Ala
Ala is the supreme earth goddess of the Igbo people, the highest alusi in the Igbo pantheon. Her name literally means "earth" or "land." Ala is the goddess of fertility, morality, death, and creativity. She holds the deceased ancestors in her womb, rules over the underworld, and enforces Igbo law and customs (omenala). Crimes and taboos are called "nso Ala" — desecration of the earth. Her sacred messenger is the python (eke), which is so revered that killing one requires full human burial rites. Every Igbo village maintains an Ala shrine (ihu Ala) where community decisions are made. Ala is res