 Chukwu is the supreme deity in Odinani as he is the creator , and the Igbo people believe that all things come from him and that everything on earth , heaven and the rest of the spiritual world is under his control . Linguistic studies of the Igbo language suggests the name Chukwu is a compound of the Igbo words Chi ( spiritual being ) and Ukwu ( great in size ) . Each individual is born with a spiritual guide / guardian angel or guardian principle , " Chi " , unique to each individual and the individual 's fate and destiny is determined by their Chi . Thus the Igbos say that the siblings may come of the same mother but no two people have the same Chi and thus different destinies for all . Alusi , alternatively known as Arusi or <unk> ( depending on dialect ) , are minor deities that are worshiped and served in Odinani . There are many different Alusi , each with its own purpose . When an individual deity is no longer needed , or becomes too violent , it is discarded . 
