Aboatulu Kindred Enugwu Ukwu women champion Agriculture, task modern wives on culture preservation

Enugwu-Ukwu (Anambra) April 10, 2018, 2018 The women of Aboatulu kindred in Avomimi  village Enugwu- Ukwu ,Njikoka Local Government Area has called on present women in the locality to hold fast unto tradition and culture of the kindred

Mrs Bridget Mkpume  one of the oldest women of   Aboatulu  kindred  present at the Akwu Oha harvesting  exercise on Tuesday made the call .

She said  that  the present wives of the Aboatulu kindred should   respect the culture and tradition of the kinsmen  which mandates the women to go to their common farm land to harvest their palm fruits or  firewood .

She said that the common farm land   was given to the women by  their husbands over 100  years ago ,it was a tradition of the forefathers to  unite their wives and make them very industrious  in a common front through farming.

Mkpume said that the modern  wives appears not to value the spirit of one common farm land given to the kindred wives of Aboatulu as they finds it difficult coming out in a group to farm or harvest any produce of the farm.

“ The young wives do not truly appreciate these culture and tradition they have preserved over years from their senior  co- wives who handed the tradition to them over 100 years  now.

“ Modernity  has really reaped the values , cultures and tradition of our kindred , we are truly appealing to young wives of the great Aboatulu kindred not to allow this great channel of unity to erode away because of foreign ideology .

According to Mrs  Ifeoma Anagor , a retired teacher in the kindred said that the  common  farm land  was unanimously set part by the men of the kindred   for their  wives to cultivate cash crops in order to ensure  provisions of home needs .

She said that the Ogbo enmee (common large farm land of Aboatulu kindred ) was owned by their  husbands  fathers   and they gave it to the women as an economic empowerment so as to keep the entrepreneurial  skills of the women a life.

Collaborating  Mkpume and Anagor’s  claims over  common farmland use among the women of the kindred  Mrs Regina Okafor    said that the gift had yielded mush desired results among the women of the Aboatulu kindred.

She said that  with the economic tree like the palm fruits,  trees of firewood and other subsistence farming exercises carried out in the common farm land  that the women of all ages had trained out graet children among whom are Doctors, lawyers, teachers, bankers, pharmacist  Agriculturist ,business men amongst others.

Okafor said that  the family would not lack food in the house as it was expected that the wives would sell their farm produce to get cash in exchange and put food on the table for their individual  families .

“ We do not need to wait for our husbands to feed the family since they have given the farmland to us we have to farm and harvest the palm fruits as well  and keep the family going “ she said

Mrs  Benedette  Okafor  former vice president of the union said that about 1972 when she was married into the kindred that the women  comes into the farmland  very  earl about 6am to harvest the palm fruits on an appointed date afterwards they can farm on any other farm crops .

 She said that the women has a rule guiding the farming exercise in the common farmland like time tag on when to come to farm and who ever errs would be asked to go back and wait for another day.

Okafor said that the women usually sings and dance their local dance steps as a way of appreciating their husbands  for giving them the acres of farmland to be of economic value to their individual families.

Mrs Amaka Mkpume a young wife said that she has been married into the kindred for over 12  years and that the common farmland has really helped her and others  in training their children and feeding their family as well.

She said that the men was wise to give the farm land to the women as they  had  tactful planned the stability of their homes .

According to her the women comes and pick the palm fruits on an agreed date after arranging with the palm fruits fellers on agreed amount and date when they will come and fell the ripe palm fruits .

Mrs Salome Emoka a member said that the akwu oha as was generally called has really united the women and created room for the women to be  truly home builders by keeping the family in shape without bordering  their men.

‘ We do the work by ourselves and ensure that our children feeds very well and go to school with their  peer groups while our husbands takes care of the capital home projects “ Emoka said.

Mrs Ngozi Imegwu the present financial secretary  of the women wing of Aboatulu kindred said that every women was expected to contribute for the services of the palm fruits fellers .

Imegwu said that modern jobs has made most of the women to be showing lassier fair in the culture and tradition handed over to current old wives as they hardly come out on an appointed dates  with excuse of going to  their  modern work.

Mrs Ngozi Anagor, the union Public Relations Officer a young wife of 29 years   said  that she operates a  hair  saloon and other petty trading in the community but keeps a date with the women any date they sets aside for the akwu oha because she enjoys the unity among the women .

 She said that  the benefits of having a fresh palm fruits and other farm produce  from the common farm land gives her hope of what to eat every day with her children as she sells her farm produce once out of the farm and keeps some for her home use.

According to her this farm land was noted more for the harvesting of the palm fruits  which was more than 500 trees inside the  common farmland .

She said that some young wives who are not coming was missing a lot and urged them to make oiyt time to join the kindred women in enjoying the large heart of their men.

Mrs Ngozi Mbachi the current present of the  Abaotulu kindred  women union joined the elders of the union to call on the young wives to ensure that the handed culture and tradition of the women in sustaining  the legacy of Akwu Oha  and farming in the common farm land do not erode under their watch

She said that their husbands fathers and fore father had a fore sight and vision of keeping a channel of unity among their wives  and sons wives knowing the importance of peace ,unity  and economic empowerment   

Confirming the women claims on the farmland being given to them by their husbands Mr Augustine Agu  confirmed that their grand fathers gave the land to the mothers to farm and they in turn maintained the legacy .

According to him , their fore fathers was very wise in the sense that giving out the acres of  land to the women alone to farm had solved a lots of problems because the women especially those dwelling in the village are making good use of the land .

Agu said that the men comes around when there is any problem of any kind of molestation against the women in the farmland.

Mr Chiadikobi Mbachi one of the kindred said that the farmland  had really brought out  the skills in the women as virtually  most of them dwelling in the villages maintains the status quo only for a few of them who resides in the city.