Nkwa Ụmuụagbọghọ
The name of the dance I will talk about is original Nkwa Ụmụagbọghọ.
Truly, Ụmụagbọghọ dance originated from a wrestling activity.
Our people performs the dance engaging people from different communities to foster social interaction and we call this 'ishi Ogo'
The wrestling is done according to varying age grades.
After the different age grade engages in the wrestling, the entire village participates and wrestle with them until it goes round. We call this mkpogoro ndị ibe in this community.
Ụmụagbọghọ dance troupe, according to my late father. started with a Hunter
He entered the forest for his regular hunting activity and saw something spectacular on that particular day…monkeys wrestling and he watched with keen interest.
The monkeys were not aware he was watching them. He was so carried away with watching them that he didn't continue with his hunting for the day. After watching, he returned home, called his two sons and demonstrated what he witnessed in the forest to them.
This was how the wrestling started and had continued afterwards.
So, young men started gathering for wrestling and seeing a winner emerge from the activity by wrestling the opponent to the ground.
On wrestling the opponent to the ground, the other person becomes the winner.
This prompts people from the community of the winner to troop out to celebrate the victory of the winner.
maidens from his community will come out in the courtyard referred to as Ogo in my community and Ama in other parts of Igbo land.
In this gathering, they danced in merriment of their brother's victory. This was where and how Ụmụagbọghọ dance started. It continued until it became a tradition.
After returning from the war in 1970, my late father, Sir Vincent Omerenwachi also called Omerasigo here and in the larger Afikpo gradually started teaching this dance to our men and women.
These men were taught to play the dance (1 second pause) which was just the only component at that time.
They would repeat the dance step every time.
With time, he gradually brought in different elements in the dance.
This was how it got to where it is..(2 seconds pause) and more things got added as it progressed.
This was how Ụmụagbọghọ dance started.
The Ụmụagbọhọ dance as the name implies is for maidens.
It is a dance meant for only young women and not the married ones.
It is solely performed by young women.
Afikpo community also has another dance performed only by married women.
This one is different, only performed by maidens.
The men do not perform in it but are the ones that play the instrument for the dance.
The dance is well performed by young women.
Young women are the ones who perform the dance.
The ones we refer to mama are women who are married with kids.
This one is for only young women.
They are the ones that perform it.
Seeing the style of the dance, you would agree that it requires young and strong women to participate in it.
Mothers are with kids compared to maidens who are unmarried and have stronger bones.
So if there's a young man that wins an opponent by wrestling him to the ground, it is the maidens that come out to celebrate his victory.
In some cases, married women join the dancing ground to dance to the victory of their son in the wrestling activity.
The wrestler who throws the opponent to the ground are sometimes sprayed with money.
As earlier mentioned, in this community it starts around the 9th month of the year.
Till the end of the month through the twelfth month.
The festival will draw to an end by the eleventh month and will not accommodate any other ceremony.
But times have changed. We accept invitations to display in events at any point in time.
The dance is no longer displayed at specific times.
Nowadays, the dance features on different occasions including child dedication, marriage ceremony, house warming, new yam festival, thanksgiving and others.
The dance is not seasonal or for one specific occasion.
This dance opens with the wrestling contest, where wrestlers come out to wrestle each other.
After the wrestling in which a winner emerges, maidens troupe out in excitement to dance to the victory of the wrestler. This segment of the dance is called chakpuruegedem in Igbo which features an intro for the girls.
After the chakpuruegedem segment, the girls will display another part called Ọgalụzọ in Igbo.
After dancing to the Ọgalụzọ segment, they either dance to pim-pim or main Ụmụagbọhọ dance.
That is, Nkwa ụmụagbọghọ step In… Nkwa ụmụagbọghọ dance.
So, after displaying that part, the girls will perform their solo followed by the leader's solo.
There is also a segment called Ebini.
The leader is responsible for mobilizing the dancers, bringing them together for the dance.
We have a special attire for the dance.
They put on (chuckles) a short skirt and tie fabric on the chest.
Initially, the dancers are given two pieces of wrapper in how they do preparation of the dance.
One of the wrappers is made into a short skirt and the other tied on the chest. They also tie a headgear and this whole attire is referred to as Ikanda.
Lastly, white clay is used to beautify their bodies before they step out for performance.
There are specific persons assigned to prepare the girls with the dance attire in readiness for their performance after the wrestling contest.
Two or three girls might display in this stage of the dance.
The other members of the dance group and spectators will be in their regalia rejoicing in the victory of the winner.
We have instruments for displaying Ụmụagbọghọ dance. They are seven in number. One of them is the base pot (Udu in native language) that produces the sound gbum! gbum!, Gbum gives a loud sound in the dance.
There is the xylophone referred to as Eka-elu in native Igbo language.
It gives an echo sound when played.
We have the talking drum referred to Ikoro in Igbo language.
This particular instrument directs the dance steps of the girls during performance.
Simply put, it communicates to them.
They obey the direction of the instrument and dance in the expected style.
When it talks to them, the eka-elu responds with its own, and the eka-ali adds its own.
This is the second base drum (eka-ali), which leads the second xylophone (megereme), second talking drum (isii ekwe) and marakash (ahịa) to respond with their different unique sounds giving the dance a well rounded beat.
It is constructed with wood.
With the exception of the base pot, ahịa among others produce their individual unique sounds. Before now, it was constructed with wood but not in recent days.
They produce it.
You see that this one is iron made but these ones are made from wood.
It is still constructed with wood and in Afikpo.
There are people in Afikpo who produce them.
If any of the equipment breaks, there are repairers that handle it.
Other people who construct the instrument are found in Abakiliki and Enugu.
It is mainly produced here.