ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE PAST IN OGURUGU
ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE PAST
Gone are those days in Ogurugu before the coming of internet and social media. In the full moon. When it is shinning with it brightest radiance. Every born and bred child of Ogurugu will remember their sweet childhood days in Ogurugu. Those good old days, the children usually gather in a village square or meeting points in the nights after evening meals for socialization. The children participated in a hide and seek game called "okubele". Prior to this time parents or elderly ones would have narrated some "osala" (stories) to the children. At this children meetings some of the children would retell these stories. Some of the stories were so frightful to extent that some fearful children would be afraid to sleep in the dark for fear of "ojiji" (fear monsters).The stories are in forms of legends, fables, fairy tales and folklores passed down to the children by forefathers of Ogurugu. These stories were full of wisdom and moral lessons which help the ancients as moral guide in the society. Notable in the story are characters like "egubi"(a monster), "ayibo" (a waterfly) "aneleje" (tortoise), a wicked stepmother, a disobedient child, a hero of ignoble but good background etc. The rhetorics, rymes, songs, languages, choruses and figurative expressions among other literary styles of these stories show their origin and transmissions. These stories, though in different versions, show to some extents, the intellectual capacity of the Ogurugu people. The stories are also pointers to the belief system, societal structure and moral worldviews of past history. I think there is need to document these stories for posterity and for literary and academic purpose. These stories, if well written with good story lines, forgroundings and other literary devices, can be good literary works, interesting pieces. Some can also be acted as films and dramas.
Gone are those days in Ogurugu before the coming of internet and social media. In the full moon. When it is shinning with it brightest radiance. Every born and bred child of Ogurugu will remember their sweet childhood days in Ogurugu. Those good old days, the children usually gather in a village square or meeting points in the nights after evening meals for socialization. The children participated in a hide and seek game called "okubele". Prior to this time parents or elderly ones would have narrated some "osala" (stories) to the children. At this children meetings some of the children would retell these stories. Some of the stories were so frightful to extent that some fearful children would be afraid to sleep in the dark for fear of "ojiji" (fear monsters).The stories are in forms of legends, fables, fairy tales and folklores passed down to the children by forefathers of Ogurugu. These stories were full of wisdom and moral lessons which help the ancients as moral guide in the society. Notable in the story are characters like "egubi"(a monster), "ayibo" (a waterfly) "aneleje" (tortoise), a wicked stepmother, a disobedient child, a hero of ignoble but good background etc. The rhetorics, rymes, songs, languages, choruses and figurative expressions among other literary styles of these stories show their origin and transmissions. These stories, though in different versions, show to some extents, the intellectual capacity of the Ogurugu people. The stories are also pointers to the belief system, societal structure and moral worldviews of past history. I think there is need to document these stories for posterity and for literary and academic purpose. These stories, if well written with good story lines, forgroundings and other literary devices, can be good literary works, interesting pieces. Some can also be acted as films and dramas.
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