Book

Justice and judgment among the Tiv

Published for the International African Institute by the Oxford University Press • Published In 1968 • Pages:

By: Bohannan, Paul.

Abstract
This comprehensive account of the Tiv judicial system is based on 73 cases recorded by Bohannan, his assistants, and court scribes, and interviews with judges. The Tiv judicial system is divided among magistrates' courts, district or native courts, and what Bohannan refers to as moots, which are informal lineage-based tribunals. The magistrates' courts are based on a code of law and adjudicate disputes between the largest lineage segments which in the past redressed wrongs through warfare. The native courts hear cases within the largest lineage segment largely concerning failure to pay debts or brideprice. Moots deal with cases internal to the smallest lineage segment where a complex history of grievances is often too delicate to sort out, and the need to maintain the integrity of the group is paramount. Moots often occur during funerals when rights and obligations among kin have to be reasserted. At this level the accusations of witchcraft and the establishment of protective fetishes demarcate and reconstitute the lineage's moral structure.
Subjects
Borrowing and lending
Marriage
Lineages
Informal in-group justice
Law
Justice
Sorcery
Sacred objects and places
culture
Tiv
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Western Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 1996
Field Date
1949-1953
Coverage Date
1907-1953
Coverage Place
Benue State, Nigeria
Notes
Paul Bohannan
Reprinted (with a new preface)
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
71389113
LCSH
Tiv (African people)