Book
A source book on Tiv religion
Human Relations Area Files • New Haven, Conn. • Published In 1969 • Pages: 5 v. (xv, 802 leaves)
By: Bohannan, Paul, Bohannan, Laura.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This compendium presents reworked field notes on a number of subjects related to Tiv religion, particularly on witchcraft. It is divided into five volumes, paginated consecutively. The first volume contains data on general religious beliefs, ethno-conceptions about both nature and man, sickness, nutrition and reproduction. The second volume concentrates on some of the key elements of Tiv religion, such as, TSAV (a substance which grows on the heart, inadequately translated as 'witchcraft potential'), MBATSAV (a society of those who have TSAV, or 'men of ability), and SWEM and SAssWOOD (sacred objects and means of controlling the actions of the MBATSAV). The third volume contains material on AKOMBO, a quite involved religious concept which in a very narrow sense means magical emblems and magical forces. The AKOMBO differs from the GREAT AKOMBO (the content of the fourth volume) in that it affects individuals while the GREAT AKOMBO is the matter of social groups with different sets of emblems and sacrifices. The principles of classification of AKOMBO and its components and symbols are framed in the fifth volume. The researcher may find reading pp. 629-630 helpful for understanding the AKOMBO concept. The last chapter contains data on rituals in the life cycle, particularly those grouping around childbirth and funerals.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Sickness
- Religious beliefs
- Religious practices
- Magicians and diviners
- Organized ceremonial
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Tiv
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 1998
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Western Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Dubravka Schmalzbauer ; Sigrid Khera ; 1971-1972
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1949-1953
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1949-1953
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Benue State, Nigeria
- NotesAdditional notes
- Paul and Laura Bohannan
- The subject Sorcery (754) has been used for TSAV and MBATSAV, and Trial Procedure (695), Ritual (788) or Magic (789) for SWEM and SAssWOOD. Sibjects Sacred Objects and Places (778) and Magic (789) have been used as the basic categories for the AKOMBO, and subjects Theory of Disease (753), Sorcery (754), Magic and mental therapy (755), Life and Death (761), Prayers and Sacrifices (782), Ritual (788), and Organized Ceremonials (796) have been used for various aspects of the same.
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 82202859
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Tiv (African people)