THE USE OF KOLA NUT FOR VARIOUS FUNCTIONS

The  basic truth is  that the Izzi people use the kola nut to welcome   a guest and either establish or   reinforce their  interaction rate (Akpagu C  47). The oji-ugo, or white kola nut, is distinguished from other colored kola nuts as socially important  and is  considered a symbol of “luck, social distinction and potential prosperity”. Guests are presented with a kola nut as  symbol of  welcome, and especially welcome if they   receive a white kola nut, which can happen  on purpose or by accident. Kola nuts  are   important  for both formal and informal events.

The  most important  events in the Izzi community  are weddings, funerals, and title-acquisition.  At these occasions it is especially  important that the kola nut be presented first before anything else.  Informally,  the  kola nut is  simply  used as food because it is recognized as  thirst-quenching  and as an energy sustainer. But anytime a kola  nut is presented to people  who do not share the same residence, a formal   situation is created.  The nut is first presented  to the host who then presents tit to the next ranking male in his family. It is passed through male lineage and ranks and then presented to the guest  who in turn gives it to the host, but it almost  never passes through the hand of a woman 

After the presentation comes  prayer for life,  peace, and the downfall  of enemies. 

Next,  the host breaks the  kola nut into k its cotyledons and distributes it according to  seniority. The  host eats the fist piece to  show that it is not poisonous, dipping it into peppered gravy, as it is traditionally eaten for this ritual. Food   in general, is very important to the Izzipeople, an agricultural community living mostly at  the subsistence  level. Throughout the history of the Izzipeople, agriculture  was highly ritualized 

Many of these rituals were performed at  the   beginning of   farming and the beginning of harvesting . major   crops were believed to have a spirit force and were panted in patterns along gender  lines. Yams  were planted and harvested by man,  while  cocoyam’s were  planted and harvested by women.  Other corps were cultivated along  gender lines as well, with women generally associated with what were considered inferior.

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