“ARHIALUSI” – COSMIC JUSTICE IN THE SOCIAL ETHICAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE IULEHA PEOPLE OF EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The belief in a primordial cosmic justice - arhialusi is a present day reality in Iuleha (Edo) traditional moral psyche. This belief holds that humans play active roles in shaping their lots in life. It connects a persons present woes to moral wrong(s) of his previous existence. It is the concern of this paper to take a phenomenological exploration of this belief in arhialusi emphasizing it social implication among the Iuleha people. The methodology adopted is qualitative, phenomenological and historical. Data were obtained mainly through in-depth interview and non-participatory observation methods. The paper discovered that arhialusi is a cosmic law of retributive justice which seems like the Iuleha version of karma. It unveils also that this belief is anchored on Iuleha notion of the never-ending process of life hence, inextricably tied to their belief in reincarnation. It is the finding of this paper also that awareness of this cosmic law serves as regulatory mechanism for self and social control. This is because it showcases the result of immoral acts of a previous life as well as checkmates the evil conduct of individuals in the present world. The paper uses arhialusi not only to explore the African concept of causality but also to emphatically maintain that not all phenomena could be explained empirically. It thus posits that belief in arhialusi is one of the ways the Iuleha people (Africans) ascertain the ultimate cause of reality, checkmate vices and promotes virtuous conduct in their society.