The Ohafia War Dance known as Ikpirikpi ogu in igbo, is a popular war dance performed by Ohafia people of Abia State in Nigeria. The dance is performed by a group of muscular men in commemoration of their strength in fighting and winning wars in the past.
According to history, the ancestors of Ohafia were renowned to be mighty men of war who were always on the lookout for wars to take part in. The warriors mime the cutting off of the human head while dancing to the music.
Eventually, they turned into something like mercenaries and the Arochukwu people, who were taking slaves all around the Igbo region, soon learned how to take advantage of this spirit to meet their own interests.
Since those times, the Ohafia people have been proud of being part of a line of mighty warriors and have kept it as part of their spiritual and cultural heritage.
In accordance with the Ohafia war dance history, these warriors started the tradition of iri agha, beheading their fallen enemies. From a usual war event, this process turned into a performance that was called to show the might and prowess of Ohafia people.
Human skulls taken during wars were kept as souvenirs and as a proof of their courage and honor. Only those who had a human head to bring home from another battle could wear eagle feathers that were a sign of courage and might.
The war dance is meant to celebrate some war achievements, be it individual victories over some enemies or the victory of the entire army.
The group of dancers is headed by a leader who has a basket with human skulls. This basket is traditionally called oyaya. It shows how many skulls the warriors have gathered owing to their prowess and smartness.
He also carries a small cutlass and a palm shoot. In the meanwhile, men who accompany him, pretend to be cutting human heads.
The performance was done along with Igbo traditional music played with the akwatankwa.
However this dance currently has turned to Ohafia War Dance Festival. The traditional Ohafia dance with the mimicked beheading of their enemies has already become a popular Igbo cultural dance rather than an everyday warriors’ routine.
