Igbo culture and values is so noble that it made provision for nearly everything you can think about. To ensure harmony, respect, and recognition for the individual members of an Igbo family, the sharing and eating of chicken in a traditional Igbo family is very symbolic as each part is expected to be reserved for a specific persons based on their role, membership and relationship in and with an Igbo family.
So, a chicken is shared as follows:
The Father = Gizzard (Eko okuko), Heart (Obi okuko)
Mothers= The bottom ((ike okuko) , The Neck (Olu okuko) and stomach region (Afo okuko)
First Daughters= The Waist
Other Daughters: The Wings
First Son= The Head
Other Sons: Laps
Other Children: The Legs
Last born or youngest child= The intestine (Eriri Afo okuko)
Grandchild (Nwanwa or nwadiali) and Inlaws= The neck (Olu okuko)
The gizzard rightfully belongs to your father as the head of the family, and it doesn't matter if he bought the chicken or not. Even if 20 chickens were prepared in an Igbo family, the father gets the 20 gizzard (eke okuko) as the head of the family. Women are traditionally forbidden from eating the gizzard and heart of a chicken prepared at home, even where the husband and father is not at home, the parts will be reserved safely until their return. In a family where the father/husband is deceased, the first son becomes the head of the family and enjoys the right to the gizzard and heart of the chicken.
This is not very rigid in some contemporary Igbo families today, but in an Igbo culture minded families at home and abroad, this is still practiced and failure to follow the above reservation provisions have resulted to severe consequences from the head of the home (the man) refusing the a meal, to person who ate the wrong part buying and preparing a new chicken etc.
How is chicken shared in your community?
