Alaezi is a beautiful name some Arochukwu parents like to give to any of their beloved daughters to signify that such a daughter is very special to the family and the compound where she is born into as she is deemed to be a true daughter of the land. In the olden days, such daughters are not usually given out in marriage to anyhow man or to a non Aro man. They are reserved to be married to a responsible and respected Aro family; Aro marriage is seen more or less on the face of the families involved than of the couple in question. You can’t treat Alaezi (a special daughter of a family of a particular compound) anyhow. You must treat her with respect, love and care. Alaezi is a sacred name associated with the goddess of an Aro traditional compound.
Alaezi is a name so much revered in Aro kingdom. It is in fact a name of an Aro traditional female deity, a goddess of fertility and productivity that is found in every traditional compound in each of the Arochukwu nineteen (19) villages. Not every compound has Alaezi. Only a traditional compound with Inyama Avia has Aleazi.
Adido (or Oha tree) is the principal spiritual tree of Alaezi deity. Ogirisi tree is most often planted to back up the Adido Alaezi. Both trees are planted at the site of Alaezi deity to indicate how spiritually significant the deity is to the entire compound.
Alaezi deity is deemed very special because of the spiritual fertility and productivity powers it is believed to possess over the land it is founded. Productivity of the land refers also to profitability in every effort the owners of the land make in life to survive.
Ogirisi tree is very popular for some special spiritual powers it is said to possess. The tree is usually found almost around many shrines that house different deities in Arochukwu and in some other Igbo land. The leaves are used to ward off evil spirits.
The “Adido or Oha tree planted at Alaezi deity site is the main traditional symbol of any Alaezi deity. The tree usually grow succulent leaves used as vegetables in cooking special “achi or akparata”soup; and often the Adido soup is prepared with some tiny balls of well ground melon seeds (Akpuru akpu elili or egusi) to produce an Aro special delicacy in a soup form.
Whenever the leaves of the Adido Alaezi trees are harvested, they are shared among some old women within the compound. The leaves from the Adido Alaezi deity trees can never be harvested for sale. They are meant to be used by some women, within the compound where the Alaezi deity is located, to cook good soup for food. However anybody, within or outside the compound, may eat the soup when served for food. Sharing and eating of the Adido Alaezi deity vegetables is believed to aid fertility of women and productivity of the people.
Alaezi deity was essentially a deity managed and supervised by older women of a traditional compound. The deity used be popular, revered and worshiped in the olden days days by women of every traditional compound in Arochukwu kingdom before Christianity came. Whenever a new baby was born into any family of a traditional compound, that baby would within eight days be laid on the ground of Alaezi deity before he or she would be taken outside to the village square. This practice had been totally discarded over several decades ago.
The location of Alaezi deity in any traditional compound is usually conspicuous. The deity is usually situated at about the center of the compound, but most often very close to the compound’s Awada where the compound’s gods of trades and commerce (Inyama Avia) of every family of the compound reside.
We used to notice the closeness in dwelling relationships of the goddess of the compound (Alaezi) with the god of trade and commerce (Inyama Avia) of every Aro traditional compound in the historic past. The gods of trade and commerce (Inyama Avia) are represented by the individual families’ Ovor symbols in tied stripes. These are believed to jointly possess some spiritual powers to protect and prosper the lives and businesses of the compound people, whether they are engaged in farming, trading and traveling for commercial or spiritual expeditions for abundance in harvests and profitability in business.
Inyama Avia is usually housed in every traditional compound’s Awada (a hall of their compound shrines). Both Inyama Avia or Awada and Alaezi are part of main deities found only in typical Arochukwu traditional compounds. A typical Aro traditional compound is one that has an “Onu Mkpu”, a special spiritual gateway (an entrance) to the compound where traditional Okpete and Ogirisi leaves are usually led or spread during every Ikeji season to symbolize an entry into a holy compound of the ancestors of the land. Those items are intended to ward off evil spirits and dangers as they offer protection to the people of the compound.
As already mentioned earlier, Alaezi is also a popular female name some Aro parents of typical traditional Arochukwu families love to give their daughters to affirm that she is a true daughter of the land. This name appears to be very special and unique to Arochukwu and Aro people everywhere. Ada nnem (my younger sister, our mother’s first daughter) was named Alaezi by my father; and she became so dear to our father till his death. We still call her Alaezi even though she now bears Mercy as her Christian name. She is Mrs Mercy Okoro Ezumah of Ujari Koko Obasi, a very senior Elder of the Presbyterian Church at Amanagwu parish. Because she is Alaezi of Ndi Ivi Ezike family of Asaga village, Arochukwu, she is very special and too dear to every member of our family far and near.
Every Aro person has a village and a traditional compound of their own. As an Aro, your traditional compound is located in your particular village; and that is where your family basic root is found. It is indeed your family basic root. We all have our respective traditional compound ground, which is called Ala-Ezi. And that’s where our historic Alaezi deity used to be.
Almost all the Alaezi deities in most Aro traditional compounds in all the Arochukwu villages in this modern time are dead. They do not exist again. And nobody revers and worships the deities anymore. But the name, “Alaezi”, still remains a very beautiful name Aro parents still admire and love to give to their beloved daughters who they cherish a lot.
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