American Journal of Social Issues & Humanities (ISSN: 2276 - 6928) Vol.2(1) pp. 11-19 Jan. 2012 Available online http://www.ajsih.org ©2012 American Journal of Social Issues & Humanities 5 | Ekeke ©AJSIH Vol.2 No.1. (Jan.2012) 5-9 THE SYMBOLISM OF OFFOR IN IGBO TRADITIONAL RELIGION Emeka C. Ekeke Department of Religious/Cultural Studies University of Calabar, Calabar-Nigeria ______________________________________________________________________________ Abstract The idea of representation or symbolism in religions is at the heart of religious practices globally. This is because most of the belief systems are abstract in nature and so needs symbols to transmit the truth taught by the votaries of the religions to their adherents. Symbols could be seen in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Jainism and other religions. Symbols could be concrete, verbal or expressive action. This paper therefore examines one of such symbols in African Traditional Religion among the Igbo people of South Eastern and South-South Nigeria known as offor. It briefly presents the symbolic interactionism of George Mead and the dream symbol of Sigmund Freud which is seen as door into the subconscious level of the mind as the theoretical framework of the paper. The paper then analysis the relevance of symbolism in African Traditional Religion with special focuses on the functions and types of symbols. Finally the paper concludes that offor, the symbol of sacred authority and lineage headship among the Igbo of Nigeria remains an instrument of both blessings and curse depending on the usage. Religious symbols are simple overt expressions of religious experience. Hence, humankind cannot express inner religious experiences and feelings without symbols. In other words, worship and all other cultic activities can only be effectively facilitated and complemented by symbolism ______________________________________________________________________________ Key words: Religious Symbols; African Traditional Religion; Symbolism; Offor. ______________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Various religions around the world have different ways of passing its beliefs and practices to its adherents. It can be concrete, verbal or expressive actions, and all of which are symbolic in nature. Symbols from all indications are the very complement of religious communication and practice. Nabofa (1994) in recognizing the importance of symbols to religions states that “the metaphysics of any religion cannot be fully and adequately studied, grasped and appreciated without a fair knowledge of its symbolic forms and processes which normally emerged out of the believer‟s inner religious experiences and illumination” (3). Giddens (1997: 565) defines symbols as something that stands for, represents a person, idea, letter, figure, or sign that expresses a sound, a number, or a chemical substance. Cohen (1974: 26) on the other hand adds that symbols are “objects, acts, relationship or linguistic formations that stand ambiguously for a multiplicity of meanings”. The implication is that one symbolic form may be capable of several interpretations and Radcliffe–Brown (1969: 142) argues that “whatever has a meaning is a symbol and the meaning is what is expressed by the symbol.” From the above definitions, we can sum up that symbols are representative concepts, objects, ideas or images, which express and signify something else, other than that which is perceived or observed in reality. It shows