An Assessment of the Immortality of the Soul in Igala Traditional Religious Worldview

Everything in earthly existence, including human life in all of its facets, is involved in a process of change. Hence, permanence seems unattainable, and thereby desirable. The wish for immortality thus, becomes one of the most important reasons for the appearance of religions. Since ancient times, humans have wondered if after their deaths in this world they might continue to exist forever in some next and unchanging condition. Some of the questions that bothered the minds of Igala people are: is the human soul immortal? What will be the nature of life after death? Where is the abode of the living-dead? These and many other questions shall be attended to in the cause of this research. Different areas of Igala Traditional Religion have been researched into by various writers, this work is an addition to the various works carried out on the immortality of the soul in Igala traditional religion. Thus, this paper investigates the idea of immortality of the soul in Igala Religious Worldview and adopts a multi-dimensional approach. In this case, phenomenological method is used in the course of the research to describe, understand and interpret the meanings of experience of human life as well as descriptive and historical approaches.  This research made use of secondary sources of data collection for analysis. The findings of this study would supply researchers in future with adequate data for further discussion on the immortality of the soul in Igala belief system and practices in other religious traditions of the world. The study provides a useful background to the immortality of the soul and religious values of the traditional life of Igala people.

Keywords: Igala, Traditional Religion, Immortality, Soul, Worldview