OFO
( Ofo Chukwu Staff of God)
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Speak to the Children of Israel, and take of every one of them a
rod by their kindreds, of all the princes of the tribes, twelve
rods, and write the name of every man upon his rod.”
Numbers
17:2
So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started
back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
Exodus
4:20
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Ofo
is an age-old symbol, the staff of God, which was in place even
before the time of Moses among Ndi Igbo (the Igbo Nation). As can
be seen from the above quoted passages in the Bible, both in Exodus
and Numbers, this symbol of Chi Ukwu’s power, this link between
Yah and Umu Chukwu (Yah’s children), this symbol of Truth
and Justice, was and continue to be an important link between, Chineke,
Chukwu Okike, Yah, Yah Nwe, Yah Nwe Uwa, Ama Ama Amasi Amasi, and
Umu Chukwu (Yah's Children).
Ofo
is the central symbol of Igbo spirituality. It is a sacred staff
of authority, and an emblem symbolizing the links between Chukwu
Okike (the Creator of all) and man, the dead and the living, the
living and the unborn.
Ofo symbolizes justice, righteousness, and truth. It plays
many important roles in the social, political, and spiritual life
of the Igbo. No serious rite of ceremony can be performed without
Ofo.
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