Tuesday 21 January 2020

Basic Things to Known Before Marrying An Eleme First Daughter


Basic Things to Know Before Marrying an Eleme First Daughter

High Chief Ollorwi Osaro

Introduction

Are you in love with an Eleme First Daughter and planning to marry her? Then this is for you. Eleme First Daughters, a sect of Nigerian girls from the south-south parts of the country, are one of the most beautiful, intelligent and down-to-earth women in the world. Nevertheless, they have other unique quirks which impact their marriages considerably.

For those who have fallen in love with Eleme First Daughters  and are unaware of these other things that come with being eternally linked to them, Oku Osaro bãrã Osila Eleme, has put together this tips to help you understand your wife to be. Please keep in mind that these points are applicable to most Eleme First Daughters, but not all, like everything else, there are exceptions to the rule.

Culture and Tradition

Eleme First Daughters value their culture and tradition. This is because the tradition placed high premium on them. They are expected to be married out as virgins. They are also expected to perform certain rituals that culture placed on them such as Ɔwara Ekpáa Osila, Osí Echíi Osila, and Osí ƆkT Osila among others. They are proud to perform these rites during marriage as prove of their uniqueness, sanctity and discipline. Due to their birth order, the special rights attached to their position as firstborn daughters and what tradition demands of them, they are more expensive than other daughters of the family.

Value for Family

As family torchbearers, Eleme First Daughters have deep regard for family and so usually want to have members of their family around most of the time. Her relationship with her parents, siblings and even extended family is close knit and she will not compromise or cut them off in a hurry.

Any guy marrying an Eleme First Daughter has to keep in mind that their home will always be packed with family members gossiping, quarrelling, playing and laughing. Even if you decided to live far away from family, be rest assured that she will keep sending random things back home, will get home-sick a lot and so, will be in constant communication with her family.

Marriage and Eleme Language

Eleme daughters know how to marry but most of them are not proud of Eleme language and cannot speak the language to their children. Rather they are satisfied to speak English at any time. Even when they marry Eleme men, they do neglect the Eleme language for a foreign one.

When they marry outsiders, their children most usually speak English language first before learning that of their husband or any other language.

Unlike Igbo, Efik, or Yoruba girls to mention a few, who will speak their language to their children from day one irrespective of who or where they marry; Eleme girls will rather alienate their children from the unique Eleme traits and traditions even if they are married to Eleme men.

Care and Love

Eleme First Daughters are beautiful, intelligent and obedient, but most of all, they are very caring, hardworking and industrious.

They are generally strong women and while the husband plays the head of the home and brings home the bread, she most likely ends up being the foundation of the house: takes care of the kids, the budget, the food, the home generally. She will not hesitate to take up several jobs to support her husband and family, and she will still fulfil her wifely duty to keep everyone happy.

Religion

The people of Eleme are very religious people and their preferred religion is Christianity. Most Eleme First Daughters are brought up in strict religious homes and as such, they have the fear of God and the belief in His Supremacy instilled in them.

Even when they get emancipated from their parents, they still carry those values with them into their marriage and homes. Be prepared to go to church every Sunday, and observe religious holidays and church programmes once married to an Eleme First Daughter, they hardly compromise on this and they hardly convert to other religions.

Foods

The people of Eleme have a large variety of delicious dishes and their women are trained to know these recipes from an early age. They also have a love for their local meals and so they find it difficult to change their diet to food from other areas.
No doubt after marriage, especially if they are married to someone from another country or tribe, they can make the necessary compromise and eat other dishes, but be rest assures that they will not throw their home food completely away. They find ways to cajole their new family into accepting their local dishes and this is usually easy as Eleme meals are usually delicious and the girls are great cooks.

Soup

There are three types of soup with cultural values in Eleme of which Eleme First Daughter must in the course of your marriage introduce you to. These are Looloo Mbalo, Ebͻri Mbalo, and Ͻkwͻi Nsogũ. Each type of soup requires particular types of fish to go with, and they are meant for different occasions.
Do not mistaken Looloo Mbalo with the popular Pepper Soup. No! Looloo Mbalo is usually cooked with njijoii (snapper), nda (shynose), obui (catfish), ekoko (skate), ͻmεε (barracuda), and ekokoabura (shark) among other special ingredients. Looloo mbalo is mostly served with nja esaa (pounded yam). The yam is usually pounded into eyarayara nja esaa or ͻtãrã nja esaa and eaten with looloo mbalo. She must coach you on the technics of eating it the Eleme way. You have to learn how to mould the lumps, bore a hoe at the center, use it to fetch the soup and swallow it without the pounded yam scattering.
Ebͻri Mbalo is another Eleme soup thickened with adε-mkpͻͻ (cowpea). It is known generally as native soup and may be prepared with dried fish and/or meat along other necessary condiments.
Ͻkwͻi Nsogũ entails the preparation of enough fresh pumpkin leaves, boiled and carefully grinded in mortal. The ingredients include mgboro, esͻrͻ ͻbani, dried meat, and one of the following types of fish – nda, ekoko, obui, eboakpina or ekokoabura. This type of soup is preferred during rainy season when fresh pumpkin leaves are abundant.
Other popular indigenous Eleme soups include Mbalo Ɔkwɔi Nsogũ, I'oro Mbalo (spice with Etoo Akara or Esaa), Mbalo ƆgS, etc.
The ideal Eleme First Daughter who is married knows the temperament of her husband and selects the type of soup she offers him to sustain and promote his love and good health.

Conclusion

Eleme First Daughters make excellent wives. They are home builders and the pillar of their husbands’ success.
High Chief Ollorwi Osaro

NDÈLÉ




NDÈLÉ PROCESSION


NDÈLÉ

HIGH CHIEF OLLORWI OSARO

Introduction

Ndèlé is a customary provision that allows a woman to manifest her personal wealth by publicly transferring part to another woman for the purpose of conferment of the prestigious title of Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa with all the prominence which custom grants to such a person.  It is a deliberate action by a woman to enrich another. The Eleme Culture designed Ndèlé as a traditional means of Economic Empowerment and Wealth Transfer among the female folks.  In transferring wealth, Ndèlé has helped empower many couples and give autonomy and self-sufficiency to several families in Eleme. 

Purpose of Ndèlé

The established process of economic empowerment and wealth transfer known as Ndèlé has hitherto transformed the lives of many families. It is also an attainment for social recognition and status conferment among our female folks. Ndèlé ensures that the title of Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa cannot be assumed overnight without being formally confer with it, after due process and especially meeting the minimum requirements of Otora Ndèlé.
The benefactor, i.e., the woman performing the Otora Ndèlé must examine herself fit for the exercise and buoyant enough to meet all the requirements. She must carefully select the beneficiary, who in most cases will be her daughter, junior sister or niece.

Material for Otora Ndèlé

The list of material for Otora Ndèlé is endless as new and expensive things are introduced from time to time in line with changes. However, the following are prerequisite: Different Varieties of Yams, Cocoyams, Sugarcane, Beans, Pepper, salt, palm oil, Pumpkin, One Plantain Sucker, One Basin of Garri, Big Dried Fish (known as ete njira), and a female goat. Also to be included are various sizes of aluminium pots, plates, basins, axe, kettle, matchet, trunk boxes, bicycle, trinkets, gas cooker and cylinder, sewing machine, trays, tripods, cups, mortar and pestle, sieve, cutlery and so on.
When the materials for Otora Ndèlé are assumed to be complete, leading women in the community will be invited to inspect all the materials which will be laid out in a room. The women qualified to carry the materials are compound members, relations of the celebrant, members of her age-group and other female members of the community. That is, the more the materials, the more the number of women to carry them.  

Ndèlé Song

And apart from the bicycle which may be rolled along with the entourage, every single item will be carried by a woman on her head as they sing the Ndèlé song:
Ndèlé Etoo                                          Hey yaa hey
Ndèlé Esaa                                          Hey yaa hey
Ndèlé Ojaku (Ojakpo)                         Hey yaa hey
Ndèlé Onwie                                       Hey yaa hey
Ndèlé Njae                                          Hey yaa hey
Ndèlé Akpikpe                                     Hey yaa hey
Ndèlé Abã                                           Hey yaa hey

Ndèlé Day

Otora Ndèlé is usually performed on Ɔbɔ and it is never carried to a widow, spinster or a woman not currently married to a man.

Ndèlé Procession

Only a married first daughter who have acquired the Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa title leads the NDÈLÉ procession, first round their own community to announce their departure and then to the recipient community. One of the leaders will carry a heavy metal gong which she will sound monotonously as they walk along. This will continue until the entourage reaches their destination and is received by members of the age-group or friends of the husband to the recipient.

Reception Rites

Custom demands that both the recipient and her husband must hide themselves in nearby compound and remain there until they are sent for, while their friends will help the entourage to settle down. When the entourage has finally settled down, the friends of the couple will now help them to come and see the gift items which will be announced to them as they move from their hiding place to their own house.
In the spirit of welcoming the entourage all the necessary rites will be performed in the recipient’s house before they will begin their journey back home.

Conferment of Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa Title

The arrival of the entourage back home begins another round of celebrations by the celebrant who joyfully receives the entourage and praises them for safe delivery of all the items. After a period of singing, dancing and merriments, the leader of the Ogbo Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa of the community will formally announce the emergence of a new Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa and the celebrant in response will thank all present for honouring her by admitting her into the Ɛmɛrɛ Ɔwa Eleme Hall of Fame and wish them safe journey to their various houses.