In Okunano, One of the rites of a marriage act which is usually resurrected once the woman passes on is known as "Ótuwà" or Onye Ótuwà or iji-ótuwà" what exactly is Ótuwa, Onye ótuwà or iji-Ótuwà? What is the significance of this customary act?

*Òtuwà* is the act of being a middle person between a newly married *Couple*. He is the man who plays the role of representation of the biological parents of the newly married bride. He is an intermediary in some family disputes between the husband and the wife, which should not be immediately taken to the biological parents of the wife. 

   *THE ROLE OF OTUWA*: For instance, if a woman starts getting inhuman treatment from her man, the first thing she would do is to go to their *Otuwa man* and report the matter to him, instead of going directly to her own biological parents.The Otuwa man will settle the misunderstanding even without the knowledge of the woman's parents.

   *THE CRITERION TO BE AN OTUWA TO A NEWLY MARRIED WOMAN*:

   For a man to be appointed as an *Òtuwà man* to a newly married woman, his own biological mother  must be a woman from the newly married woman's own town, village or family. In a nutshell, in most cases, the *Òtuwà man* has to be a distant Cousin to the newly married woman. In some cases, if a distant Cousin was not found in that town, village or family, any other person with a proven integrity has to be choosen/appointed by the woman's father, who he would eventually hand her daughter over to, for adequate care.

   *THE ROLE THAT ONYE OTUWA PLAYS ON THE DEATH OF THE WOMAN*:

   If a woman dies, it is the *Onye Òtuwà* that the relatives of the deceased woman would go to his house with the items of *rites* called *Ihe Usoro Ozu* which include:-

1.Cow or Goat.

2.A hen,

3.Some quantity of salt, put in a Calabash(agbugbà-unu),

4.Some amount of money,

5.Some quantity of Palm-wine,

6.Crates or cartons of beer and soft drinks.

   All the above would be taken to the residence of *Onye Òtuwà* by the relatives of the deceased woman.The Òtuwà man will augment those items by serving the relatives of the dead woman with menu & drinks as well.

   The relatives of the dead woman would leave with *Onye Òtuwà* the hen and the calabash of salt, as they would want to go home with the other tangible items they received from the Children of the deceased woman.

   On the day they will celebrate the funeral of their deceased daughter with those items they received, or kill the cow or goat(as the case may be), the *Onye Otuwa* will be physically present to partake in the funeral ceremony and also receives his own share of the slaughtered animal, which is the *neck* of the slaughtered animal.

   *THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ONYE OTUWA*

   *The Òtuwà man* is the middle man between a man & woman who come together to live as husband and wife. He plays a fatherly role in the absence of the biological parents. A married woman without *Onye Òtuwà* regards herself as an orphan, especially where her biological parents have died. Okunano-o-o-o-!! Osaagwede e-e-e-!!!

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By Elder Joseph Chukwuezugo Ugwuodo