Iwa oji (breaking of kola nut) is a wide spread tradition in Ibo land, including
Obosi. Kola nut is an edible fruit/nut from from a tropical tree indigenous to
West Africa. Offering of kola nut to a guest (or apologizing if none is
available) is the very first thing done by a host at Obosi after welcoming a
guest to their home. Kola nut is used as a symbol to offer prayers to God and
our ancestors depending on ones religious belief.
There is an extensive traditional protocol to determine who will have the honor of breaking a kola nut in Obosi. The first kola nut broken in a house in the morning each day is usually done by the head of the house-hold with few exceptions. In general, the
oldest male present will have the honor of breaking the kola nut except in the
presence of his maternal relatives or his in-laws (relatives of his wife). If
any of the above mentioned people are present they will have the honor of
breaking the kola nut. After deciding who the rightful person to break a kola
nut is, the kola nut (served in a small plate or wooden platter) is given to the
designated person.
The designee, while holding the kola nut will pray to God and invoke our forefathers to also intercede on behalf of everybody present (and other relatives) in granting them health, prosperity, and their other desires. The kola nut is then broken or cut into small pieces so that everybody present will get a piece. The person that broke the kola nut will take the first piece and give a piece to the person sitting to his right-hand side (this is a
tradition called Ada-ogbe) before everybody else get their piece. The kola nut
will be served to everybody starting from the oldest to the youngest by anybody
present whose mother is from the family where the kola nut was broken or by
default the youngest person present. Each person will take a piece of the kola
nut and eat.
As you can see from the above protocol, if you have a small group it might take some time sorting out how everybody is related to each other and hence who should break the kola nut (the highest honor) and who should serve the kola nut after it is broken. People never get upset with the debate and negotiation that precede kola nut breaking because it gives everybody present an opportunity to know how their are related to everybody else if they are not aware of the information already. After the process of breaking the kola nut is
completed other businesses could now be discussed