supreme being
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
Igbo people
The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'',
*
*
* ''Eboans'', ''Heebo'';
natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...
believe that all things come from Chukwu, who brings the rain necessary for plants to grow and controls everything on
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...
and the spiritual world. They believe Chukwu to be an undefinable
omnipotent
Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as on ...
and omnipresent supreme deity that encompasses everything in
space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually con ...
and space itself.
Linguistic studies suggest that the name "Chukwu" is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
Conception of Chukwu
According to the Igbo people, who are the majority in the southeastern region of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...
today, Chineke is the creator of the
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. A ...
and everything good in it along with
rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
,
trees
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
, and other plants. Chukwu is a supreme deity represented by the sun. The ancient deity is not humanized in Igbo tradition belief.
Many Igbo
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
refer to the Christian God as Chukwu. Chukwu (Chu-kwu) is similar to "The Most High" and "The Almighty" instead of a name like "
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
" which is of Germanic origin, usually referring to an idol in the
pre-Christian
Pre-Christian may refer to:
*Before Christianization (the spread of Christianity):
**Historical polytheism (the worship of or belief in multiple deities)
**Historical paganism (denoting various non-Abrahamic religions)
*Before Christ (BC), the era ...
era. The Igbo believe it is impossible for humans to conceive of the unlimited greatness of Chukwu. Many Igbo dialects refer to The Almighty by titles such as "Chukwu" (Chi Ukwu), "Chineke" (Chi Na Eke), "Chukwu Okike" (Chi Ukwu Okike), "Chiokike" (Chi Okike), "Chuku" (Chi Uku), "Ebili Ukpabi" (Ebili nu Ukpabi), and "Obasi" (Obi Alusi).
There are six aspects of Chukwu:
# Chukwu – the first force and existence of all beings.
# Anyanwu – the symbolic meaning of the sun. The sun reveals everything so Chukwu is the source of knowledge and the author of all knowledge.
# Ala – the fertility of Earth, its people, and its spiritual world full of sub-deities.
# Amadioha – the bringer of justice, love, peace, and unity, and the creator of humankind.
# Chi – a sub-deity functioning as a personal, spiritual guide.
# Okike – creator of laws that govern the visible and invisible.ekwenche.org/spirituality.html
Igbo culture
Igbo culture () are the customs, practices and traditions of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic ...