Abstract:
Some of the traditions and cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma people of Nigeria have
been influenced both positively and negatively as a result of the advent of Christianity in the
area. The aim of this research is to investigate some of the cultural beliefs and practices of the
Idoma people before the advent of Christianity, the people’s response to the new faith and the
propelling factors behind the responses of the people. In doing so, a comparative study on
these beliefs and practices after the advent of Christianity in Idoma traditional society was
done. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research design and descriptive
method for data analysis. Personal interviews form a primary source of data collection, while
the secondary source includes library sources. This method of study was chosen to allow the
data collected to speak for themselves without any interference from the researchers. The
study unveils that the advent of Christianity in the Idoma traditional society had some impact
and consequences on the traditional and cultural practices of the people, such as death and
burial ceremonies, the Aje-alekwu festival and widowhood practices among others. The study
recommends that there should be a synergy between Idoma traditional beliefs and practices
and Christianity for peaceful co-existence, progress and development in the area.
CONTRIBUTION : It is erroneously believed that in the contemporary society, traditional religious
practices are going to die and become a thing of the past. However, one would observe from
this study that Idoma people still hold their traditional beliefs and practices in high esteem
despite the influence of Christianity in the area.
