I will start this discussion by stating that ndị dibịa in Igbo cultural beliefs and practices are not “native doctors”. Dibịa is beyond that English tag. In Igbo land, there exist different kinds of dibịa.
I will also want to clear the misconception that what you see in nollywood and the way shrine is being portrayed is a lie when it comes to the reality on ground.
In Igbo land, originally, Dibịa does not kill but heal, see visions, do anwansi, gbaa afa. This brings us to the different kinds of dibịa in Igbo land.
The functions of dibịa afa include asking questions to know what the spirit world is saying. To inquire from the ancestors what could be the problem of a man. They find solutions to problems. Any dibịa afa who ate his onions would be visited by all kinds of people from different parts of the earth because of his expertise.
They don’t kill.
Ọhụụ is vision. The work of this dibịa is to see visions. They can tell you immediately you meet them the cause of your problem and what might happen to you if you don’t do this or that. They don’t kill.
He is more of a magician. He performs different signs and wonders. This kind of dibịa in the olden days prepared charms for warriors or village wrestlers to win their opponents. They have a great power to perform signs. They are magicians.
Not every dibịa can heal an ọgbanje and makes him or her show him where iyi ụwa is hidden. There are dibịas who are trained in this regard. It is their area of expertise. No matter how hard and difficult ọnabuluwa or ọgbanje mmiri is, this dibịa knows how to liberate an ọgbanje from dying again.
They don’t kill. They heal.
This kind of dibịa can be said to be a herbalist but this is greater than the name—herbalist. First of all, through afa and other divinations, they look into what your problem is, the origin of your illness, they will trace it and heal you accordingly.
If it’s madness, they will check why such one is mad. Is it a lineage issue? Is it a curse placed on the family? When they discovered this, they will use herbs and roots to cure such ones. Everything they use in healing one is natural.
Anywhere abomination is committed, this kind of dibịa is sent to kpụọ arụ. Ịkpụ arụ means to clean an unclean person (cleansing). One might commit an abomination by sleeping with his father’s wife, sleeping with his or her sibling, killing somebody unknowingly or cursing an old man. Such person mere arụ. It is the function of dibịa arụ to clean such person and make him normal again in order to associate with others.
In Igbo land, those known for ịkpụ arụ are the Nri people. They go to different parts of Igbo land in the past to do cleansing.
Any kind of sacrifice is performed by dibịa aja. He is the one who would slaughter chicken, goat to perform sacrifices. He does not kill. His work is to do sacrifice and do atonement, pour libation for the land to be healed.
These are different kinds of dibịa in Igbo land. A dibịa can perform different roles. Their shrines were not as depicted by nollywood. Dibịa is not synonymous to killing and poisoning of one another.
Granted, some dibịa out of greed began to misuse their powers negatively. The greediness in them made them leave their roles to perform all kinds of dirty jobs such as preparing charms to kill somebody or causing accident to one. These became strange. In the past, Igbo cannot see the blood of his brother. It is an abomination to kill.
Frankly speaking, killing was never the intent of Igbo dibịa. Igbo dibịa are not helping one to make money unto ọgwụ ego as nollywood depicts. Dibịa na-agwọ otoro o kowere ike ya n’elu? If a dibịa can make you rich why is he not rich?
Some Igbo dibịa have gone to other places outside Igbo land to get charms and act badly but that was never the purpose of institutionalization of dibịa.
Of course there is dynamism in everything—culture, belief, etc. That is why we see what we see today.
When you hear dibịa, do not take your mind to the description of nollywood. Dibịa is not evil. Some are evil base on the narrative of this article.
© Maazị Ogbonnaya Okoro
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Dalụ mazi. Odora m anya ugbua
Chukwu gozie gi maazi
“Some Igbo dibịa have gone to other places outside Igbo land to get charms and act badly but that was never the purpose of institutionalization of dibịa.”
In a bid to clean your house, you throw the dirts in your neighbor yard. Igbo dibia are holy, dibia of other ethnicities are evil.
Nonsense!!
Maazi ogbonnaya Okoro.
imeela,amutara ihe .ndewo
This is awesome, I love it mazii, in no distance time the lost truths will be recovered…. Bravoo
This is very true. No dibia except the ones that have twisted mind kills. They avoid human blood. That’s why a woman in flow can not go close to the arusi or secred areas. Because she has the scent of human blood at that time.
Even white garment churches don’t allow women in flow into their churches.
You made a nice point nwanne
As your explaining about dibia, the hidden history about Jesus Christ, his real tribe and real story will be told
Great piece Maazi Ogbonnaya! Please be mindful of your choice of colour. The heading of this beautiful piece is blurred by the background. I couldn’t read it.
You’re doing well. Keep it up 👍
Great exposition as usual Maazi. Thanks for countering the negative stories portrayed by Nollywood about our culture
Thanks for this lecture
Daalụ Mazi, very insightful 🙌🏽
Insightful. I was under the impression that the kinds of Dibia were more.
Maybe You Forget to Add, Dibia ogwu ego.
Dibia nsi naa aja. For that’s what is on board now bcos the nollywood maybe hv copy that from what they read.
ndewo mazi ndi Nollywood arokasila ihe niile
Daalụ nwanne
Nice insight; I’m glad this is written here, for easier access to folks who would someday seek this clarification.
Thank you, Maazi.
Great one, maazi!
Daalụ. A mụtara m ọtụtụ ihe site na ịgụ ihe odide a.
I can testify of this. My daddy uses herbal means to cure what orthodox medicine cannot cure. But before accepting to heal the person, he would consult his Oracle to ascertain the cause of the person problem and to seek guidance on how to heal the person. One day, a child that has serious convulsions was brought to him, he went to consult with the Oracle, I followed him because I’ve always wanted to know how he knew the things that he knew. After throwing up four pieces of kola on the ground, he made some interpretation and deductions from the alignment of the kola. He told me they and then that he won’t be able to heal the child. We came out and he informed the parents of the child to take him to another place. When they left, he told my mum, in a pitiful kind of tone that the child will not survive the illness. Few days later message came to him that the child passed.
I wanted him to teach me how to communicate with the Oracle but he insisted that I was still very young to understand the intricacies. Unfortunately my dad died when I was still very young. I was in primary two when he died. Maazi is hundred percent right in his research.
Odogwu a…
Nkọwa gị doro anya nwanne m.
Maazi you are making us proud and with you and other few of like mind our language culture and values has been preserved thank you for taking the route that many rejected, generations of umu-igbo will always remember you.
Odogwu Maazi, ibu agboro! Jisie ike na oru
Portraying our heritage as bad in Nollywood has made them money and tinted our identity.
This as detailed here is not a common knowledge let alone to be taught in schools.
Imela Maazị Ogbonnaya.
Daalu Mazi💪🏽🙏🏽
The user interface is so crisp. Great job
Daalu Mazi
Irucha highest on this site.
Imere nke Oma nwannam!
Beautiful