Everything You Need to Know About Aguleri!
Our goal with this series is to help Igbo descents worldwide reconnect with their roots and gain a clearer understanding of who they are.
Do you know the name of your town and village? What kindred your family belongs to, both maternally and paternally? How did your surname come to be, and what stories shape your cultural identity?
We hope this series inspires you to explore, document, and preserve your history for generations to come. Enjoy!
Aguleri Town Overview
Aguleri is an Igbo town located in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State. It shares borders with Nando, Umueri, Anaku, Anam and Nsugbe.
Main Villages in Aguleri
Aguleri is made up of four major villages:
Enugwu
Ivite
Igboezunu
Eziagulu
P.S. Aguleri’s four main villages (Ivite, Igboezunu, Eziagulu, and Enugwu) are split into two areas —> Aguleri Uno (the upland homelands) and Aguleri Otu (the river farming side). This duplicates the four villages into eight connected communities.
Major Deities
Agbanagbo Ezu na Omabala
Otutunzu
Ovilivo Okene
Iyi-Enu na Iyi-Ana
Ngene Ovili
Ovido
Aniedo
Rivers and Streams
Agbanagbo Ezu na Omabala
Mmili Emu
Mmili Iyienu na Iyiana
Masquerades
Adamma
Atummonwu
Ada
Izaga
Ezekotonko
Ijele
Main Market Day
In Aguleri, the main market day is Eke and the market itself is called Eke-Aguleri. On this day, the town’s biggest market, Eke-Aguleri, is full of busy trading activity.
Major Festivals
Igba-Ada Festival: Celebrated annually on the first Friday in January, this festival honors the town’s history.
Igba-Ovala Festival: Celebrated in honor of the Igwe of Aguleri, this festival occurs immediately after the Igba-Ada festival. During this period, the Igwe visits the main villages in Aguleri to perform specific ritual rites.
Alo Mmuo Festival: Also called the Ivejioku Festival, this is the New Yam Festival of the Aguleri people. It is held annually around July and August.
Olili Eri Festival: This festival is held to honor Eri, the progenitor and legendary father of the Aguleri people. It features the gathering of Eri community leaders and people every eight native months (according to the Igbo calendar) for prayers and rituals at the river confluence, with celebrations concluding at the ancestral shrine of Eri in Obu Gad, located in Enugwu Aguleri.
Communal Taboos
Murder
Married people committing adultery
Burying a woman on Eke market day
Incest
Theft, especially the stealing of food crops
Eke Agbanagbo Ezu na Omabala (the python of the revered deity) is revered and is forbidden to be harmed
Dibias from Aguleri do not eat Akpu (Cassava)
Founder and History
The Aguleri people are descendants of Eri, the Igbo progenitor who settled between the Ezu and Omambala rivers. After Eri died, his children moved away to start their own towns. However, his oldest son, Agulu, stayed behind and took over his father's land. Over time, this land was named Aguleri.
Major Occupations
Farming
Fishing
Trading
Local Government Area
Aguleri is a part of Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria.
Did we miss any key details or get something mixed up?
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What else do you know about Aguleri that isn’t covered here? Let us know below. Daalu!
Source:
Nwakwudo Aguleri.
Research Credit:
Chinualumogu
