By EMMANUEL .U. WOOD (National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria)
Abstract
Rain is the source of life for everything here on planet earth. It’s importance in Igbo society can never be over emphasized, considering that the Igbo Society is agrarian in nature, where majority of the population are farmers, whose livelihood are dependent on water which is affected by the rain. There are rainy and dry seasons annually in Igbo land. These seasons determine the community life of the people. Thus the change of seasons is observed with ritual activities.
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| The gathering cloud |
These rites are central or crucial in strengthening community consciousness and solidarity. A huge number of Igbo communities practice traditional rainmaking rituals. Although rainmaking processes, materials and participants vary, most communities believe that the tradition enables them to predict, cause, redirect or dispel rainfall. Although some scientists have dismissed the practice as irrelevant, irrational and ineffective, others propose its integration to conventional meteorological approaches.
Data for this study was gathered through informants, documentary analysis and participation in online stakeholders’ discussions. The author advocates that traditional rainmaking in Igbo land can be mainstreamed into the national climate response plan through validation of the tradition through scientific research integration of traditional rainmaking in modern meteorological process, documentation and preservation of traditional rainmaking process as one of the unique heritage of the Igbo society.
The author concludes that these actions have the potential to facilitate a better interpretation of weather changes leading to better coping mechanism, conservation of the ecosystems, as well as expanding and developing our knowledge in order to have mastery and partial control over the atmosphere as this can help us in agricultural development and taming violent weather conditions.
Introduction
From the days of old, all creatures were born into a particular geographical location in a given environment. While some creatures are unconscious of their host environment, others are conscious but are unable to improve or develop the state of their environment. The underlying differences therefore, between man and other creatures are the unique abilities of Man being conscious of his environment, and having the ability of developing and improving the condition of his environment.
These unique abilities of man, which are ancient in nature took their root from the Biblical injunction in Genesis Chapter one verse 28 (Gen 1:28) where the Almighty God enjoined man to be “fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it”, hence, the preoccupation of man with the act of devising strategies and means of subduing nature and harnessing its numerous natural resources. Thus, man is nature’s gift to the world and the most comprehensive and intelligent embodiment of nature. He is a rational specie and beauty of nature. It is in this light that F. bacon, 15th century English Philosopher considers that man is a nature conqueror. But he also thinks that man is a nature servant and expounder.
The Igbo society is agrarian in nature. Majority of the people are farmers and by implication their means of livelihood is dependent on water. This development underscores the importance of water to the people, and establishes why the need for it in the area can never be over emphasized.
To the Igbos there are only two seasons that exist annually. The two seasons are:
- The rainy season and
- The dry season
These seasons determine the community life of the people. Change of season is observed with one ritual activity or the other. These rituals which are central in the life of the people are conducted to honour the god’s of the Land and to arouse community consciousness. They are necessary in the collective efforts to secure commitment and solidarity of the people; and essential in strengthening ties of various kinds in and around the communities.
A good number of Igbo communities practice traditional rain making rituals. Although rainmaking process, materials and participants vary, most communities believe that the tradition enables them to cause, redirect or dispel rainfall.
This paper will examine the traditional process of rainmaking in Igbo land, in order to establish the art of rainmaking. The paper will further look into the art of artificial (scientific) rainmaking in other parts of the world.
THE NOTION OF RAINMAKING
Rainmaking is an ancient practice found in almost all race of the world. This notwithstanding, some people still doubt the feasibility and veracity of rainmaking. Their denial often stems from mere observation and sentiments. They argue that hurricanes, volcanoes, droughts and other natural occurrences, can hardly be manipulated by man, thus, man is entirely at the mercy of the natural elements that make up the weather. In fact, some skeptics further argue that rainmaking is an art, and therefore pretentious and exclusively magical. They refuse to accept or conceive the possibility of scientific interventions in the practice of rainmaking. For the purpose of this paper, we will consider briefly the principle involved in rain formation in the natural order.
Warm air rises and water molecules and dust particles rise with it. As the particles rise, they get cool and are drawn to one another forming clouds. The water particles combine with dust, salt, crystal and other particle in the surrounding air. As they rise, combine and cool, they form water droplets. When they have cooled enough, they drop as rainfall. Whenever this condition is met, it rains.
The entire story of rainmaking as a scientific act rests on this principle. The efforts of rainmakers are to introduce elements that catalyze the combination of water particle, dust, salt and crystal, etc.
TRADITIONAL PROCESS OF RAINMAKING IN IGBO LAND
Traditionally, there are special people bestowed with the power to perform the act of rainmaking. The methods of rainmaking differ from place to place. The role of the rainmaker could be likened to the role of a Chief Priest who can beckon on the gods and plead with them to pardon his people and hence bless them with rainfall. This is usually the case in ancient civilizations when drought are interpreted as resulting from the sins committed by the populace; and through ritual offerings and purification, the gods of the land are appeased before the sky is able to release rain.
Onoyiema S. Chiweudo, (2011:54) stated “The office of rainmaking in most Igbo communities is open to some families and it is hereditary. In any case, one can also learn it through natural interest. The profession is not restricted to any sex. The son or daughter of a rainmaker can take up the profession of his or her parent and begin the training at early stage”.
At times the individual is called to do it through dreams, messages from spirits, as well as natural interest in the work. The training in rainmaking usually starts at early stage of the candidate’s life because it is always long. The training involves learning how to perform the rainmaking rituals, observation and interpretation of weather conditions and observing changes in the sky at any time whether in the day time or at night. It also involves learning and observation of the movements and habitats of insects, birds, and some other animals as well as the changes in plant and trees. When the apprentice is well-versed in these fundamental weather connected knowledge, he/she can then be initiated into the rainmaking profession as a rainmaker.
Rainmakers in Igbo land do not make rain but perform rituals and ask Chukwu (God) for rain. They can also pray to God for the rain to stop if it is unwanted, disastrous or inconvenient at a particular situation. Thus, they are religious men whose work is to pray to God for rain. Any Igbo community that does not have a rainmaker can go a long distance to another community in order to get the services of a rainmaker especially during an important event like festival and burial, if the people do not want rain to disrupt the programme. At times, the privileged community that has a rainmaker will use it as a weapon against their neighbouring community that has none. In order to make rain fall, the following materials are required for rituals depending on the community.
a. Two crates of Beer
b. One bottle of Gin
c. Four pieces of Kolanut
d. N1,000
to brake the Kolanut
e. Candles, white and red cloth.
After these items are provided; the rainmaker gathers some herbal shrubs, leaves, stems and grass best known to them, make some incantations using the Gin and then makes a fire. The fire is not done in public. The smoke from the fire reaches the sky and makes the cloud, cloudy and rainy. Then the rain starts falling in that particular area where the ritual was done. The rainmakers don’t drink water when on duty. They only drink gin/alcohol.
RAIN STOPPING
According to Nduka Orjinmo (2018) in his interview with Godwin Anasedu (rainmaker), he revealed that in order to stop rain from falling in an occasion for instance; “He says: I will go out, if the rain drops on my head, and I take a bottle of star lager beer, and I spit it out from my mouth while making some incantations, the rain must surely stop”. Another rain stopper said: “If I weep under the rain, the rain stops”. Others equally said they keep chanting incantations and the rain would stop. Eva C. Nnamene (Rev. Fr.) summed it up this way: “Anything that precipitates the clouds would certainly make the rain; and anything that disperses the clouds would certainly stop the rain”.
SCIENTIFIC PROCESS OF RAINMAKING
Rainmaking, also known as artificial precipitation and artificial rainfall, is the act of attempting to artificially induce or increase precipitation, usually to starve off drought. Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle, and is responsible for depositing the fresh water on the planet. Rainmaking is an ancient science that is applied to moisten the farms in periods of drought. Scientifically it could be described as a form of weather modification aimed at altering local climatic conditions. This is not to be confused with the science of climate engineering which seeks to alter the whole climate.
In the United States, rainmaking was attempted by traveling showmen. It was practiced in the old west but may have reached its peak during the dust bowl drought of the American West and Midwest in the 1930s. “Operation Popeye” was a US military rainmaking operation launched during the Vietnam War to slow Vietnamese military truck activity in the region.
CLOUD SEEDING
Since the 1940s cloud seeding, a more scientific, advanced and contemporary form of rainmaking has been used to change the structure of cloud and by dispersing substances into the air, potentially increasing or altering rainfall. According to Wikipedia encyclopedia, cloud seeding is a phenomenon that involves the inducement of artificial precipitation that uses chemical such as silver iodide, dry ice (liquefied carbon (iv) oxide), or propane expansion to induce nucleation that eventually grows to large crystals which precipitates out. In cloud seeding, silver iodide and dry ice are the chief element used to stimulate the process of cloud formation. Silver iodide dispersed into the atmosphere could serve as nuclei for precipitations. When the cloud is large enough, it falls back as rain.
The largest cloud seeding system is in the people’s republic of China. They believe that it increases the amount of rain over several increasingly arid regions, including its capital city, Beijing, by firing silver iodide rockets into the sky where rain is desired. There is even political strife caused by neighbouring region that accuse each other of stealing rain using cloud seeding.
About 24 countries currently practice weather modification operationally. China used cloud seeding in Beijing just before the 2008 Olympic Games in order to have a dry Olympic season. In 2009, China also used cloud seeding to induce snow fall after four months of drought. In India, cloud seeding operations were conducted during the years 1983, 1984-87, 1993-94, 2003, 2004 and 2008. Israel has also been enhancing rain in convective cloud since the 1950s. In the US, cloud seeding has been used in the summer of 1948 in the usually humid city of Alexandria, Louisiana to induce rainfall. In Africa, Mali and Niger have been using cloud seeding to induce rainfall on a national scale. In 1999 the Moroccan government started, while Burkina Faso started in 2002 and Senegal in 2005.
TRADITIONAL RAINMAKING IN THE TROPICS OF AFRICA
Traditionally, rainmaking is not a new and strange practice in Africa. It is a very popular practice in the tropics of Africa. A rainmaker must be consulted before any major ceremony. But unlike cloud seeding, traditional African rainmaking does not have specific or chemical explanation. It can be described simply as the use of supernatural powers to induce rainfall. All that is physical about this practice is that local gin is demanded, the rainmaker then comes out to wave his hands at the sky. In some instances however as earlier mentioned, some rainmakers set up fire, burn a combination of leaves, and use some tools to waive at the sky as part of the rainmaking ritual.
Maurice M. Iwu (2014), states that “the process of rain making is complicated and differs enormously from place to place”. He further opined that the Igbo people burn sacred herbs and call on the rain god with broomsticks, while their Koma rainmakers of southern African region live in caves and restrict their drinks to milk, and only drink water publicly to initiate rainmaking ceremonies leading to rainfall. He says rain falls when the ancestors and gods are pleased. Rain is viewed as a sacred and phenomenal gift from God the most explicit expression of God's goodness, providence and love. This important herald of creation serves as a first sign (droughts and flood) of the anger of the creator. Rainmakers represent the people's contact with the blessings of time and eternity a link between humans and the divine. The rainmakers do not rely exclusively on their spiritual powers; they are versed in weather and environmental matters and may spend long period in apprenticeship acquiring their knowledge.
RAINMAKING IN OTHER CIVILIZATIONS
The ritualistic form of rainmaking is not practiced in Africa alone. In many societies worldwide, rain dances (ritualistic form of dancing aimed at inducing rainfall) and other rituals have been used to induce or break rainfall. Some Native American Indians offer rain dances to bring rain and growth to the land. Australian indigenous people perform rain dances and ceremonies as part of caring for their country. Wu shamans in China performed rain dance ceremonies in times of drought. European examples of areas familiar with rain dance and the names of such dances include Paparuda and Calaoin as found in Romania. These rituals differ greatly in their specifics but share a common concern. Most of these rainmaking rituals survived into the 21th century.
IMPLICATIONS
Cloud seeding is scientifically achieved by shooting shells or rocket filled with silver iodide particles into space or sky. For a smaller area of space, helicopters or airplanes may be used. These advanced instruments; rockets, airplanes or helicopters are not so affordable. At times, people complain of rain inducing missiles crashing through the roof of their houses. The chemicals used in cloud seeding are sometimes unfriendly to the environment. The catalytic chemicals that arise from the reaction of water arid other elements in the atmosphere produce thunderstorms occasionally. An amateur rainmaker may meet his end at the strike of the thunder.
In Africa, the acts of traditional rainmaking have far reaching implications. For example, in many traditional settings in Nigeria and Igbo-land in particular; rainmaking is viewed, as ‘Black Magic’ stemming from the abuses inherent in the practice. Reports exist that aggrieved ‘Dibias’ or traditional medicine practitioners exploit this act (rain making) to punish perceived enemies.
Some rainmakers would wait for their perceived enemies and punish them on the day that they are having a major ceremony. They induce rain to fall throughout the period of the occasion. This selfish and exploitative intent evident in the practice of rainmaking in Nigeria and Africa in general, has given rainmaking a very negative connotation.
Furthermore, some disgruntled rainmakers have the inclination to employ their powers to the detriment of their community. Whenever they feel slighted by the community they would make rain seize to fall for a remarkable period of time thereby leading to serious damage to the community arising from drought and its implications. This unhealthy attitude clearly differentiates the traditional African rainmakers and their scientific counterparts from the advanced west. The scientist would engage his knowledge to improve life in his community and thus boost agricultural produce and livelihood while the African rainmaker in a bid to show off, may apply his craft to boost his ego to the detriment of his community.
CONCLUSION
In this paper, we have attempted to establish that rainmaking is both supernatural and scientific based on the various techniques and principles involved in the practice. While the scientific form is common in the Western World, the supernatural form of the act which is often ritualistic is not restricted to traditional Africans but is found in other native cultures all around the continents of the world. Nevertheless, from whatever angle we consider rainmaking the act or practice has far reaching implications which could be both advantageous and disadvantageous to human existence.
The author proposes that traditional rainmaking should be integrated into conventional meteorological approaches. Furthermore, he advocates that traditional rainmaking in Igbo land can be mainstreamed into the national climate response plan through validation of the tradition through research; documentation and preservation of traditional rainmaking process as one of the unique heritage of the Igbo race.
The abuse of a practice does not deny its usage. The fact that the traditional rainmakers, make rainmaking appear mysterious and entirely magical does not rule off the good scientific element in the practice.
The recommended actions if taken have the potential to facilitate a better interpretation of weather changes leading to better coping method; conservation of our ecosystems; as well as expanding and developing our knowledge in order to have mastery and partial control over the atmosphere as this can help us in agricultural advancement as well as taming violent weather conditions.
REFERENCES
1. Eva C. Nnamene (2017), Rainmaking. Retrieved 9 September, 2018 from http://nsukkacatholicdiocese.org/rainmaking.
2. Francis Bacon, Biography. (2015) Retrieved September 5, 2018 from http://www.biography.com/people/francis-bacon-9194632
3. Maurice M. Iwu (2014) in Azriel Reshel (2017). The Ancient Indigenous Art of Rainmaking. Retrieved September 9, 2018 from http://upliftconnect.com
4. Nduka Orjinmo (2018), Rainmaker: Meet man who claims he can make rain fall and stop. Retrieved October 10, 2019 from http://www.bbc.com
5. Naira Land Forum (October 10, 2015). Artificial Rain Making: How is it done? Retrieved April 10, 2019 from http://www.nairaland.com
6. Naira Land Forum (August 13, 2013). How do people actually hold the rain? Retrieved October 10, 2019 from http://www.nairaland.com
7. Onoyima S. Chinwendo (2011). The Contributions of Sacred Specialist to Igbo Traditional Religion. Retrieved November 5, 2019 from www.unn.edu.ng
8. Rainmaking (2019, April 14). Retrieved September 4, 2019 from www.wikipedia.org/wiki
9. Seeding (2017, August 3). Retrieved September 4, 2019 from www.wikipedia.org/wiki/cloud
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