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The conception of the self in Igbo traditional thought:
1) Chi: The person’s destiny, which was chosen prior to their birth. It is also one’s guarding, seeking to ensure one’s progression along the path.
2) Mmuo or onyinyo: The soul or shadow, which is the aspect of one’s self that is able to separate itself from the body, say in dreaming and death.
3) Eke: The ancestral spirit, that is the aspect of the self that is transmitted intergenerationally. It is the that self reincarnates from generation to generation and establishes one’s connections to their ancestors.
4) Obi: The heart, which is the essence of the person’s character, their thoughts and emotions. It is the source of their internal strength and their intentions.
5) Ahu: The body. The vessel of one’s consciousness.
-From Person, Divinity, & Nature by Chukwunyere Kamalu
