CHUKWU
allySupreme god
Chukwu stands at the summit of Igbo cosmology. His name joins chi, the spiritual principle present in every being, and ukwu, great: he is the Great Chi, of which every individual chi is a portion. Under the name Chineke, the chi that creates, he is the source of the universe, of the alusi — the deities who govern the earth, the thunder or the rivers in his name — and of all life. The sun, Anyanwu, is held to be his eye or his visible manifestation. Too immense to be enclosed in a sanctuary, Chukwu generally receives neither temples nor direct sacrifices: he is reached through the alusi, the ancestors and the personal chi. History nevertheless knew one famous exception: the oracle Ibini Ukpabi of Arochukwu, which the Aro merchants presented as the very voice of Chukwu and which the British administration, which called it the Long Juju, destroyed in 1902. With the arrival of Christianity, missionaries adopted the names Chukwu and Chineke to translate the biblical God, which durably entangled the two theologies. Specialists of odinani recall that Chukwu belongs first to a cosmology of its own, in which the creator acts by delegation and each destiny is negotiated with one's chi.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
A fragment of Onionkupón's Breath, bound to one of the five elements of the cosmic balance.
Sacred Mask
A mask carved of ancient energy — a symbol of the cosmic force proper to its pantheon.
Era
3,000–1,000 BCE — Cycle of Elemental Powers
Spiritual Lesson
To understand the nature of one's own balance and the wisdom hidden behind every trial.
Words of the Spirit
“The spirit crosses what the body cannot.”
Frequently asked questions
Who is Chukwu in Igbo religion?
Chukwu is the supreme being of odinani, the traditional religion of the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria. His name joins chi, spirit, and ukwu, great: the Great Spirit. Creator of the universe under the name Chineke, source of all life, he governs the world through the alusi, intermediary deities, and through each person's chi.
Is Chukwu the same as the Christian God?
Not originally. Missionaries chose the names Chukwu and Chineke to translate the biblical God into Igbo, which entangled the two theologies. In odinani, Chukwu belongs to a cosmology of its own: he creates by delegation, acts through the alusi and each person's chi, and does not divide the world between absolute good and evil.
What was the oracle of Chukwu at Arochukwu?
Ibini Ukpabi, the oracle of Arochukwu, was presented by the Aro merchants as the very voice of Chukwu: people came from all over Igboland to have their disputes settled there. The British, who called it the Long Juju, destroyed it in the expedition of 1901–1902. Elizabeth Isichei describes its considerable role in the commerce and religion of the region.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Elizabeth Isichei, A History of the Igbo People (1976)
- Arthur Glyn Leonard, The Lower Niger and Its Tribes (1906)
- Chinwe Achebe, The World of the Ogbanje (1986)
- Northcote W. Thomas, Anthropological Report on the Ibo-Speaking Peoples of Nigeria (1913)