OGBANJE: The Myth Behind Reincarnation

By Joy Chinecherem

Remember the article on reincarnation, there is a certain twist in the path of reincarnation, infiltration of evil spirits called Ogbanjes.

The Igbo afterlife path is one full of mysteries, rituals, and ceremonies likewise spirits lurking around. 

Ogbanje is a reincarnating evil spirit that only serves to torment a family and brings grief. The literal translation in the Igbo language is “children who come and go”, it is believed that they die within a certain range of time, usually before puberty. These children deliberately die only to come back again, repeating it as a cycle becoming a source of misfortune to the family.

The ogbanje spirit is sometimes believed to be punishment by the gods sent to families who are in the erring. In the times of female circumcision, it is believed that women who were not circumcised at birth have chances of giving birth to Ogbanje. It is believed that when a lady is uncircumcised, it leaves them open to sexual intercourse with spirit husbands which will only yield a spirit child. Otherwise, Ogbanje is a malevolent spirit that preys on families, unusually very beautiful.

ILO UWA/INO UWA – Igbo Afterlife

These evil children bring so much pain to the family that they go all out to find a way to end it. The pain of multiple childbirth and death can push you to the edge, some of the parents cut or mutilate their dead bodies in order to mark them when next they return. Parents who have witnessed this evil spirit time and time again, consult traditional priests called Dibia Ogbanje to find their IYI-UWA once they have a child again, still growing. 

An Iyi-uwa is an object that binds the spirit of a dead child (known as ogbanje) to the world and also serves as a marker to return to the exact family, causing it to return and be born again to the same mother.

Many objects can serve the purpose of iyi-uwa, including stones, dolls, hair, or pieces of the dead child’s clothes, omens, or offerings. The iyi-uwa must be found and destroyed in order for the ogbanje to rest and stop haunting the mother. To find the object, the dibia questions the spirit and performs rituals to force it to reveal where the iyi-uwa is located. In the renowned novel by Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, he vividly described a scenario that happens during the iyi-uwa hunt where Ezimma was asked to point out where she buried her iyi-uwa, she lead them round the compound before finally pointing it out. The dibia dug it out then destroyed it. That scenario depicts a typical iyi-uwa hunt in Igbo land. 

With the advent of civilization, the theory of Ogbanje was challenged with the science-based beliefs that these children might be suffering from the SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA. Although we live in modern times and always want to have logical explanations for everything, what about those children who come back still with the exact mark from their mutilated body? What about the iyi-uwa? these are valid questions we should ask ourselves. Do you believe in Ogbanje?