THE SIGNIFICANCE OF KOLA NUT IN IZZI LAND – THE IZZI SOCIAL RITUALS

The Izzi people have used many   different kinds of rituals in many social settings, and many of  these rituals  include the use of the  kola nut . the nut grows from the kola tree and contains  more caffeine than a serving of tea  or coffee. It also contains a heart  stimulant, kolanin, that increases alertness and suppresses hunger Izzi warriors were often given the kola nut before they  went  into battle, it is  used in purification rituals as well as in sacrifices in which ancestors are meant to partake in it. Most  importantly,  however, the kola nut promotes  social interaction between members of the Izzi community. In social gatherings, including friends visits, marriage, child  dedication, burial, and in the case of no longer.  At  easy, homecomings,  different quantities of   nuts  are  presented according to custom.  Kola rites are divided   into four parts:  the presentation, the blessing, the  breaking, and t

he distribution. While Christianity  has spread throughout Nigeria in the  18^th and  19^th centuries   and Achebes novels indicate a decline in its importance, the kola nut has remained central to  the social practices of the Izzi people.

With  regard to no longer at ease,  the kola nut  represents the traditional ibo  values and practices  coming up against the  emerging Christianity. Upon  obis return home, and old man suggests that a kola  nut be broken obis father, a Christian, does not  wish to break it.  A compromise is  reached, and   the nut  is broken in a Christian fashion.

This  types of   compromise has become increasingly common  as Christianity has become more widespread, the  Izzi people continue to hold on to some  important traditional beliefs  while at the same  time accepting  some important elements of  Christianity. The traditional worship that most   Izzi people  practiced that centered around the kola nut in morning prayers and in social rituals is limited but they symbolic importance of the nut has not diminished. It is still very widely respected, and   the communion of the kola nut  is an important aspect of nearly every kind of   gathering. Prayers often accompany this communion,  signifying the spiritual nature of the nut.  The rituals  involving the kola nut serve to keep the Izzipeople  unified, allo3wing them  to hang on to elements of their  cultural past. The compromise depicted in no longer at ease is an acceptance of spiritual  differences that allows the Izzipeople to exist in  harmony even as  different religious view points emerge