Patriarchal Reductionism in <i>Ewu-Nzuzo</i> of <i>Ogodi</i> Female Burial Dance of the Ogbaru-Igbo

Abstract

The Ogbaru Igbo people of South-Eastern Nigeria perform a ceremonial dance drama to honour indigenously born women upon their death, during which a ritual nanny goat is slaughtered. This paper examines the purpose of the dance and the significance of the ritual animal. The study reveals a dual purpose of the ceremony; the stated and explicit on the one hand; and the implicit and unstated on the other, the latter being disguised by the patriarchal agenda of the culture. There is a dearth of information on the woman in patriarchal society and what little is available is subject to patriarchal hegemony. Oral performance remains one of the most accessible channels on gender related data and the present study aims to bridge the gap in gender documentation.

Keywords: Ewu-nzuzo, Ogbaru, Igbo, Umuada, patriarchal