Nkwa Nwaite
The name of the dance we are showing today is called 'Original Nkwa nwaite dancing group native to Afikpo, Afikpo North Local Government Area.
This dance, Original Nkwa Nwaite dancing group, started in 1953 with women who cherish each other and came together to form the group.
Ahh, if any of sisters is hosting any ceremony
If any of the sisters’ friends are hosting an event, they will pay their respect by honoring her invitation, sing and dance as well as join her in escorting her daughter to the husband's house.
This is what they do for themselves.
If a person of affluence is visiting Afikpo and requires to be entertained,
They leave after dancing to make the visitors happy
In the beginning,it was started for the sole purpose of escorting a new bride to the husband’s house as demanded by tradition,
The women belonging to the group are usually gathered to dance anytime a bride is to be escorted home.
After dance performance and other rites, the bride is then escorted home.
During the time a bride is to be escorted home, the group comes together to prepare her for her journey.
The group brings the bride out after getting her ready.
The bride’s face is only seen when inside her mother's house.
Her face will not be seen again once she leaves her mother's house.
She is surrounded and covered by the women.
The bride is also surrounded by her friends with branches of scent leaf in their hands.
Her fellow young woman who serves the role of a bridesmaid covers her with the scent leaf after dressing her.
She is dressed like a dancer of the ụmụ agbọghọ dance, in Jigida with a piece of wrapper tied to her chest.
That is our dressing.
Although she is out in public, she will not be seen by anyone.
No matter how onlookers try, she is not seen until she arrives at the husband’s house.
Her escorts walk her from her mother's house to her husband’s house.
The women clear from her on arrival at the husband’s house.
This is when she is then seen.
Her husband then embraces her before her escort and takes her in.
The work of the women is done at this stage.
Her escort can decide to leave after being served a meal
Men are not allowed to participate as they have their own rites.
At that time, they are busy with their own engagement.
The activity of the men is only known by them.
The men drink and eat while the women engage in their own work
These are the instruments for the Nkwa Nwaite dance.
This one is called pot, and it is beaten when dancing to nkwa nwaite, the ancient type.
It is beaten with the hand.
It still brings out good sound but this is a modern one.
It is called ‘ite’, in igbo language which is pot in English
It brings echo sound as well.
The next one is
The bamboo, we use three of them which produces different sounds.
You can hear this sound, you can hear Then another one is this
That is the three bamboo we have. We have three of them which produces different sounds
This is called ‘’Ekpele’’ in Afikpo dialect which is called ‘’achara’’ in other dialects.
We call it bamboo.
I don't know what others call it. Achara which is Bamboo. It is called Achara.
That is where it's got from and placed on a stone when playing it.
A special kind of stone is used as a support in drumming the bamboo.
So, this is a special stone. You will not get the desired sound if not used.
This is our mascara
Mascara…it is called ‘’Ahịa’’. in my language.
It is covered with beads.
The inside is made of Calabash and covered with beads.
We call this thing in my language, Ofú. We call this one Ahịa, that's the name we give it Ahịa
We use this bottle to support the mascara, this is the sound it gives.
So these instruments, that you are seeing here, in beating them, the two combine to give us the sound we need for dancing Nkwa Nwaite.