Agụmagụ Ọdịnala Abụ, Akụkọ Ifo na Ejije for JSS 1

Agụmagụ Ọdịnala: Abụ, Akụkọ Ifo na Ejije

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. ịgụ abụ/uri Igbo ma kparịta ụka na ndịnisiokwu ndị dị na ha (read Igbo poetry/chants and discuss their themes);
2. ige akụkọ ifo a kọrọ, ma tụlekọrịta uche gbasara ihe mmụta dị n’akụkọ ndị ahụ (listen to folktales and reflect on the moral lessons);
3. ikiri nkenke ejije ma depụta ihe ha mụtara gbasara agwa na nhazi akụkọ (watch short plays and list lessons learned about characterization and plot/structure);
4. ijije nkenke ejiji n’isiokwu a họpụtara (perform a short drama on a selected topic).

Meaning of Agụmagụ Ọdịnala

Agụmagụ ọdịnala refers to the traditional literature of the Igbo people that is passed down from one generation to another by word of mouth.

Before the introduction of modern writing, the Igbo people preserved their history, values, beliefs, and customs through oral literature. This form of literature is highly valued because it serves as a tool for education, entertainment, and moral correction within the community.

Traditional Igbo literature is divided into three main branches:

1. Abụ na Uri (Poetry and Chants)
2. Akụkọ Ifo (Folktales)
3. Ejije Ọdịnala (Traditional Drama)

Abụ na Uri Igbo (Igbo Poetry and Chants)

Abụ ọdịnala is a rhythmic, musical form of Igbo oral literature used to express deep emotions, praise, work rhythms, or cultural values.

Traditional poems and chants are often performed during specific events such as festivals, work, burials, or moonlight play. They are usually accompanied by traditional musical instruments to create rhythm and melody.

Three examples of traditional Igbo poems and chants include:

1. Abụ Ụmụaka (Children’s Moonlight Song): “Ọnwa Tibe”

This is a song-poem chanted by children during moonlight play (egwu ọnwa) to express joy and community bonding.

Igbo Text:

Ọnwa tibe, ije agụọ m,
Ije agụọ m n’ogige nna m.
Ọnwa tibe, ije agụọ m,
Ka m gaa hụ ụmụ nwanne m.

English Translation:

When the moon shines, I long to travel,
I long to travel in my father’s compound.
When the moon shines, I long to travel,
So that I can go and see my siblings.

Isiokwu (Theme): Love, unity, and the joy of family and community gathering under the moonlight.

2. Abụ Ọrụ (Work Song): “Abụ Ndị Ọrụ Ugbo”

This chant is used by farmers to motivate themselves and maintain a steady rhythm while working on the farm.

Igbo Text:

Onye na-agba mbọ, ọ ga-eri nri,
Onye umengwu ga-anwụ n’agụụ.
Gwuputa ji, gwuputa ede,
Ọrụ ugbo na-eweta akụ na ụba.
Onye na-agba mbọ, ọ ga-eri nri!

English Translation:

He who works hard will eat food,
The lazy person will die of hunger.
Dig up yams, dig up cocoyams,
Farming brings wealth and prosperity.
He who works hard will eat food!

Isiokwu (Theme): Hard work (ịgba mbọ) and the rejection of laziness (umengwu).

3. Abụ Otuto (Praise Song): “Abụ Otuto Maka Dike”

This chant is performed to honor brave individuals, warriors, or achievers in the community.

Igbo Text:

Dike na-eche obodo nche,
Onye gburu agụ n’ọhịa.
Obi gị siri ike ka nkume,
Anyị na-aja gị mma maka obi ike gị.
Dike, nọrọ jụụ, obodo na-aja gị mma!

English Translation:

The brave warrior who guards the town,
The one who killed a leopard in the forest.
Your heart is as strong as a stone,
We praise you for your courage.
Warrior, be at peace, the community praises you!

Isiokwu (Theme): Courage (obi ike), protection of the community, and appreciation of heroes.

Observe the traditional musical instruments shown below, which are used to accompany these poems and chants.

Akụkọ Ifo (Igbo Folktales)

Akụkọ ifo is an imaginative oral story, usually featuring animals or humans, told to teach moral lessons and cultural values.

In Igbo land, folktales are traditionally told in the evening under the moonlight. Animals in these stories are often given human characteristics (personification). For example, the tortoise (Mbe) is always depicted as clever, cunning, and greedy, while the elephant (Enyi) is often depicted as strong but gullible.

The following is a classic Igbo folktale:

Mbe na Enyi (The Tortoise and the Elephant)

O nwere oge otu nnukwu agụụ jiri daa n’ala anụmanụ. Mbe, onye maara ihe nke ukwuu ma nwee aghụghọ, kpebiri na ya ga-enweta nri site n’ịghọgbu Enyi. Mbe gara hụ Enyi ma gwa ya na ndị obodo chọrọ ime ya eze ha. Enyi nwere obi ụtọ dị ukwuu mgbe ọ nụrụ nke a.

Mbe gwara Enyi ka o soro ya gaa n’obodo ahụ maka ememe okpueze. Tupu ha eruo, Mbe egwuola nnukwu olulu n’ụzọ, jiri ahịhịa na akwụkwọ osisi kpuchie ya nke ọma, ma dọba oche eze mara mma n’elu ya. Mgbe Enyi na-aga n’obi ụtọ na-eche na ya na-aga ịbụ eze, ọ rịgoro n’elu ahịhịa ahụ wee danye n’olulu ahụ. Mbe na ndị obodo wee gbuo Enyi ma jiri anụ ya gboo mkpa agụụ ha.

English Translation of the Folktale

Once upon a time, a great famine hit the animal kingdom. Tortoise, who was very clever and cunning, decided to get food by tricking Elephant. Tortoise went to Elephant and told him that the villagers wanted to crown him as their king. Elephant was very happy when he heard this.

Tortoise told Elephant to follow him to the village for the coronation ceremony. Before they set out, Tortoise had dug a deep pit on the path, covered it carefully with grass and leaves, and placed a beautiful royal throne on top of it. As Elephant walked joyfully, thinking he was going to be crowned king, he stepped onto the covered pit and fell inside. Tortoise and the villagers then killed Elephant and used his meat to satisfy their hunger.

The moral lessons (Ihe mmụta) from this folktale include:

1. Nganga na Anya Ukwu (Pride and Greed): Elephant’s desire for power and praise made him blind to Tortoise’s trick. Pride leads to a fall.
2. Aghụghọ (Deceit): Deceit may bring temporary success, but it is a bad character trait that destroys trust in a community.
3. Ime Nchekwube (Vigilance): People should always be careful and think deeply before accepting sweet words or sudden offers of greatness.

Look at the illustration below showing a traditional storytelling scene.

Ejije Ọdịnala (Traditional Drama)

Ejije ọdịnala is a form of traditional Igbo literature where stories, customs, and lessons are acted out through speech, movement, and gestures.

Unlike modern drama which is written down in books, traditional drama was performed live in open spaces like village squares, markets, or family compounds. It uses two main elements:

1. Agwa (Characters/Characterization): The people or animals who act in the play. Their behavior teaches the audience what is acceptable or unacceptable in society.
2. Nhazi Akụkọ (Plot/Structure): The arrangement of events in the play from the beginning (mmalite), through the middle (etiti), to the end (ọgwụgwụ).

The following is a short traditional drama script focusing on environmental protection (nchekwa gburugburu):

Nkenke Ejije: Nchekwa Gburugburu Obodo (Protecting the Environment)

Ndị Na-eme Ejije (Characters):

1. Eze (The King): The ruler of the community who enforces laws.
2. Chidi: A careless villager who dumps waste into the community stream.
3. Amaka: A vigilant villager who protects the environment.

Ebe a na-eme ejije (Setting): Beside the community stream. Chidi is carrying a basket full of waste, looking around to dump it into the stream.

Chidi: (Speaking to himself) This stream is very large. If I dump this waste inside, the water will carry it away. No one will see me.

(As Chidi is about to dump the waste, Amaka steps out from the path.)

Amaka: Chidi, kwụsị ebe ahụ! (Chidi, stop right there!) What are you trying to do? Do you want to pollute the community’s drinking water?

Chidi: Hapụ m aka, Amaka! (Leave me alone, Amaka!) Is this stream your father’s property? The water will carry the waste away.

Amaka: If we pollute this stream, diseases will spread in our village. The King decreed that no one should dump waste here.

(The King and his guards enter the scene.)

Eze: Gịnị na-eme ebe a? (What is happening here?) Amaka, why are you shouting?

Amaka: Igwe, look! Chidi wants to dump all this waste into our community stream.

Eze: (Angry) Chidi! This is a serious crime. Polluting the environment brings sickness to everyone. Guards, arrest him! He must clean up this entire stream area and pay a fine to the community.

Chidi: (Pleading) Igwe, biko gbaghara m! (Your Majesty, please forgive me!) I will never pollute the environment again. I will clean it up immediately.

Eze: Let this be a lesson to everyone. The environment is our life. We must protect it.

Lessons learned from the characters and structure of this play include:

1. Agwa (Characterization): Chidi represents environmental neglect and selfishness, while Amaka represents civic responsibility and vigilance. The King represents justice and leadership.
2. Nhazi Akụkọ (Plot): The play begins with a conflict (Chidi attempting to pollute the stream), reaches a climax (Amaka confronting him and the King arriving), and ends with a resolution (Chidi being punished and learning to protect the environment).
3. Ihe Mmụta (Moral Lesson): Keeping water bodies and the environment clean prevents diseases and preserves life for the entire community.

Observe the scene below showing community members working together to protect their environment.

How to Perform a Short Play (Nka Njije)

Mimicking or acting (nka njije) is the skill of representing a character or an object through actions, voice modulation, and facial expressions.

The procedure for performing the short play on environmental protection involves the following steps:

1. Assign roles to different students in the class (Eze, Chidi, Amaka, and the King’s guards).
2. Set up a simple stage area in the classroom to represent the community stream, using a basket of dry leaves or paper as a prop for the waste.
3. Practice speaking the dialogue clearly, using loud voices and appropriate facial expressions (such as Chidi looking sneaky, Amaka looking angry, and the King looking authoritative).
4. Move around the stage naturally, ensuring that body movements match the words being spoken.
5. Perform the play in front of the class, focusing on delivering the message of environmental protection clearly to the audience.

Questions for Evaluation

Answer the following questions to test understanding of the lesson:

1. Read three selected Igbo traditional poems or chants aloud, paying attention to rhythm and pronunciation.
2. Tell one traditional Igbo folktale and state three moral lessons learned from it.
3. Perform a short traditional play with classmates focusing on the theme of environmental protection.