We are proud of our monkeys, says Eze Onyeneke

First of all, I have to introduce myself. I am His Royal Highness, Eze Cosmas Egbule Onyeneke, Ekwueme IV of Lagwa, the Ise One of Mbaise. Lagwa is popularly known for the existence of monkeys in the community. Visitors come from different parts of the world to watch the monkeys in our community. The genesis […]

First of all, I have to introduce myself. I am His Royal Highness, Eze Cosmas Egbule Onyeneke, Ekwueme IV of Lagwa, the Ise One of Mbaise. Lagwa is popularly known for the existence of monkeys in the community. Visitors come from different parts of the world to watch the monkeys in our community. The genesis of the monkeys in our community began like this: We had a forefather, the very first man who ever lived in Lagwa about 300 years ago. His name was Agwa. The man and his wife, called Agwawunma, lived here in Lagwa. Our forefather, Agwa, was a hunter and great farmer. Every morning, he would go hunting and farming. On one occasion, when his wife was heavily pregnant; Agwa went to farm and hunt for games and later came back. Upon returning, the wife narrated to him how hunger almost killed her during his absence but that the animals jumping from one tree to the other, brought different fruits to her. She ate the fruits and then the hunger ended. Agwa was very delighted after listening to his wife’s story.

Then another day, Agwa went to do his normal farm work and hunting. And the wife again became very hungry and it was only the animals (monkeys) that brought different types of fruits to the pregnant woman and she enjoyed the fruits which she ate and became well nourished.

When he came back, Agwawunma, the pregnant wife told him how friendly and hospitable the monkeys were. Thenceforth, Agwa, the first man to live in Lagwa, pronounced that nobody should harm or kill the animals (monkeys); that the animals that could provide food (fruits) for a hungry person are like human beings, and therefore, should never be killed or harmed.

From that day, the monkeys began to live comfortably with our people. Our people do not kill or hurt the animals till as now. I am speaking with now. This is the genesis of Enwe Lagwa otherwise called monkey of Lagwa. Enwe is Igbo word for monkey while Lagwa is our community. The existence of monkeys made our community famous. The Lagwa indigenes have stuck to the pronouncement of our forefather. Our people have been respecting and preserving the animals ever since. Other traditional rulers who ruled the area before me, kept to the order of our forebears. Lagwa has not had one traditional ruler before but Ekwueme the third came from Lagwa before the throne got to me. I’m now Ekwueme the fourth.

As a tourist attraction, does the monkey colony generate revenue for the Lagwa community?

You know that we Mbaise people are very hospitable. We are kind. White people do come here to see the animals; when they come, they usually ask us how much money we would like them to pay. But we don’t bill them; the white people may decide to do random interview, and after that, they may “dash” the respondents any amount they want to give them out of their own will.

But the community is planning to get a particular conservation centre where the monkeys could be kept so that they would serve as source of revenue for us. For now we don’t attach money to it. Those who come here have always confirmed that the specie of monkeys here are quite ‘different from other monkeys elsewhere. The white people usually tell us that our own monkey does not exist in other places except here. The white people call the monkey Sclater; they said monkeys also exist somewhere in Enugu state but the Lagwa monkey is the only type that co-exists with natives.

In the event of accidental killing of any of the monkeys, what is the penalty?

Yes. Anybody who kills the monkey will bury it the way human beings are buried. The person will bury the monkey in accordance with our tradition. The person (killer) will observe all the traditional rites meant for human beings during the burial of the animal.

Can you give example?

There are many rites to be observed. But you can see, the new generation churches in our community; some of their members, when they violate the law for the preservation of the animals, they will not like to do what the tradition says.

Is that so? Why do they behave like that?

If they refuse bluntly to follow the tradition, as the Eze who is taking care of the tradition of the people, what I will do is to call upon the forefathers, and tell them, look, the offender has been told to do what the tradition prescribes, and he refuses; at that point, the rest of the problem will be left between the offender and the forebears.

There was a particular man who killed one of the monkeys. He refused to perform the traditional rites. When his pregnant wife eventually gave birth, the new born baby was like a monkey. They were hiding the child because they didn’t want people to know what happened to the family.

The monkey in our area is not attached to any deity. We don’t worship it and it is not used in worshipping any shrine or things like that, it is just that we decided to stick to what our forefathers said – that this animal which could provide food for a human being, is also a human being and so, should not be killed or harmed.

Can you give an estimate of the population of the monkeys?

The scientists who came from America, Lynn Baker; she had a camera she said she used to count the animals. The first time she came, she said the animals were about 300 plus. Now she has come again, saying they have increased. She said they usually stay in groups of families. And each group has a head or leader. According to Lynn Becker, the animals have increased to over 400 presently.

When did she come to do the findings?

She has visited three times; she even came here last year. And she is coming again this month, July because what she is doing now is the in-depth analysis. They want a colony to be created for the monkeys. So they are now doing in-depth analysis to see how the monkeys could be preserved.

Do you have fears about the monkeys going into extinction in future?

Well, you know that in the past, we used to have thick forests but now those things no longer exist. These monkeys now are living in the houses and in the farms. But with that…you know the monkeys usually eat farm products (crops) such as pears, corn; they eat eggs. Some natives here are accusing the monkeys of destroying their farm products. But because of the tradition, most people now say the monkeys are our pride and we must keep them.

Beside spoiling economic crops, is there any other way the animals are harmful to people?

No, they don’t bite anybody. They are very friendly; they are not violent or aggressive. But you know due to the advent of Christianity, that’s why some people are complaining; there are some Christians here who want to be more Catholic and holier than the Pope. When such people see anything they will give such thing a non-existing name in order to kill it.

The new generation churches you talked about earlier, are they against the monkeys?

Not all of them. You know these days; everybody here is a pastor or bishop. The Catholics are not like the new generation churches; the Catholics cannot tell anybody to kill the monkeys. But these so-called Christians who want to become God by force, those are the people who are against the animals.

Can you say how many years the monkeys have existed in Lagwa community?

The monkeys have been here for about 300 years; they should be more than that. It should be more than 300 years.

Do they behave in any peculiar way when any of their member dies?

Yes. If any of their members dies; they do not allow anybody to touch the corpse; they usually carry their dead and bury it by themselves. They would dig a hole with their fingers and bury their dead there. In those old days, when an old man in the village passed on, if you are observant enough, you would notice that two monkeys would come to the village arena (square) and will be wrestling there, as an indication that a prominent person has died in the community; of course, by that time the two monkeys are wrestling, the elders would know that a prominent person had passed on.

What advice do you have for both visitors and natives about the preservation of this cultural heritage of the Lagwa community?

My advice to the entire Lagwa is that anything about our monkey; you don’t change it. As it was in the days of our forefathers, so shall it be now and forever. That is the only culture we have for which the whole world has known us. If after going round the world, it is discovered that the specie of monkey in Lagwa is the best; it is a thing of pride and we have to preserve it but it is not easy to preserve the heritage till this day. Our appeal now is for government, the world oganisations to come to our aid by helping us to build a place where we can conserve the animals. So that whoever comes to Lagwa will see the monkeys we have, the Sclater.

One important thing to note is that if  the monkeys  cross the border and enter another community and the people there begin to attack them in  order to kill them, what the animals do is to try and escape into the house of any of our daughters married to  that community. In such situation, that our daughter would protect them by locking the door after which she would release them when the attackers must have left. And the monkeys will continue their journey back to Lagwa. That is how they behave. They appear to recognise our people. It is an amazing and wonderful thing.