umu ada: THE COUNCIL

The Igbos are one of the three major tribes of Nigeria and comprise the largest group of people living in south-eastern region of the country. How a culture survives depends on its people’s capacity to learn and transmit it to succeeding generations. I hope to provide viewers with an understanding of who we are as a people and educate about this rich legacy and my country as a whole. 

The position of women in Igboland, the south-eastern part of Nigeria (West Africa), and within the Igbo traditions and customs as a whole has been a contentious subject and the issue of female power is viewed in terms of the “physical woman” or her seasonality, that is; in relation to her physical attributes or her age. Women greatly inspire my art and are at the core of it all. To me, women are society's vertebrae. I want my audience, whether male or female, to look my women and be able to identify with her story and the meaning behind her name. I want her to represent a message, a memory, a story or a prayer for the viewer.

One of my most recent exhibitions, held at the Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, was titled “Nwa Agbo: Entering Adolescence”. I would like to continue in this vein, drawing on elements of cultural awareness and heritage and bringing to the fore, the notion of the Umu Ada.

The ideology of Umu Ada was created by tradition during the pre-colonial era where women were held sacred and they participated in collective decision making on political, legal and social issues. Long before the colonial masters arrived in Africa, during and after colonialism, women had been a vital cog within the Igbo society. Their involvement and representation in this process was primarily done through the Umu Ada .The Umu Ada are defined as the powerful daughters in Igbo culture. Umu Ada means native daughters of a common male ancestors or “daughters of the soil’. Umu Ada is a collective term for all first daughters and is formed from two Igbo words: Umu and Ada. Umu is a generic plural word that conveys the sense of many. Ada is a name and means daughter. In generic usage, every Igbo woman is “Ada” and is recognized as such even in her matrimonial home. Umu Ada connotes therefore, many daughters in a social group in the same lineage. 

Across generations, Igbo women have held many institutes, such as the Christian Mothers group and Association of Market Women to name a few, all with the intention of representing and protecting women interests. However, the Umu Ada is quite different from these other groups. 

 The Umu Ada group remains one of the most organized and peaceful groups in Igboland. As individuals and groups, they engage in economic and cultural life of the people and safeguarded the village squares and places of religious worships. This is a group that is fully embracing of all daughters of Igbo land and its primordial interest is the peace and progress of Igbo families and homes. 

Such is their power of reconciliation that the Umu Adas are often recognized by community members as the first juncture to which any grievances should be directed prior to seeking resolution, if necessary, from the traditional ruling council.