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.
Aboatulu Kindred Enugwu Ukwu women champion Agriculture, task modern wives on culture preservation
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, May 12, 2018
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