Socio-Religious Imperatives in a Name: Traditional Religious Perspective of the Igbo of Nigeria, West Africa
Publication Date: 21/08/2020
Author(s): Chukwuma Emeka Godson (Ph.D), Eze Okorie Igodo (Ph.D).
Volume/Issue: Volume 2 , Issue 1 (2020)
Abstract:
A name is not just a label but an instrument for identification, communication and expression. Beyond these, it is a religious instrument, among the Igbo people of South East Nigeria, meant for the enhancement, prediction and control of man’s life not just in the physical world but also in the world of the ancestors. In recent times, some people give their children foreign names that their meanings do not reflect the world views of the Igbo, but rather portend ills. World systems theory which posit that nations relate with each other in a hegemonic order according to the quantum of technology they have developed, thereby wielding controlling and dominating influence over others that are not equally endowed for their own benefit. The paper used the method of discourse analysis to review names among the Igbo people of Nigeria, aimed at unraveling the categories of names, sources of names among the Igbo, symbolic nature of names and characteristics of symbols, expressed in Igbo names. The paper revealed that Igbo names are not just tags or convenient identification badges but rather repositories of historical archives, semantically condensed with meanings expressive of the peoples hopes, aspirations, promise, threat, praise, reviles, satires, sympathies and prayers, imbued with their world view that is religious. It recommended that foreign names that may sound sweet to the ear but means little or nothing to the people should be discarded for the rich meaning laden Igbo names.
