How Shrines Supported Treaties and Governance in Pre-Colonial South-East Nigeria

Pre-colonial shrines in parts of South-East Nigeria served functions beyond worship. Historical accounts describe sites such as the Arochukwu cave complex as places where people took oaths, settled disputes and enforced trade agreements. Colonial-era records and heritage collections describe altars, ritual objects and covenant practices connected to the complex. Accounts suggest that visitors travelled from across the Niger-Benue and Cross River areas, giving the institution influence beyond a single community. Aguleri traditions also describe coronation rites at Otutunzu shrine, where covenant pots were used to renew relationships between communities. British military operations in 1901–1902 damaged parts of the Arochukwu complex, while surviving objects and sites remain subjects of museum and archaeological study. Should these institutions be understood as pre-colonial equivalents of courts and diplomatic centres? How effective were they in maintaining order before modern state institutions?

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