ABSTRACT
Initiation represents one of the most significant phenomena in the history of humanity. The term initiation in the most general sense denotes a body of rites and oral teachings whose purpose is to produce a decisive alteration in the religious and social status of the person to be initiated. Chief Henry Nze, in an interview, says that this choice of name enables the indigenous Amasiri to locate itself within a global historical map. In the pre-colonial days of the Amasiri, the strength and prestige of any age group was based on the extent of its effectiveness defending the clan against hostile neighbours. The contemporary Amasiri clan has three autonomous communities which include Ezeke, Ndukwe and Ohaechara, Poperi and Ihie (OPI). The villages of Amasiri are compact, with populations in the thousands. Although the Amasiri villages are organised along the matrilineal system, the villages and compound are built around patrilineal lineages.
