Ani, the wife of Amadioha is a powerful female Alusi(deity) in the Igbo culture. Ani or Ala translates to “earth” in the Igbo dialect.
It is believed that she is the daughter of the elder God, Chukwu, and she is married to the sky god Amadioha. She is the goddess of fertility, creativity and, morals, the ruler of the underworld and all things owe their existence to her.
Ani which means ground showed her power over the earth as the ground itself. The crescent moon is her symbol. They say the souls of the dead reside in her womb, which is considered sacred.
Everyone in the community must respect Ala, the earth because everyone lives on it. Ani is in charge of judging human actions and inactions as the Igbo traditional belief system is referred to as “Odinani”.
She carries out her judgment justly and forbids the people to bury a man with a swollen tummy “Nwoke afo toro”.
Ani’s messenger is Eke which translates to “python”, this is why most eastern Nigeria revere and worship the python as they believe it is the messenger of Ani, the earth goddess and it is an abomination to kill it.
Every child born in Igbo land has an Ikwunne which means “motherland” where a child’s mother comes from, if a child visits his ikwunne, he is often recognized there as “nwadiana” which means son or daughter of the ground “and they are accorded much respect and honour.
Taboos and abominations committed against Ani are known as “nso Ani” and have great consequences attached to them.
It is believed that she could swallow people up underground.
Despite the coming of Christianity, some Igbo people in Nigeria continue to worship Ala and pay her homage every year during the yam festival.
