-ga)
welcome	nnộ	dee-jé, tee-je	Alā (Ah-La)
Thank you	Dālụ́/Imẹ̄lá.	dee-mé	I mee		here	ebe-a	nkunwa, nonwa	"wabe-ha"
yes	eh	eeyi	"eh"
no	mba	wa, wawa
foot/leg	ukwu	okpa	"ukwu"
dog	nkita	nkuta	"ugo-du/ngta"
now	ugbua	kunma, ki-taa	"wo-shua ha"
stomach	afo	efo, eghfo	eho
divination	afa	efa, eghfa	ehà
name	aha	eghfa	ehá
clothes	akwa	ogodo	ekwa

The

but a large part of Northern Waawaland. In the Nkanu kingdom/region of the Waawa Nation, the 'mgbochiume mkpi'gh, is added to f whereas the f is silent during pronunciation. During pronunciation, the beginning and ending vowels are heard whereas the rest of the other alphabets{at the centre of the word} are dead silent and transformed into air when the word is pronounced such as efa-eghfa(by drawing in air as the mouth is opened i.e. breathing in and closing the mouth as the air is released i.e. breathing out).

See also

• Enugu State
• Nsukka
• Igbo people
• Igbo
• Daybreak in Udi

References