Iria: Di rite of passage ceremony for woman inside Ijaw land for Rivers state

Iria womanhood ceremony na a big rite of passage for women for ijaw land for Nigeria.

Different Ijaw tribes dey celebrate dis rite of passage in different ways but e dey showcase di pride and value wey dey placed on women in Ijawland.

For Wakrike Kingdom wey dey made up of Okrika, Ogu/Bolo and Port Harcourt local Goment areas of Rivers state, na di responsibility of parents of young girls wey don reach 18 years to perform di Iria ceremony for dia daughters to tell di whole world say dia girl pikin don mature and she don reach di age to marry.

Chief Adokiye Ochemiebia Chuku, chairman Ogu divisional Council of chiefs/acting traditional head of Ogu kingdom explain to BBC Pidgin say di Iria ceremony dey showcase di rich cultural heritage of di Wakrike pipo.

"We value our daughters and dem dey very precious to us. So wen dem don come of age, her parents go do iria ceremony for her so dat prospective suitors go know say yes she don reach di age to marry and dem sef go come ask for her hand in marriage after di ceremony. With dis, we dey check underage marriage as girl wey never reach at least 18 years no dey participate for di ceremony.”

‘A girl must be a virgin to do Iria for Wakrike’

Di first requirement for a girl to do Iria ceremony for Wakrike nation na say she must be a virgin. She must be pesin wey never born pikin before.

Iria ceremony dey in different phases and di first na for di girl, dat is di iriabo, to enta fattening room for a period of time - some dey stay for as long as three to six months.

"Inside dis fattening room, di older women go teach her evritin she suppose know as a woman - how to take care of herself, how to take care of and manage her home, how to take care of her husband wen she marry, how to take care of pikin as well as all di traditional and cultural roles wey she dey expected to perform as a woman." na so Chief Adokiye Ochemiebia Chuku tok.

E add say, na period wen di family go take good care of di iriabo so she go look very good and attractive.

For Idaye Juliana Tamunomie, one of di iriabo wey participate for di Iria ceremony for Ogu community, Iria na sometin wey she don dey look forward to since she be small pikin and she tell her parents to do am for her wen di time reach.

"I love di culture and e don dey hungry me since. Na pride to me say I do iria as e dey bring respect and honour. Now, even among my mates for dis community, dem go dey respect me. Dem no go see me as small pikin again becos with dis one now, evribodi go know say I don mature, I don become a woman."

‘Iria na beautiful culture’

After di period for di fattening room wia dem go pet and take very good care of di iriabo, e get a day wen all di iriabos for di community go go take di ticket. Dis na di second stage of di ceremony.

On dis day, dem go dress di iriabo in di traditional wrapper with beautiful designs on her body and present her to di chiefs and di whole community for di town square.

She go come with her mother or a mother figure, accompanied by chiefs of di community and tell di pipo di family and compound she come from so dat dem go know her roots and background.

Dis as Chief Chuku explain, dey showcase di young girls wey don reach to marry to prospective men/families to see, after which dem go know di family and compound she come from wey dem go approach for marriage.

According to Chief Adokiye Ochemiebia Chuku, "di iriabo wen she come out, you go know say yes, a full Wakrike woman dey come out. Dem go rub her with turmeric wey we dey call 'ikiledi’ on her skin and ‘awo’ for her hair with beautiful traditional designs wey dem draw for her bodi wey dey show our cultural heritage as well as show di wealth of her family with di iconic symbols dem go draw on her body.

E say traditionally, di Wakrike iriabo dey come out barechested in di traditional ‘ogbo’ wrapper to come collect her ticket but with modernity, many families no like dia daughters to expose her body so dem dey allow dem to to modify dia appearance but dem must wear di traditional wrappers.

Di ticket collecting day be like a beauty pageant and a winner dey emerge wey go collect a carved wooden statue of iriabo and di winner go dey with di effigy for one year after which she go pass am to di next winner di following year.

Iria ceremony dey fetish?

Chief Adokiye Ochemiebia Chuku say notin dey fetish about di Iria ceremony but na a celebration of di cultural heritage of di ijaw pipo.

“Dis na our culture. We no dey do anytin different. Na values wey our father pass on to us and we get to uphold am. We no need di western world to define wetin be good or bad for us. if we no value am, anoda pesin no go value am for us.”

E also encourage oda young girls to uphold dia cultural heritage and do di iria ceremony of dia place so dat pipo for oda lands go see and appreciate dia culture di same way dem too go appreciate anoda pesin culture.

E add say, to do di Iria ceremony no dey compulsory but na for those wey dey willing to do am.