Why we forbid female dogs— Rivers community raises alarm, reveals tradition to NYSC members

The people of Ekinobo in Apara Kingdom, Ikwerre ethnic nationality of Rivers State, have raised the alarm over the growing disregard for their customs, including a longstanding prohibition against keeping female dogs in the community.

The community, located in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, said urbanization, the influx of strangers and increasing Western influence had contributed to the erosion of its cultural heritage and traditional practices.

This came as the Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Eze Gift Eziwhuo Johnson, Eze Ohna Apara IV, and the Chiefs-in-Council hosted members of the Culture and Tourism Community Development Service (CDS) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to a cultural orientation programme on the customs, traditions and laws of the Apara people.

The corps members embarked on the visit as part of an initiative to familiarise themselves with the cultural values of their host communities, understand local traditions and avoid practices capable of offending indigenous sensibilities. The visit also provided an opportunity for the traditional institution to seek stronger collaboration with the NYSC in promoting mutual understanding, preserving cultural heritage and fostering peaceful relationships.

NYSC members visit

Speaking during the visit, the leader of the Culture and Tourism CDS group, Dominic Umoh, said the initiative was designed to expose corps members to the cultural values of their host communities and preserve such knowledge for future generations. He explained that understanding local customs was important because corps members could eventually establish personal and family relationships with people from their places of service. “We might get married to somebody from here, so there is a need for us to understand their culture. We are here to know the dos and don’ts of the Ikwerre people,” he said.

Lectures on Iwhuruoha, popularly known as Ikwerre, culture and traditions were delivered by Eze (Dr) Chibuike Wali, Darlington Wigwe, Prof. Nmecha Akani and Chief (Dr) Chinedu Amadi.

Commending the corps members, Eze Johnson, who spoke through the Palace Spokesman, Chief Chinedu Amadi, described the engagement as worthwhile and successful, noting that chiefs from different parts of Apara Kingdom attended to demonstrate their support. He said the corps members were educated on several traditional practices, including the prohibition against female dogs and traditional rites associated with deaths occurring on certain days, particularly a day locally known as Iriagbo.

“We were able to tell them certain things or certain cultures that are permissible in this part of the world. One of the lecturers said female dogs are not allowed in this place. There is also a particular day that if somebody dies, it is taboo. That day we call Iriagbo,” he said.

The monarch stressed that although cultures could be learned, inherited or acquired, people should not condemn the traditions of other ethnic groups or assume that their customs were superior. He, however, expressed concern that urbanisation and Western influences were undermining indigenous practices, citing the alleged disregard for community restrictions and the sale of ancestral lands and shrines as some of the challenges confronting the traditional institution.

Giving an instance, he said the community traditionally prohibited female dogs, but some strangers living within its territory continued to disregard the restriction. He explained that while the traditional ruler might have ordered the killing of such dogs in the past, modern realities required the community to report violations to law enforcement agencies instead.

“In the past, the King would order that it be killed. But in this modern society, you cannot order the killing of the female dog. Rather, you will report the matter to the law enforcement agency,” he said.

Eze Johnson regretted that indigenous customs were no longer adequately taught in schools and that oral histories were not properly documented, warning that younger generations risked losing valuable knowledge of their heritage. He also alleged that some residents and strangers disregarded traditional restrictions on days for giving daughters in marriage, sometimes arguing that they were not indigenes of the community.

The monarch said the traditional institution was making efforts to preserve Apara’s cultural identity despite the pressures of modernisation. “Everybody is now embracing the Western way of life. Nobody cares. Sometimes, you see some people selling ancestral land and shrines. This was not done in the past. God has been on our side. We are doing everything possible to ensure that our culture remains,” he said.