WHATEVER THING YOU DO, VERBALLY OR NOT VERBALLY, OUR TRADITION COMMUNICATES.

As an indigene of Ogu, when you see people carrying Okuru, Ikpo and other wrappers in a tray pan,

it signifies that a traditional marriage called Yaa is about to or been sealed and consummated.

In Wakirike Culture and Tradition, the raffia cloth (Okuru) is very important cloth. It is a sealant of a consummated traditional marriage called Yaa.

The significant of this Okuru may not be known or mean anything to people outside Ogu Kingdom (Wakirike) but it means so much to us because of culture and traditional upbringing and the usage of raffia cloth over a long period of time.

To us, it is very unique and we use it as a symbol of a very important social function called marriage which is sacred and ordained by God. In Ogu, we call it Okuru Deki (carrying Okuru).

In Ogu the Okuru, Ikpo and other clothes of value are places in a tray pan and carried in a group to the bride’s mother. When this is done, the woman becomes a bonifide property of the man, in this type of marriage, there is no divorce. There can only be separation. The woman will never answer the name of another husband for the rest of her life should there be separated, Whatever belongs to the woman now belongs to the man and vis visa, If the man dies, she has bonifide right over his property. The Yaa marriage is an unwritten will in our tradition that the property of the deceased husband passes to her automatically.

The Yaa marriage is the most recognized marriage in Ogu (Wakirike) tradition, more recognized than the court marriage.

The Okuru deki or kaka is the final lap of the Yaa marriage and it is done when the man has fulfilled every requirements with the wife’s family as required by tradition.

It is a pride to the man as a responsible man. The children of Yaa marriage are the qualified ones for Chieftaincy position in a war canoe house. However, when the man did not undertake the full traditional marriage (Yaa) the children of such union can marry themselves traditionally to the father’s side or the mother’s side whoever he sees a fortune.

Therefore,

Mr. John Tamuno formally or Traditionally marry his children (Mr. Abiye John and others) on the 5th of July 2015.