and "Ukwu" ("great in size". In the Igbo pantheon, Chukwu is the source of all other Igbo deities, and is responsible for assigning them their different tasks. The Igbo people believe that all things come from Chukwu, who brings the rains necessary for plants to grow and controls everything on earth and the spiritual world.Conception of Chukwu
Chukwu combines the concept of creator of deities for all we know and are aware of including the concept of a solar deity. According to the Igbo people from the eastern region of Nigeria, Chineke is the creator of the world and everything good in it. This God is also responsible for rain, trees, and other plants. Chukwu is a supreme God represented by the sun. The ancient God is not humanized in Igbo tradition belief. Because the igbo deities Amadioha and Ikenga are masculine, Chukwu is assumed to be male. Colonialism brought Christianity to Igbo people which challenged and sought to change this belief, but still remains a dominant traditional belief in Igbo people. Many Igbo Christians now refer to the Christian God as Chukwu. The Igbo believe it is impossible for humans to conceive of the unlimited power of Chukwu. Many Igbo dialects refer to God as "Chukwu", "Chiokike", "Obasi," etc. depending on the geography.
The Igbo people believe that Chukwu sent a dog to mankind to tell them that dead bodies should be covered with ashes and buried. This would bring the person back to life. On his long journey to earth, the dog became weary and prolonged its journey. So, Chukwu then sent a sheep to deliver the message faster, but the silly sheep forgot part of the message. The sheep only told the people of Earth that bodies should be buried. Because of this, the human bodies remained dead. When the dog finally arrived, nobody believed his story and thus death became permanent.
There are five aspects of Chukwu:
Chukwu - the first force and existence of all beings.
Anyanwu - symbolic meaning of the sun. The sun reveals everything so Chukwu is the source of knowledge and the author of all knowledge.
Ekwensu was a Trickster God (Alusi) of the Igbo people who served as the Alusi or God of Bargains and the tortoise. Crafty at trade and negotiations, he was often invoked for guidance in difficult mercantile situations. Like most Trickster Gods, the deity was a force of Chaos and Change, thus in his more violent aspects, Ekwensu was also revered as a God of War and Victory who ruled over the wicked spirits and the chaotic forces of nature.
His companion was Death. With the advent of Christianity, the more beneficent aspects of the deity were supplanted by missionaries who came to misrepresent Ekwensu as Satan.
He was the testing force of Chukwu, and along with Ani the Earth goddess, and Igwe, the Sky God, make up the three highest Alusi's of the ancient Igbo people.
Ekwensu is also the Igbo word for Satan.
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