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!

Amesi Town Overview

Amesi is an Igbo town located in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. It shares its borders with Akpo, Nkpologwu, Achina, Uga and Umuchu.

Main Villages in Amesi

Amesi originally consisted of four main villages, but it recently expanded to five.

Listed in order of seniority, the villages are:

Obinato
Amuwo
Umuocha
Ubaha
Obinabo (the newest village, recently carved out of Obinato)

Major Deities

Orie Amesi
Ezeogwugwu Ikpa
Oda Amesi
Okwulehi
Isigwu Umulodike
Agwu Amesi (god of medicine in Amesi)
Isigwu Ikenaejeogwu

Rivers and Streams

Amesi has no rivers or streams. However, it contains several sacred forests that play a central role in the spiritual life of its people, including:

Ohia Orie
Ohia Ajala (forbidden forest where bodies of evil doers in the community are thrown)
Ohia Ezeogwugwu
Ohia Ota-ahu
Ohia Ishigwu Umuocha
Ohia Ishigwu Obinato
Ohia Omaraugo
Ohia Nne-Agwu
Ohia Nna-Agwu
Ohia Mpamaolu
Ohia Ngwuonwo
Ohia Nkwo-Amugho
Ohia Nwa-eke

Masquerades

Oji-Onu (Mgbadike)
Ugonaabo
Ogbamgbada

Main Market Day

Afo is the main market day in Amesi, and the market itself is locally known as Afor-Amesi. However, Eke is also deeply significant to the community. While not the primary trading day, Eke is dedicated to spiritual activities and religious observance throughout the town.

Major Festivals

Okwulehi Festival: This takes place every year in August. Okwulehi is known as the female counterpart to Orie Amesi, the town’s most revered deity. When the Okwulehi deity is being celebrated, it signals that it is time for the New Yam Festival. There is a popular saying in Amesi which goes “OKWULEHI SI ERIBENE JI OHURU” — Okwulehi says to eat the new yam. It begins on an Eke market day and usually lasts for twelve days.
Orie Amesi Festival: The Orie Amesi Festival honors Orie Amesi, the town’s most revered deity, who is believed to be the owner and protector of Amesi. This festival is celebrated four days before the Okwulehi Festival begins.
Oda Amesi Festival: The Oda Festival honors the benevolent goddess Oda, who is believed to grant children to the people of Amesi. This festival takes place annually in either December or January, with the exact date determined by the seasonal Igu-Aro (Igbo calendar reading).
Agwu-Nsi Festival: The Agwu Festival is celebrated by the town's Agwu initiates on the Afo market day in May, during the fifth month of the year. Dedicated to the deity of medicine, the festival is a time of strict peace. During this period, the people of Amesi are forbidden from fighting or quarreling, to honor the deity.
Ala Festival: This is a celebration of the earth goddess, Ala. It is held annually on the tenth month of the year.
Akalabo Day: This is a celebration to honor Akabo and Abonkwu, the parents of Amesi’s founder. Held every three years on Eke market day in December, this major event serves as Amesi's "mass return" festival, bringing community members home from all over the world to celebrate their shared heritage.

Communal Taboos

Murder
Stealing of food crops (especially yams)
Incest
Abortion
Using knowledge of herbs to harm a human unjustly
Killing or eating of Eke (python)
Desecration/destroying of scared ancestral shrines

Founder and History

According to oral history, Amesi traces its lineage back to Eri, a revered progenitor of Igbo people. Eri’s son, Eze-Nri Namako, had five sons: Ozu, Diodo Ivolo, Avo, Okwaike, and Akabo. Akabo, a traveling Dibia (healer/diviner), was guided by an animal called Edi to settle in the land known today as Amesi. There, Akabo married Abonkwu, and together they had a son named Eshi, who became the founder of Amesi.

Major Occupations

Dibia a.k.a Shamanism (Traditional healing)
Farming
Trading

Local Government Area

Amesi is a part of Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria.

Did we miss any key details or get something mixed up?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

What else do you know about Amesi that isn’t covered here? Let us know below. Daalu!

Source:

Ezeliora, Bernadette. Traditional Medicine in Amesi. Enugu: Cecta (Nig) Limited, September 1994.

Research Credit:

Chinualumogu

Read more →

Everything You Need to Know About Amesi!