Umu-Ada (Ama’oma-Ada) women institution in Igala and Igbo Nsukka communities: a comparative socio-cultural analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT While many studies have been devoted to interrogating the political history of the centralized Igala society and the enormous influence of the Atta and Achadu institutions on the Igbo polity and economy, little scholarly attention has been paid to analyzing, in reverse order, the influence of Igbo culture on the Igala society. Despite the precarious placement of women in traditional Igala-Igbo Nsukka borderland, the Umu-ada (women) institution represents one of the means through which women organize and assert power while promoting collective peace, security, development and socio-cultural transformation. We argue that the diffusion and adaptation of Umuada heritage in this region is traceable to geography, the influence of inter-ethnic marriage, trade, burial and funeral rites. The similarities and differences in organization and impact of this women institution in both Igbo Nsukka and Igala communities are appraised to show the preponderance of cultural dispersals in contemporary Nigeria. This paper relied on the use of both primary and secondary data. Primary data was obtained through oral interviews with aged Umuada (women) members of Igbo Nsukka-Igala communities including men. Oral data were intermeshed with secondary literature, especially published books and journal articles. The collected data were qualitatively analyzed using the cultural diffusion theory.