have argued that Chi is in the extremities of the
physical body and has no materiality. You cannot
see it; you can only see its evidence. Indeed, the
Chi is the nonmaterial aspect of the person, which
is different from the material aspects that a person
inherits from the mother and father. One can say
that it is invisible or hidden, yet the evidence of its
existence is real.
Of course, this means that one is able to have a
specific identity because of this material inheri-
tance, which marks one as distinctive. The Chi
gives people features and forces, however, over
which they have no control whatsoever. The Igbo
believe that what makes one person different from
another is choice. Alongside choice is behavior;
therefore, a person must go through the process of
reasoning, decision making, and behaving to be a
complete human being distinctive from another
human being. Thus, the idea of choice is at the
center of distinguishing features between one
human and another.
Chi and the IndividualHowever, in the reincarnated ancestor, the com-
plete cycle is more completely revealed. One has
to follow the Igbo philosophical reasoning to see
how this concept figures in the person. In the first
place, the idea of reincarnation in the Western
sense is called properly in Igbo,ilo uwa, meaning
“returning again to the world.” Among the Igbo,
it is believed that this process occurs when a new
baby comes into the world. This infant is not a
duplicate of a deceased person, nor is this child
the deceased coming back in material form.
Rather, the Igbo say that the child is unique. It is
through the umbilical cord that the ancestral traits
are transmitted, and consequently the umbilical
cord must be ritually buried within the boundaries
of family land.
It is impossible to overstate the relationship of
the child to those who have gone before. In fact,
the very existence of the child is dependent on the
ancestors, and the Chi is the energy, the force, the
feature, the “soul” of the person in the sense that
the person is a direct link to the past. One cannot
escape his or her Chi. It is what creates difference,
but it is also what people have in common with
each other. Among the Igbo, the idea of this aspect
of the great Chukwu is understood as being a part
of what makes people human.
The Igbo also believe that the Chi has a definite
role in one’s life chances and possibilities. Each
person receives a personal providential Chi from
Chukwu that governs the overall life of a person
until death. Upon the death of the person, this Chi
returns to the Almighty Chukwu from whence it
had come. This personal Chi may be energy for
good or evil. Inasmuch as one’s ancestors con-
stantly watch over Earthly matters, the idea is to
demonstrate appreciation and reverence for the
ancestors by praying to them for future happiness.
You cannot speak badly of your Chi, nor can you
say evil about your ancestors. This is a large taboo
that requires much sacrifice.
Those ancestors whose lives are models of
decency, reverence, and respect for their ancestors,
and whose deaths are socially approved, live
among the world of the dead, which is a mirror of
the world of the living. In some senses, this harks
back to the ancient African concept in the Nile
Valley, where the idea of the land of the deceased
mirroring the land of the living was an authentic
piece of the common philosophy of the day. It is
the same with the Igbo people. Those ancestors,
who lived so well and died so well, are periodi-
cally reincarnated and given the title “ndichie,”
meaning the “returners.” In this way, Chi contin-
ues forever and is never completed; the Chi is like
Chukwu, its ultimate source, always present.Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoKa; NkwaFurther Readings
Asante, M. K., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear Masters:
An Introduction to African Religion. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield.
Oranekwu, G. (2000).The Significant Role of Initiation
in the Traditional Igbo Culture and Religion Toyin
Falola,Culture and Customs of Nigeria. Westport,
CT: Greenwood Press.CHILDREN
In African religion, children are of primary
importance. Indeed, children fulfill two signifi-
cant roles. First, they remember and honor theirChildren 161