…And its compassionate goddess
In Adonte, an agrarian community in Aniocha South Local Government Area in Delta State, a supernatural and compassionate stream goddess lives
Sylvester Asoya
Iyi Nneoyi, a stream in Delta State is an absolute mystery and wonderment to behold. No one visits this extraordinary stream with its natural beauty and inviting ambiance without appreciating nature and its many wonders. But to comprehend Iyi Nneoyi, the visitor must first appreciate her timeless words that have survived hundreds of years. According to her, “I don’t seek my personal progress, advancement or fulfillment using what belongs to others”.
So, during the rainy season when streams, lakes, springs and even rivers leverage on the abundance of that period of the year to expand their coasts and territories, Iyi Nneoyi will not be at her peak. In fact, the rainy season is not her productive time based on her bizarre belief. But once the wet season finishes, she springs to life, sometimes overflowing its banks to prove herself during the dry season.
The import of Iyi Nneoyi’s ageless words: “I don’t seek my personal progress, advancement or fulfillment using what belongs to others”, lies in the fact that she abhors opportunism. Therefore, when there is water everywhere during the rainy season, she waits patiently for dry period so she can flourish on her own terms. In fact, she uses the dry season to make a point. For this stream goddess, the period is also a time to teach a wasteful and forgetful world, long-term lessons about conservation and the art of being true to oneself.
In Adonte, Iyi Nneoyi is respected and revered. She is a compassionate and unselfish river goddess who cares about humanity. Aside being a major source of portable water supply for the entire community and even beyond, many people, especially women and young people, converge daily on Iyi Nneoyi to wash their clothes and observe nature at its finest. But this river goddess is also very strict. Apart from the fact that no one, no matter how influential, touches the fishes in the stream because they are sacred, she also detests cassava and oil. Anyone who visits the stream with cassava or oil does so at his or her own risk. In addition, nobody urinates inside either at the bank or while swimming.
Catherine Olisadunkwu, a 70 year-old retired civil servant recalls her experiences with Iyi Nneoyi as a teenager many years ago. Olisadunkwu also reels out the dos and the don’ts of the goddess. She says that back in the day, “a woman who just gave birth cannot go to the stream until one month after. Similarly, a lady on her period or monthly circle was also not allowed to enter the stream because of issues around purity”. According to her, a child going to the stream for the first time would be given yam, cocoyam, native chalk, plantain and other gifts by the parents to deliver to the kindhearted goddess. Today, some of the rules have been relaxed because of the changing times. After all, children can now visit Iyi Nneoyi for the first time even without their parents’ consent.
Yet, the stream has not lost its mystic and power. Kingsley Nwankwo, a graduate of Mathematics/Economics and a youth leader, reveals other supernatural powers closely associated with Iyi Nneoyi. “This ground is sacred”, he insists. “Those seeking spiritual help or assistance in other spheres of life come from far and near for consultation and support. There used to be a Chief Priest here but he just passed on. And when people come here for worship, they visit with fowls and different gift items like soft drinks, biscuits, white clothes, food and other gift items”, he says.
But there are other puzzling mysteries around Iyi Nneoyi and the living things in the precincts of this uncommon stream. There is a belief that everything, plants and animals, at Iyi Nneoyi is safe because they are all spiritually protected by the goddess’ unseen hands and other forces. For instance, if a hen hatches nine chicks, the mother hen will raise all the nine young chicks’ unhindered, without the fear of hawks or other dangerous animals on land, water or air. So, in this instance, all the nine chicks will survive. Sometimes, a hen could stubbornly follow a visitor to the stream home; and it happens frequently. At home, what is expected of the visitor is care. Eventually when the hen hatches, a sharing formula is adopted before the young chicks belonging to the goddess are finally returned to the stream.
Chief Godwin Adigwe is the Isagba Ajie of Adonte. This traditional chief, who is appreciative for the gift of Iyi Nneoyi, describes the stream as a special water of life, created essentially for his people by the Almighty God for their enjoyment. He emphasizes purity, compassion and justice as some of the many attributes of this goddess of the stream. So, she is repulsed by abomination, discrimination, filth and every negative that affect the common good.
Iyi Nneoyi is an amazing tourist attraction waiting to be fully explored. It is also a money-spinner, no doubt, if harnessed. The only thing that this tourism site needs urgently is awareness. And if the information on this strange stream is well managed, it will draw the needed attention to the mysteries and other things of interest and benefit around the stream and the goddess. Surely, Delta State will reap bountifully not just from tourists but also from researchers, filmmakers, practitioners of African Traditional Religion and other people who may be seeking solutions to spiritual problems.
However, it is evident that Delta State Government is not even aware of the potentials of Iyi Nneoyi, the mystery stream. First, there is no access road to Adonte from Ogwashi-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area and the closest town to Adonte. The absence of critical infrastructure like power, water, passable internal roads and more are challenges that must be surmounted for tourists and other visitors to know that a place like that exists.
Iyi Nneoyi is definitely an alternative source of income for any serious government especially at this time. But this will depend on the interest and policies of those in power both at the local and state levels.
This article was first published in alice, the in-house flight journal of Air Peace.
