Ohafia did not invent the word. The blade came from the north.
- In *Jukun language of Kwararafa Kingdom (Wukari)* — *Akpara* = the broad, heavy short sword used for beheading.
- In *Ohafia dialect* — *Ja* = to cut, to sever.
When the two warrior kingdoms met as war allies on the Benue, they joined the words: *Akpara + Ja = Akparaja* — the blade that cuts in one stroke.
That is why in old Ohafia you hear: _"Akpara si Jukun, nka si Ohafia"_ — the blade is from Jukun, the hand is Ohafia.
*How it entered Ohafia — 17th to 18th century*
Before Akparaja, Ohafia fought with long spear *Udara* and long war knife *Mma Opia*. But war changed.
1. *Aro Confederacy (1650-1902)* — Aro needed a mobile force that could secure trade routes from Cross River to Igala and Idoma. They entered blood covenant *Igba Ndu* with Ohafia, Abam, Abiriba, Edda, Nkporo. This was not mercenary hire. It was *war partnership*.
2. *The northern frontier* — As Aro trade pushed into Igala, Idoma and into Kwararafa, Ohafia war parties went as allies to help Igala Ata and Jukun Aku secure borders. In Wukari they saw Jukun executioners and royal guards using a short, broad blade that could take a head cleanly — unlike long farm machetes that got stuck.
3. *The forging* — Ohafia did not import the blade. They took the shape to their blacksmith partners *Abiriba*, who were already known as *"makers of hoes, machetes, spears and other implements which were purchased mainly by the people of Ohafia"* — Abiriba improved it with double-tempered steel and a palm-wood handle wrapped with wire so it would not slip with blood.
The new blade was perfect for *Ikpirikpi Ogu* — *"the art of beheading one's enemy"* — the war dance where *"a human skull is a proof of a man's courage"*. For that proof, you needed a blade that cut in one downward stroke. Akparaja was born.
*How it was used*
- Carried *horizontally on the waist*, not on the shoulder: *"Akparaja tied on their waists"* while dancing Akpatakpa drum.
- Held in the right hand by the lead dancer *"with a short cutlass in his right hand and a small palm shoot in his mouth"* — the palm shoot means he has seen war and must be ritually silent.
- In battle: left hand with *Ubo-aka (hand shield)*, right hand with Akparaja for close combat after spears were thrown.
*How it became regalia*
When the British banned inter-village wars after 1902, Akparaja stopped being a battlefield weapon and became sacred regalia:
1. *Okpu Agu* (leopard cap) — *"cap associated with Ohafia warrior traditions... black, white and red stripes with a pattern that resemble leopard markings"* — Red for those who had taken a head.
2. *George wrapper* tied as war wrapper.
3. *Akparaja* as symbol of allied oath — given to a son at initiation, to an in-law as peace pact, to an allied kingdom as treaty.
4. *Beads, charms, anklets (Oyaya), animal skin, eagle feather* — *"waist wrappers, animal skins, beads and charms, anklets and rattles... recreate the image of the victorious warrior returning from a battle"*.
Today you see it everywhere from Ebem Ohafia — which just held *Orie Ekpe Ebem Ukwu on September 26, 2026* for Ikere Ji — to the diaspora villages in Igala (Ojo, Nzam), Idoma (Otukpo-Icho, Apa-Agila), Jukun (Abinsi-Wukari) and Ejagham (Ikom).
They are not mercenary settlements. They are alliance settlements where Akparaja is still kept as heirloom.
*In one line:*
Akparaja is Jukun in shape, Abiriba in steel, and Ohafia in covenant — the blade that turned war allies into kinsmen from the Benue to the Cross River.
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