Onwudinuba Philosophy: The Hermeneutics of Death as a Component of Wealth in Igbo Cosmology

This study x-rays the philosophical meanings, interpretations, and intersections of death and wealth in Igbo cosmology. Using such tools as oral interviews, ethnography and participant observations, the researcher extracted data from both primary and secondary sources to clarify some misconceptions surrounding wealth and death in Igbo religious and philosophical thought. This research is timely because amidst a growing literature on the Igbo people and culture, discourses on the complementarity and convergence of good death and wealth have lacked attention over the years. This work fills this gap through the application of hermeneutic approach which enabled an informed conclusion that the Igbo recognise two categories of death: the bad death and the good death. While The bad death is abhorred and avoided, the good death is the expectation of every Igbo human person as it is a strong component of wealth. The findings provide a better understanding of African Igbo culture, death, wealth, and the meanings they attach to life which is equally important for a harmonious relationship and a stable social order. The paper calls for a reexamination of the narratives surrounding peripheral interpretations given to this aspect of Igbo culture. It further contributed to the growing volumes of literature on Igbo history, indigenous philosophy, and religion, among others.