However, the term chi is part of one of the major deities of the north, Chineke – the ambigendered creative force that is often associated with Ani.
The main thing to remember is that kings partake of the divinities in this region and are important ritual practitioners; any Igwe is also the head of the royal cult – and his ancestors are invoked on behalf of the entire town.
The monarch and the members of the royal family undertake a variety of official, unofficial and other representational duties within Nnewi, Nigeria and abroad.
These three obis with Igwe Orizu, III as chairman constitute the Igwe-in-Council and they deliberate on the spiritual, traditional, and communal matters, in Nnewi.
[1] "Ofo" refers to a particular type of staff (as well as the wood from which it's made) that is carried by elder men – notably patrilineage priests and some masqueraders.
I believe that ofo can generally be inherited through the paternal line, and that it is also associated with the work of some healer-diviners (ndi dibia) in divination (afa).
For instance, for the Ofo-Ataka, the symbol of the highest grade of Ozo title in Nnewi, the aspirant would make a gift of a cow, a goat, and very many other things to the kindred that acts as the protector of that particular Ofo (4 Dec 2002).
Commenting on Ejizu's observation the FMC professor said that it tells us that there are institutionalized and "professional" types of Ofo in the Nnewi area – not only personal ones.
If used to meet the ends of the cult membership, they can cause harm to people who have crossed them – but who not necessarily are criminals in any simple sense.
Ozo-titled men are important elders and fierce politicians; evidently in Nnewi, they can be invested with one of these institutional Ofo, besides having their own lineage-tied staffs (4 Dec 2002).
It plays a role in sacrificial rituals, prayer, oath taking, pronouncing judgement, deliberating policy within the family or community and involving blessings or curses.
Bronze Ofo serve as symbols of power and authority for office holders and titled men, or a sacred family icon.
Ofo also symbolize the link they make between Chukwu the High God and Humanity, and between the living, the dead, and those yet to be born (Njaka).
Ofo plays a role in prayer, ritual sacrifice, contact of spirit patrons, magical uses, naming ceremonies, determining calendars of events, affirming moral uprightness, sealing covenants, legitimizing states or office, decision making, settling disputes, taking oaths of administration, and promulgating and enforcing laws (Christopher Ejizu) (Aug. 1999).