An Iyi-uwa is an object from

Igbo mythology Odinani, also known as Odinala, Omenala, Odinana, and Omenana (), is the traditional cultural belief and practice of the Igbo people of south east and Igbo people of south south Nigeria.Afulezy, Juj"On Odinani, the Igbo Religion", ''Niger Del ...

that binds the spirit of a dead child (known as ogbanje) to the world, causing it to return and be born again to the same mother. Many objects can serve the purpose of iyi-uwa, including stones, dolls, hair or pieces of the dead child's clothes,

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...

s, or offerings. The iyi-uwa must be found and destroyed in order for the ogbanje to rest and stop haunting the mother. To find the object,

shamans Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of th ...

known as 'dibia' question the spirit and perform rituals to force it to reveal where the iyi-uwa is located. The novel ''

Things Fall Apart ''Things Fall Apart'' is a 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. It is Achebe's debut novel and was written when he was working at the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation. The novel was first published in London by Heinemann (publisher), ...

'' by Nigerian author

Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; born Albert Chinụalụmọgụ Achebe; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as a central figure of modern African literature. His first novel ''Things Fall Apart'' ( ...

contains a detailed subplot involving an ogbanje child and her iyi-uwa.''Things Fall Apart'' by Chinua Achebe

References

Igbo religion {{reli-stub