Book
Tiv religion
Ibadan University Press • [Ibadan, Nigeria] • Published In 1971 • Pages:
By: Downes, Rupert Major.
Abstract
Major Downes, a colonial officer in 1930s Nigeria, presents a first hand account of Tiv religion as practiced in that period. For the Tiv, the natural, social and supernatural world are inextricably linked. For example, the TAR is a concept that refers to the lineage, the land it occupies and the souls of all the ancestors. Every natural object has a counterpart in a supernatural energy or force. Only elders initiated into specific rites can affect these forces for good or ill. Elders are the cause of all the good and evil in Tiv society, their good intentions augment fertility and productivity, but their bad intentions bring sickness and death. Elders carry out the AKOMBO rites which counteract evil and right wrongs. Also, in secret rituals at night, the souls of elders meet and consume the souls of agnates in a sacrificial act that benefits the TAR. Witches 'eat flesh' for selfish ends, and sometimes cause a person to unwittingly eat the soul of kinsman creating a flesh debt between groups which must be reciprocated, yet can never be annulled.
- HRAF PubDate
- 1998
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Western Africa
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Government Official
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 1996
- Field Date
- 1930s
- Coverage Date
- 1930s
- Coverage Place
- Benue State, Nigeria
- Notes
- by R. M. Downes ; with a foreword by James W. Robertson
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCCN
- 72191270
- LCSH
- Tiv (African people)