Nsu is a community of nine villages located at Ehime Mbano L.G.A of Imo State. Orieagu market, located along the Umuahia/Owerri expressway is a major landmark and ushers the inhabitants and visitors into the villages of the community.
In the Igbo calendar,’ onwa asato'(8th month) is claimed by the ‘Ndi Nsu’ (Nsu people) as their month. They emphatically fondly refer to it as “onwa asato Nsu”.
The said 8th month happens to coincide with the later part of December in the English calendar.
Onwa asato is held by Ndi Nsu as a sacred month of supplication to God and cleansing of the environment, hence the ‘Ibuzo Festival’ is celebrated in the same period. The traditional ihuonwa (sighting the moon) is an ecstatic heralding, of the expected onwa asato.
Once onwa asato arrives, no death is announced and no burial is done.
Death during this period is considered a taboo, “onye ahu metere ihe onwa asato”.
To bury any person during this period is an anathema and a serious affront to the ‘Urashi’ Nsu. Traditionally, such never happens without consequences, some of which may be immediate, while others may be in the future, even to subsequent generations.
This therefore raises the presumption that an Nsu man does not die in onwa asato. This appears not to be a biological fact as humans are not in control of when death comes. The onwa asato period in fact coincides with extreme harmattan which makes most old people vulnerable.
The truth however is that a person can only die when his death is announced, otherwise he is presumed to be alive. This fact is general to the entire Igbo society, where before a death is announced certain cultural formalities must be done. So, the major issue here is the announcement of death and not the time of death.
An Nsu person,who is deeply rooted in culture and tradition cannot announce the death of any person during onwa asato. He also cannot do the burial of any person during onwa asato. Such is forbidden. Whatever else that is woven around it, is a mere myth.
Another myth of interest is that a Nsu person does not die in a motor accident.
Actually,it is very rare to hear of such death, but linking it to culture and tradition requires more explanation because motor vehicles are a modern invention that postdated Nsu culture and traditions.
Except, being a Nsu person, we are saying that our culture and tradition were anticipatory of modern development & technology. Possibly so.
The presence of an Nsu person in a motor vehicle you are traveling in, should give you comfort and some assurance of safety, by God’s grace.
Cheers 🥂
