Osu is outcast. The worse fate that can befall any man in his community.
Osu is any human being, offered to the gods. His descendants also become Osu.
In ancient times, Osu are often slaves bought or raided from a neighbouring community and offered to the gods.
As it was taboo in Igbo land to shed blood, except in dire extreme circumstances, these human sacrifices, are kept in the shrine to serve the gods. They are sacred and cannot be touched or marry any freeborn-diala.
So, in the family of Nneji, there arose a problem. Their youngsters were dying off at infancy, general hardship was their companion. They consulted the Oracle. The gods wanted a human sacrifice.
The Nneji were poor and couldn’t afford to buy or raid a slave from neighbouring community to be given to the gods to wade off the calamity that had refused to leave them.
The first son of Nneji called Opara, offered to be sacrificed to save his family. On the fateful day, the Opara was taken to the shrine, rites were performed and he walked into the shrine, to become slave of the gods, sealing his fate and that of his unborn generation, condemning them into being outcast among their fellow Diala.
Whenever Dialas gather and refer to De Arthur Opara as Osu, he will cry and retell this story; ending with, it was out of love for his brothers that his father before him became Osu.
How I Became Osu
