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Nze na Ozo
The ''Nze na Ozo'' society (pronounced ''Nzeh nah Awzaw''), is the highest and most important magico-religious and social grouping in the Igbo society of Southeast Nigeria.〔Meek, C. (1937). Law and Authority in a Nigerian Tribe, Pub. London〕〔Basden, G. (1921). Among the Ibos of Nigeria, Pub Nonsuch, p. 211-213〕 To become ''Ozo'' implies that the title holder is now an ‘''Nze''’ implying living spirit and an ancestor.〔Jeffreys, M. (1951). The Winged Solar Disk, or Ibo Ichi Scarification, Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 93-111〕 One then becomes the moral conscience of the community and is seen to be a fair adjudicator in cases of disputes within the community.〔Agbakoba, J., and Nwauche, E. (2006), African Conceptions of Justice, Responsibility and Punishment, Cambrian Law Review, Vol. 73, pp. 73- 84〕 In times of crisis, most Igbo communities will rely on Ozo members for leadership.〔Aniagolu, E. (2010). Ozo: A Story of an African Knighthood (). Pub. Griot Press USA, ISBN 0-9755208-1-4〕 Generally, in most Igbo communities, only holders of Ichi title may become candidates for ''Ozo'' title.,〔Jeffreys, M. (1951). The Winged Solar Disk, or Ibo Ichi Scarification, Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 93-111.〕 however although anthropologist such as Jeffreys 〔Jeffreys, M. (1951). The Winged Solar Disk, or Ibo Ichi Scarification, Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 93-111.〕 reports cases of women with Ichi scarification, only men can belong to ''Ozo'' with membership according the individual extreme prestige, power and influence in the community.
Taking ''Ozo'' title is extremely expensive with the lower grades costing in excess of US$25,000 in initiation cost and up to another US$2000 in annual subscriptions. Although there is hegemony across Igboland on the notion of ''Ozo'',〔Finds, M., and Onwuejeogwu, B. (1977), The Search for the Missing Links in Dating and Interpreting the Igbo–Ukwu, Paideuma, Bd. 23, pp. 169-188〕 categorisation and grades of Ozo titles are different across Igbo communities. For example, with the exception of the Onitsha and Delta Igbo, certain titles of the ''Ozo'' such as ‘''Ezeana''’ may not be taken until the candidate was seen to have been ‘a man’.〔Achebe, C. (1957). Things Fall Apart, Pub. London〕 Being that Igbo’s are gerontologic in outlook,〔Arth, M. (1968). Ideals and Behavior. A Comment on Ibo Respect Patterns, The Gerontologist, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 242-244〕 the basic pre-condition for such an assessment was to ascertain whether the father of a candidate was still alive. If a candidate’s father was still alive, the title could not be taken. This rule however does not apply to Onitsha Igbo’s who can take ''Ozo'' title while a candidates father is alive. In other Igbo communities, especially those in the Awka-Nri axis, some exceptions are made where the candidate completes the initiation rites into ''Ozo'', but is referred to as ‘''Nze-agbala''’ until the father dies. Such a person may however not be allowed to dance to ''Ufie'' music which is a sacred music danced by ''Ozo'' holders on special Igbo religious festivals such as the New Yam Festival. Another major difference in taking of ''Ozo'' title in Igboland relates to the pre-requisite for the candidate to have earlier taken Ichi title (''gbue Ichi'').〔Jeffreys, M. (1951). The Winged Solar Disk, or Ibo Ichi Scarification, Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 93-111.〕 While taking Ozo title in most Igbo communities in the Awka-Nri axis requires the candidate to have taken Ichi title, in Onitsha, Ichi is not a recognised institution and is therefore not undertaken by the Onitsha Igbo and some of the Delta Igbo.〔Odukwe, M. (1985). The ozo title in Onitsha: A brief Historical Study, MA Thesis, University of Nigeria, Nsukka〕 The Nze na Ozo society does not exist in most southern Igbo communities such as the Aro. Instead, these communities have masquerade societies such as Okonko 〔Green, M. (1958). Sayings of the ỌkọŊkọ Society of the Igbo-Speaking People. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 21, pp 157-173〕〔Cookey, S. (1980), Reviewed work(s): Trade without Rulers: Pre-Colonial Economic Development in South-Eastern Nigeria by David Northrup, International Journal of African Historical Studies, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 364-369〕〔Nwosu, P. (2010), The Age of Cultural Hybridisation: A Case Study of Okonko, Anthropologist, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 161-165〕 and Ekpe.
In most of parts of Igboland, there are generally two major classes of ''Ozo''. The first is ''nnukwu Ozo'' (big ''Ozo''). Within ''nnukwu Ozo'', there are three grades consisting of ''Dunu'', ''Dim'' and ''Ezeana''. In the second class of Ozo referred to as obele ''Ozo'' (small ''Ozo''), again they are generally three grades exist consisting of ''Eyisi'', ''Ezuzo'' and ''Okpala''.〔Ogbukagu, I.K. (1997). Traditional Igbo beliefs and Practices, Pub. Novelty, ISBN 978-32422-0-2, p. 75.〕 It must however be recognised that until about 1930, ''nnukwu Ozo'' had a fourth (and highest) grade of ''Ozo'' referred to as ''Igwe'' (Sky) which only the Eze Nri, the spiritual leader of the Ozo system held. This has however changed with most Igbo communities being led by a senior ''Ozo'' holder referred to as ''Igwe'' or ''Eze''. The different grades of ''Ozo'' are not necessarily distinct based on nomenclature alone. For example, while ''Ozo Okpala'' is regarded as obele ''Ozo'', the position is usually taken by the first son in a lineage who by taking the title becomes responsible for arbitrating internal family disputes.〔Odukwe, M. (1999). The Okpala Institution in Onitsha: 1900-1999, PhD Thesis, University of Nigeria, Nsukka〕
==References==
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