Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
THE TIV PEOPLE
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| Tiv women |
READ ALSO - MY STAY IN MINNA
INTRODUCTION
The TIV people lives on both sides of the Benue River in the middle belt region of Nigeria; they speak a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family.The Tiv are subsistence farmers whose main crops are yams, millet, and sorghum, all of which are eaten as porridge or are made more palatable by their combination in sauces and stews, the TIV people are also good hunters and they love eating most of their kills. Although goats and chickens are plentiful, few cattle are kept because of the tsetse fly.
The polygamous Tiv family occupies a cluster of round huts surrounding a reception hut; brothers usually live next to one another.
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| Tiv residential setting. |
The Tiv social organization is based on patrilineages that are closely associated with particular geographic features; in segmentary lineage systems such as the Tiv’s, a given lineage may be associated, more or less exactly, to a particular village, a group of lineages to a larger district, and so on. Genealogies go back many generations to a single ancestor; the descendants (through the male line) of each person in the genealogy thus form a territorial kinship group. The force of patrilineal descent, while dominant in Tiv institutions, is balanced by institutions such as age grades (groups of men of about the same age who provide mutual assistance and allies against lineage pressure), cooperative groups, and institutionalized friendships. Although traditionally the Tiv had no chiefs (political decisions were made by lineage elders), the British administration established a paramount chief in 1948.
The Tiv’s complex system of exchange marriage was outlawed in 1927 and was replaced by marriage with bride wealth.
Some Tivs have converted to Christianity, and a lesser number have adopted Islam; but their traditional religion, based on the manipulation of forces (akombo) entrusted to humans by a creator god, remains strong. The akombo are manifested in certain symbols or emblems and in diseases that they create. An organization of elders who have the ability to manipulate these forces meets at night to repair those manifestations of akombo (e.g., epidemics) that affect the group; these phenomena require human sacrifice or its metaphorical equivalent. The Tiv numbered about 2,500,000 in the late 20th century.
The Tiv people have
specific marriage rites that seem to be one of the most interesting
things to foreigners and strangers. It’s curious and notable that all
these rites are still alive and used by Tiv people who want to get
married. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1199698-tiv-culture-nigeria.html
The Tiv people have
specific marriage rites that seem to be one of the most interesting
things to foreigners and strangers. It’s curious and notable that all
these rites are still alive and used by Tiv people who want to get
married. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1199698-tiv-culture-nigeria.html
The Tiv people have
specific marriage rites that seem to be one of the most interesting
things to foreigners and strangers. It’s curious and notable that all
these rites are still alive and used by Tiv people who want to get
married. Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1199698-tiv-culture-nigeria.html
TIV MARRIAGES
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| Tiv wedding |
The Tiv people have specific marriage rites that seem to be one of the most interesting things to foreigners and strangers. It is curious and notable that all these rites are still alive and used by the Tiv people who want to get married. There are four methods of getting oneself a wife and here they are.
READ ALSO - THE OSUN SACRED GROVE
Getting married by exchange
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| Tiv bride and groom |
This means exactly what this means. Two men who want to have a wife meet and agree to exchange the women they already have. These may be each other’s daughters or each other’s current wives. This way of getting married is called yamshe. Of course, the deal will be sealed only if both of them have women suitable for the exchange.
Getting married by capture
This way of getting married is called kwase-ngohol. It means capturing another man’s wife while her husband is away. This is one of the most traditional ways of getting oneself a wife dating back to the times when the tribe was migrating all the time. Actually, this habit of stealing other men’s wives caused a range of wars and confrontations within the ethnic group. However, there’s another way of "capturing wives". This is a far nobler way that’s respected a lot, unlike the described above. A man needs to go to another country and take his friends with him. The entire group chooses communities where they are going to look for single unmarried women. Then, they go to those communities and start to perform traditional dances in the eyes of the chosen women. The women are naturally attracted to the skilled dancers and go out to watch them. Such a way of capturing women’s hearts is called lye. As a rule, the chosen women agree to go with the dancers and become their wives. This is a romantic and sweet way and many women love it sincerely.Getting married by purchase
Everything you need to do is capture a girl as a slave and get married to her. That’s it, nothing complicated as it looks. However, this is the way that’s not as popular as it used to be hundreds of years ago. Today, the Tiv use more civilized ways of getting married.READ ALSO - THE FULANI TRIBE AND PEOPLE
Getting married by paying a bride price
First, a man needs to send plenty of gifts to the family of the bride. The gifts are being sent until the family says that they are finally satisfied. When they are, the groom can finally get down to paying the bride’s own price. This is the prevailing way of getting married in the modern Tiv lands. However, in most cases, young people don’t start with paying the bride price off. Now, it’s allowed that they stayed together as a couple for a while and then decided to pay the bride price or not.TIV CULTURAL DANCE AND SONG
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| Tiv cat dance |
In the Tiv culture, music and dancing are a certain specific form of communication. They have a range of unique musical instruments, which they skillfully play, and a number of lovely dances, which they perform for different occasions. There are dances that attract sweethearts, there are ancient ritual dances, and modern ones that are performed at diverse festive occasions. Songs are still an effective means of communication between people and between people and the nature. The Tiv still believe in rainmakers and their powers, in the strength of herbalists and wizards of all types. All this influences their life greatly and implies the appearance of new habits and customs, new songs and dances.
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| Tiv traditional dancers from Benue state middle belt of Nigeria |
The dances and songs are closely connected to the beliefs of the Tiv tribe. In spite of the fact that their ancestors have been Christianized successfully and that a part of the people accepted Islam, they do believe in the human ability to manipulate natural forces. If something happens like an epidemic disease, the ones who can rule these powers go outside at night and perform ancient rituals to repair the damage.
Source- Encyclopedia Britanica and Naij.
Monday, January 14, 2019
My Stay in Minna
The word sojourn may sound very big for some people but we are no
stranger to the situation in Nigeria where people pay less attention to
unity and togetherness rather they find refuge in aligning with their
kin mainly along tribal and religious lines, universally accepted norms
and values of civility and relationship with fellow humankind is a mere
fallacy to some people. Who is to be blamed for this major digression
from unity and tolerating fellow humans? The answer to this question is
quite complicated, looking at the ordeals that various minority tribes
have passed through over the years and the post independence era in Nigeria e.g the Nazi government lead by the FUHRER ADOLF HITLER embarked on an onslaught to purge Jews
in Germany, led to the premature death of over 6 million innocent Jews
and non Nazi Germans. We should ask ourselves a pertinent question in
this regard, if peradventure considering the crimes committed against
the Jewish nation ,now over 30 years later, who should a Jew believe or trust more? a Nazi or his fellow Jew?
If the affirmative answer is to the latter then you are absolutely
correct, it is psychological and the supreme rule of self preservation.
Or it may be love and overzealous proclivity to issues that relates to
tribe,religion and race.
Coming down to Nigeria
our home sweet home Nigeria, We naturally seem to be tribalistic and
clannish, but the truth is that it was passed on from generations to
generations, on the issue of tribalism and religious sentiments, parents
have passed on a dangerous legacy to their descendants by pitching a
tribe or religion as their generational enemies and this will be passed
on from generation to generation. A very good example of this is the Jos
crises which has led to the death of thousands, the continuous unending
violence between Christians and Muslims
is partly as a result of eroded generational legacies been passed on
from generation to generation. The once beautiful city of Jos is now
sharply divided along religious and tribal lines, a particular tribe or
religion find it difficult to venture into the community of the other
side if he or she does take the risk been subjected to harassment or to
pay the ultimate price.
In addition the founding fathers of the nation Nigeria
really got it wrong when policies to deprive Nigerians based on the
religion they practice and the language they speak or where they come
was put in the front burner. A good example is the Northernization
policy of the former premier of the Northern region of Nigeria Sir
Ahmadu Bello or Biafra by Odumegu Ojukwu.
Saturday, January 12, 2019
DURBA FESTIVAL IN NORTHERN NIGERIA
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| Horse man in a Durba festival |
The Dubar festival is an annual festival celebrated in several cities of Nigeria.
This festival marks the end of Ramadan and is also shared with eid el
Kabir and eid el Fitri, Muslim holidays. It begins with prayers,
followed by a parade of the Emir and his entourage on horses,
accompanied by musicians, and ending at the Emir's palace. Durbar
festivals are organised in cities such as Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zaria and Bida, and are considered tourist attractions.
History
The Durbar festival was introduced to Nigeria by colonial administrators with political objectives in mind. The word Durbar is of Persian
origin and it was first linked to ceremonial assemblies marking the
proclamation of Queen Victoria as the Empress of colonial India in 1877.
In Nigeria, the events then were ceremonial in nature, the first Durbar
was held in 1911, subsequent ceremonies were held in 1924, 1925, 1948,
1960 and 1972. The ceremonies linked together pre-colonial aspects of
martial display, colonist created assemblies and celebrations of
important events in Northern Nigeria.
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| celebration of the Dubar festival in Kaduna |
THE OSUN SACRED GROVE
READ ALSO-THE NIGERIAN FLAG
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove
The dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove, on the outskirts of the city of Osogbo, is one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria. Regarded as the abode of the goddess of fertility Osun, one of the pantheon of Yoruba gods, the landscape of the grove and its meandering river is dotted with sanctuaries and shrines, sculptures and art works in honour of Osun and other deities. The sacred grove, which is now seen as a symbol of identity for all Yoruba people, is probably the last in Yoruba culture. It testifies to the once widespread practice of establishing sacred groves outside all settlements.READ ALSO-NIGERIAN HERITAGE IN PICTURES
Outstanding Universal Value
Brief synthesisA century ago there were many sacred groves in Yorubaland: every town had one. Most of these groves have now been abandoned or have shrunk to quite small areas. Osun-Osogbo, in the heart of Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, founded some 400 years ago in southwest Nigeria, at a distance of 250 km from Lagos is the largest sacred grove to have survived and one that is still revered.
The dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove is some of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria. Through the forest meanders the river Osun, the spiritual abode of the river goddess Osun. Set within the forest sanctuary are forty shrines, sculptures and art works erected in honour of Osun and other Yoruba deities, many created in the past forty years, two palaces, five sacred places and nine worship points strung along the river banks with designated priests and priestesses.
The new art installed in the grove has also differentiated it from other groves: Osogbo is now unique in having a large component of 20th century sculpture created to reinforce the links between people and the Yoruba pantheon, and the way in which Yoruba towns linked their establishment and growth to the spirits of the forest.
The restoration of the grove by artists has given the grove a new importance: it has become a sacred place for the whole of Yorubaland and a symbol of identity for the wider Yoruba Diaspora.
READ ALSO-NUPE PEOPLE AND CULTURE
The Grove is an active religious site where daily, weekly and monthly
worship takes place. In addition, an annual processional festival to
re-establish the mystic bonds between the goddess and the people of the
town occurs every year over twelve days in July and August and thus
sustains the living cultural traditions of the Yoruba people.
The Grove is also a natural herbal pharmacy containing over 400 species of plants, some endemic, of which more than 200 species are known for their medicinal uses.
Criterion (ii): The development of the Movement of New Sacred Artists and the absorption of Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian artist, into the Yoruba community have proved to be a fertile exchange of ideas that revived the sacred Osun Grove.
Criterion (iii): The Osun Sacred Grove is the largest and perhaps the only remaining example of a once widespread phenomenon that used to characterise every Yoruba settlement. It now represents Yoruba sacred Groves and their reflection of Yoruba cosmology.
Criterion (vi): The Osun Grove is a tangible expression of Yoruba divinatory and cosmological systems; its annual festival is a living thriving and evolving response to Yoruba beliefs in the bond between people, their ruler and the Osun goddess.
Integrity
The property encompasses almost the whole of the sacred grove and certainly all that has been restored over the forty years before inscription. Some of the recent sculptures are vulnerable to lack of regular maintenance which given their materials – cement, iron and mud – could lead to potentially difficult and expensive conservation problems.
The Grove is also vulnerable to over-visiting and visitor pressure that could erode the equilibrium between the natural aspects and people necessary to sustain the spiritual qualities of the site.
READ ALSO-CULTURE AND TRADITION OF THE YORUBA PEOPLE
Authenticity
The authenticity of the Grove is related to its value as a sacred place. The sacred nature of places can only be continually reinforced if that sacredness is widely respected. Over the past forty years the new sculptures in the Grove have had the effect of reinforcing the special qualities of the Grove and giving it back its spiritual qualities that imbue it with high cultural value.
At the same time the new sculptures are part of a long and continuing tradition of sculptures created to reflect Yoruba cosmology. Although their form reflects a new stylistic departure, the works were not created to glorify the artists but rather through their giant size and intimidating shapes to re-establish the sacredness of the Grove. The new sculptures have achieved their purpose and the Grove now has wider than local significance as a sacred place for the Yoruba people.
READ ALSO-FULANI TRIBE AND CULTURE
Protection and management requirements
The Grove was first declared a National Monument in 1965. This original designation was amended and expanded in 1992 to protect the entire 75 hectares. The Nigerian Cultural Policy of 1988 states that ‘The State shall preserve as Monuments old city walls and gates, sites, palaces, shrines, public buildings, promote buildings of historical significance and monumental sculptures’. Under the Land Use Act of 1990 the Federal Government of Nigeria conferred trusteeship of the Grove to the Government of Osun State.
The Grove had a well-developed management plan covering the period 2004 – 2009 that was adopted by all stakeholders and the site enjoys a participatory management system. The Federal Government administers the site through a site manager of the National Commission for Museums and Monument as empowered by Decree 77 of 1979. Osun State Government equally contributes to its protection and management through its respective Local Governments, Ministries and Parastatals, who are also empowered by the state edicts to manage state monuments.
The community’s traditional responsibilities and cultural rites are exercised through the Ataoja (King) and his council - the Osogbo Cultural Heritage Council. There are traditional activities that have been used to protect the site from any form of threats such as traditional laws, myths, taboos and customs that forbid people from fishing, hunting, poaching, felling of trees and farming.
The traditional worshippers and devotees maintain the intangible heritage through spiritualism, worship and symbolism. There is a management committee made up of all cadres of stakeholders, that implements policies, actions and activities for the sustainable development of the site.
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is also part of National Tourism development Master Plan that was established with World Tourism Organization (WTO) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The annual Osun Osogbo festival will need to be better managed so that the site will no longer suffer from adverse impacts of tourism during the festival.
The Grove will also serve as a model of African heritage that preserves the tangible and intangible values of the Osogbo people in particular, and the entire Yoruba people. As a source of pride to them, the Grove will remain a living thriving heritage that has traditional landmarks and a veritable means of transfer of traditional religion, and indigenous knowledge systems, to African people in the Diaspora.
source-UNESCO
The Grove is also a natural herbal pharmacy containing over 400 species of plants, some endemic, of which more than 200 species are known for their medicinal uses.
Criterion (ii): The development of the Movement of New Sacred Artists and the absorption of Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian artist, into the Yoruba community have proved to be a fertile exchange of ideas that revived the sacred Osun Grove.
Criterion (iii): The Osun Sacred Grove is the largest and perhaps the only remaining example of a once widespread phenomenon that used to characterise every Yoruba settlement. It now represents Yoruba sacred Groves and their reflection of Yoruba cosmology.
Criterion (vi): The Osun Grove is a tangible expression of Yoruba divinatory and cosmological systems; its annual festival is a living thriving and evolving response to Yoruba beliefs in the bond between people, their ruler and the Osun goddess.
Integrity
The property encompasses almost the whole of the sacred grove and certainly all that has been restored over the forty years before inscription. Some of the recent sculptures are vulnerable to lack of regular maintenance which given their materials – cement, iron and mud – could lead to potentially difficult and expensive conservation problems.
The Grove is also vulnerable to over-visiting and visitor pressure that could erode the equilibrium between the natural aspects and people necessary to sustain the spiritual qualities of the site.
READ ALSO-CULTURE AND TRADITION OF THE YORUBA PEOPLE
Authenticity
The authenticity of the Grove is related to its value as a sacred place. The sacred nature of places can only be continually reinforced if that sacredness is widely respected. Over the past forty years the new sculptures in the Grove have had the effect of reinforcing the special qualities of the Grove and giving it back its spiritual qualities that imbue it with high cultural value.
At the same time the new sculptures are part of a long and continuing tradition of sculptures created to reflect Yoruba cosmology. Although their form reflects a new stylistic departure, the works were not created to glorify the artists but rather through their giant size and intimidating shapes to re-establish the sacredness of the Grove. The new sculptures have achieved their purpose and the Grove now has wider than local significance as a sacred place for the Yoruba people.
READ ALSO-FULANI TRIBE AND CULTURE
Protection and management requirements
The Grove was first declared a National Monument in 1965. This original designation was amended and expanded in 1992 to protect the entire 75 hectares. The Nigerian Cultural Policy of 1988 states that ‘The State shall preserve as Monuments old city walls and gates, sites, palaces, shrines, public buildings, promote buildings of historical significance and monumental sculptures’. Under the Land Use Act of 1990 the Federal Government of Nigeria conferred trusteeship of the Grove to the Government of Osun State.
The Grove had a well-developed management plan covering the period 2004 – 2009 that was adopted by all stakeholders and the site enjoys a participatory management system. The Federal Government administers the site through a site manager of the National Commission for Museums and Monument as empowered by Decree 77 of 1979. Osun State Government equally contributes to its protection and management through its respective Local Governments, Ministries and Parastatals, who are also empowered by the state edicts to manage state monuments.
The community’s traditional responsibilities and cultural rites are exercised through the Ataoja (King) and his council - the Osogbo Cultural Heritage Council. There are traditional activities that have been used to protect the site from any form of threats such as traditional laws, myths, taboos and customs that forbid people from fishing, hunting, poaching, felling of trees and farming.
The traditional worshippers and devotees maintain the intangible heritage through spiritualism, worship and symbolism. There is a management committee made up of all cadres of stakeholders, that implements policies, actions and activities for the sustainable development of the site.
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove is also part of National Tourism development Master Plan that was established with World Tourism Organization (WTO) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The annual Osun Osogbo festival will need to be better managed so that the site will no longer suffer from adverse impacts of tourism during the festival.
The Grove will also serve as a model of African heritage that preserves the tangible and intangible values of the Osogbo people in particular, and the entire Yoruba people. As a source of pride to them, the Grove will remain a living thriving heritage that has traditional landmarks and a veritable means of transfer of traditional religion, and indigenous knowledge systems, to African people in the Diaspora.
source-UNESCO
Friday, January 11, 2019
THE NIGERIAN FLAG
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| The Union jack and the Nigerian flag |
The first ever flag used by Nigeria was the Union Jack. This was the official flag of the United Kingdom and because Nigeria was a British colony, the flag became the default flag of this colony. The Union Flag is also a ceremonial flag in some Commonwealth countries. For instance, it is a ceremonial flag in Canada by parliamentary resolution and known there as the Royal Union Flag. Nigeria relinquished the Union Jack in 1960 when it became an independent nation. The flag was replaced by the Green White Green flag.
NIGERIAN MINSTER DISPLAYS CULTURE
However, the Nigerian government has formulated certain set of rules to be followed while unfurling this particular national symbol of high importance. While hoisting the National Flag it should be ceremoniously flown in the morning during sunrise and lowered at sunset as according to them a flag of national importance does not sleep. It's also important to note that the national flag of Nigeria should be hung or half flown on days of state funerals or important memorial days. If in any case, the flag is in a room, then no other flag should be placed higher than that. If the flag is torn out it shouldn't be flown or used but rather burned or destroyed.
READ ALSO NIGERIA AND HER HISTORY
The importance of national flag of Nigeria lies in the fact that each color represents the rich cultural heritage of the country. As the green color represents the fertile land and agricultural diversity of the land while the white stands for peace and unity at the same time representative of the Niger River that passes through the whole country and is invariably a part of its geographical identity.
Thus, the national flag of Nigeria truly reflects the Nigerian nationalistic fervor and sentiments.
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FULANI TRIBE AND CULTURE
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
NIGERIAN HERITAGE IN PICTURES
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| RICH IGBO WOMEN FROM EASTERN NIGERIA ADORNED WITH ELEPHANT TUSK |
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| EMIR OF KATSINA AND HIS CHIEFS ASTONISHED AND ADMIRING A TRAFFIC LIGHT THE HAVE JUST SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME. |
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| MURTALA MOHAMMED HIS WIFE AND TWO BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, HE WAS NIGERIAS MILITARY PRESIDENT WHO WAS ASSASINATED |
