In the Language of the Gods An Exploration of the Ancestral Spirit Manifest (Masquerade) Chant among the Idoma in Nigeria

Abstract

Worship and religious expressions are fundamental characteristics of the way of life of a traditional Idoma person. Music not only expresses but records and reinforces the spiritual life of the Idoma individual and community (Idamoy-ibo, 2011:23). This is not peculiar to the Idoma, but an established feature that has been identified with most African traditional cultures generally (Kidula, 2008:20). For example, Nnamani (2014:308) reports that the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria believe music possesses extraordinary powers that could be for “achieving power of control, for supplications and for spiritual upliftment.” Similarly, Flandreau (2016:2) observed that ethnomusicological and anthropological researches have revealed that spirituality, music, and dance are inseparable among Africans generally. In particular, the ritual music performance of funeral chants, which call on agents in the Idoma ancestral world, provide a transition between worlds. Waterman (2019:63) suggests that music in the liminal space and phase of rituals enhances transformation and serves the purpose of psychological transformation. This aspect of Idoma culture has enjoyed only very scant research and investigation, perhaps due to the difficulty of collecting material. We hope to remedy that situation somewhat in this study.