Abstract:
Generally, deities and spirits represent an important aspect of traditional religion in virtually all African societies. Although the names of these deities and spirits, their method and time of worship vary from society to society, their significance and relevance in traditional observances cut across all the cultural contexts of Africa. The names and worship patterns in any given African society are basically dictated by the culture of the given society. This paper therefore focuses on the deities and spirits, hierarchy and method of worship in the cultural context of Olido Elugwu-Ezike, in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, southeast Nigeria. Elugwu-Ezike, like any other traditional African society has no classical work or records about her religious practices. Therefore, the research relied mostly on oral interviews, direct observations, group discussions, and interactive sessions with elders and traditionalists for data collections, analysis and inferences. In adapting this approach, we were able to ascertain the names of these deities and spirits, their individual and collective roles, the hierarchical organization, as well as the worship methods as strictly adhered to by the practitioners.
