I was strolling the streets of Facebook when I came across a particular post.

What caught my attention first was the picture

attached to the post. It contains the picture of a

very big snake, a species known as python.

One thing I love reading is Animal discovery,

in fact anything that has to do with our

environment so with this, I had the urge to open the writeup.

The story was about a guy who killed a snake

popularly known as " EKE" in the east ( igbo land).

Now it is said that some parts of igbo like

imo state regard this python which they call

EKE , it is believed to be a goddess ( correct

me if I'm wrong) or rather daughter of the soil.

So killing it is equivalent to killing a human being.

I do not want to digress so as not to make my

write up long for the sake of those who do not

fancy long writeups. But the summary of

everything is that he was asked to conduct a

burial or rather bury the EKE else he will face

the consequences of which he bluntly

disagreed with the claim that the animal

encroached his private space.

Well I'm not here to judge anyone's traditions, I

respect tradition as much as I respect myself

and if I ever know that I cannot put up with or

succumb to such tradition, then I leave or

never have anything to do that will warrant me doing what I never wanted to do ( such traditional rites) .

So I have some pressing questions, I'm quite

aware that some of my followers are from imo

states and they will one way or the other see this write up.

Although I got to know that it is not all imo

states who reverends the EKE, but please if you

are from the community which practices this tradition and you have a profound knowledge,

I'm confused and I would greatly appreciate it if you give me answers.

The questions are below;

From what I know and have heard EKE is python right?

And in reality it swallows people right?

But then the EKE in this particular community

or culture does not hurt any of them maybe

because they worship it and in return it protects them.

So my question is, in a case whereby a person

from this part of the east where the EKE is

regarded , happens to travel outside their

community or clan and then sees an Eke is it also forbidden for them to kill it?

2: Will it not hurt them?

3: Or it will recognize them irrespective of the location they find themselves.

Please someone should educate me...

And also if there is any other state which has

the same views aside imo please let me know

too, I will be in the comments section

©Winner Chinaza Amalinweze
Photo credit: not mine
Monday 24th March, 2025.