Ken Okoroafor, a Nigerian businessman and healthcare professional, has achieved his lifelong ambition of being inducted into the prestigious Igbuu Society as a 'Leopard Slayer' (Ogbuagu) in his hometown of Oguta.
Posters announce the latest ' Leopard Slayer ' ceremonies taking place in Ogutu. At the age of 60, Nigerian businessman and healthcare professional Ken Okoroafor achieved his childhood dream of obtaining the revered title of ' Leopard Slayer '. Jubilant crowds thronged as he was inducted into the prestigious and male-only Igbuu Society in his hometown of Oguta , in south-eastern Nigeria.
In ancient times, slaying a leopard was not just an act of bravery but a ritualistic feat that conferred societal prestige. To become a 'Leopard Slayer', known as an 'Ogbuagu' in the Igbo language, a man had to present a leopard - hunted and killed by himself – to the local king. Its meat was then shared amongst 25 villages around Oguta.My mother recalls the carcass of a leopard lying in their living room back in 1955 when her father took the title. It had been captured for him by a professional hunter.Conservation concerns then ended the use of leopards as they became scarce in the region. The last known leopard sacrifice occurred in 1987. Once widespread across Nigeria, leopards now tend to be only found in a few national parks, where they are protected. Today, the financial equivalent - a substantial but undisclosed sum - is distributed among the family heads in the 25 villages, maintaining the communal spirit of the tradition. 'In Oguta when you join this society, you get respect and you join them in most of the decision making in the town,' said Mr Okoroafor, who has lived in the US for decades but returned to his roots to become an Ogbuagu.The first recorded use of money as a substitute goes back to 1942 when a man named Mberekpe Ojirika caught a leopard for the ceremony, but then his mother passed away. Tradition stipulated that Ojirika had to mourn for six months and could not continue with the ritual. When he later tried to find another leopard, he faile
LEOPARD SLAYER TRADITION NIGERIA OGUTA IGBUU SOCIETY
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