THE KOMA TRIBE IN NIGERIA, WHO STILL WALK NAKED AND KILL THEIR TWINS.

                                           

the Koma people dancing naked

Read Also: DURBA FESTIVAL IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

The Koma people are found in Ganye Chiefdom, in the present Jada local government area of Adamawa State. It is a district of mountainous settlements bordering Cameroun Republic and all the inhabitants live in caves, naked. Writers have often described the hill settlements as a big animal farm because the people co-habit with animals, sharing food and drinking water sources. Worthy of note are the beautiful hanging mountainous sceneries over looking one another with valleys that combine to regulate the weather condition of the area. Koma hill is a serene hideout blessed with natural and beautiful topography and lively inhabitants who are accommodating but do things their own way.

There are about 36 settlements on the mountain top led by different clan heads or chiefs. Amazingly, too, the 36 settlements or clans have different languages but with similar dialects. They also have cultural variations. The only common or identical thing about them is geography. They all dwell on the mountain and they have similar anthropology due to long historical linkages. While those who accepted modern civilization moved down to the plain land, those who prefer to maintain the Stone Age life style remain in their cave-like settlements on the mountains and are still naked.

                       

READ ALSO

TIV TRIBE FROM BENUE STATE CENTRAL NIGERIA

THE FULANI TRIBE AND CULTURE

YORUBA CULTURE AND TRADITION


Each clan is governed by the clan leader or clan head, but once in a while they hold meeting with the agent of the government who is the district head. At such meetings they speak Fulfude and those who do not understand Fufulde contribute through an interpreter. Each time they come down for the meetings or markets in Nasarawo Koma, they wear leafs and animal skins covering only their vital parts.

The Koma people, according to findings, have respect for their chiefs, elders and the government agents, but would never trade their beliefs, culture and tradition for anything, not even money, but they are cut-off from the rest of the Nigerian societies in terms of modern civilization.“(One-quarter century) after this jaw-dropping story first hit the limelight, the people of Koma are still floundering in their ‘Dark Age.’ The Nigeria Television Authority continued that one “cold fact is that the Koma people are yet to be weaned of some of the primitive ways. There still exists a defiant few among this mountain-dwelling tribe who strut around naked or near-naked in broad daylight. Others even go to farm or come to their markets in their state of semi-nudity.”

The Koma people became recognized as Nigerians in 1961, a year after independence, along with the old provinces of northern Cameroun. Today Koma is part of the seven districts of Ganye local Government in Adamawa State.

The Koma man can share his wife with a friend or visitor, this stone age practice still exist amongst this people. The Koma people still practice the killing of twins immediately they are born ,the mother along with the twins are buried alive, because they believe the birth of twins is a sign of evil.

Read More

The Ashanti People of Ghana

 

                                        

The Ghanian Flag

Ashanti

The Ashanti live in central Ghana in the Rain forests of West Africa approximately 150 miles away from the coast. The Ashanti are a major ethnic group of the Akans (Ashanti and Fanti) in Ghana, Ghana is a fairly new nation, barely more than 50 years old, and Ghana was previously called the Gold Coast. Much of the modern nation of Ghana was dominated from the late 17th through the late 19th century by a state known as Asante. Asante was the largest and most powerful of a series of states formed in the forest region of southern Ghana by people known as the Akan. Among the factors leading the Akan to form states, perhaps the most important was that they were rich in gold. It is now politically separated into four main parts. Ashanti is in the center and Kumasi is the capital. The Ashanti are the largest tribe in Ghana and one of the few matrilineal societies in West Africa. The area of Ashanti is 9400 square miles with a population of about one million.

The Ashanti people have always been known as fierce fighters. The people of this tribe have a slogan: "If I go forward I die, If I go backward I die, Better go forward and die." When the Ashanti tribe was faced with war, they used drums to signal the upcoming battle. The beat of these drums could be heard through the dense forest. The Ashanti have a special handshake, in which you hold your left hand out to shake hands. This comes from the Ashanti's explanation that the left hand holds the shield, and the right hand holds the spears. So, in order to show your trust in someone, you put down your shield and therefore have your left hand free.

To the Ashanti, the family and the mother's clan are most important. A child is said to inherit the father's soul or spirit and from the mother a child receives flesh and blood This relates them more closely to the mother's clan. The Ashanti live in an extended family. The family lives in various homes or huts that are set up around a courtyard. The head of the household is usually the oldest brother that lives there. The elders choose him. He is called either Father or House father and is obeyed by everyone.

The Ashanti religion is a mixture of spiritual and supernatural powers. They believe that plants, animals, and trees have souls. They also believe in fairies, witches, and forest monsters. There are a variety of religious beliefs involving ancestors, higher gods, or abosom, and 'Nyame', the Supreme Being of Ashanti. The Ashanti also practice many ceremonies for marriage, death, puberty, and birth.

The golden stool is sacred to the Ashanti; today great pride in the Ashanti King lives on in the tradition of the Golden Stool. There is an elaborate legend surrounding it that is told by the old men of Ashanti. The golden stool is very carefully protected. No one has ever sat on it and since its arrival; it has not touched the ground. As an Ashanti symbol, 

the golden stool represents the worship of ancestors, well-being, and the nation of Ashanti. As a symbol of nationhood, and because if contains the sumsum or Soul of Ashanti, the Golden Stool is considered to be so sacred that no person whatsoever is allowed to sit upon it. It is kept with the strictest security and precaution; and is taken outside only on exceptionally grand occasions. Never must it come in contact with the earth or the ground. It is always lying on its own stool or on the skin of an animal such as the leopard. Ashanti's have on many occasions made great sacrifices to defend it when its safety had been threatened. In 1896 they submitted to the deportation of their King, Prempeh I, rather than resort to a war in which they feared they might suffer defeat and risk the loss of the Golden stool. They deemed the loss of their King a small thing compared with the loss of their Golden Stool.

An elegantly dressed Ashanti man

The village is a social as well as an economic unit. Everyone participates in the major ceremonies, the most frequent of which are funeral celebrations, which typically last several days. Attendance at funerals is normally expected from everyone in the village and expenditure on funerals is a substantial part of the household budget.

The Ashanti are noted for their expertise in a variety of specialized crafts. These include weaving, wood carving, ceramics, the reknown kente cloth and metallurgy. Of these crafts, only pottery making is primarily a female activity; the others are restricted to male specialists. Even in the case of pottery making, only men are allowed to fashion pots or pipes.

Bark cloth was used for clothing before weaving was introduced. With weaving, there is cotton and silk. Women may pick cotton or spin materials into thread, but only men are allowed to weave. There are different patterns in weaving, each with its own name. Sometimes the pattern represents social status, a clan, a saying, or the sex of the one wearing it. Patterns are not always woven in the cloth. It can also be stamped on in many designs.

Kente cloth is only worn in the southern half of the country and - as distinct from other forms of traditional weaving - is reserved mainly for joyous occasions. Traditionally the Kente cloth is a festival cloth worn mainly during the annual and seasonal festivals, which are happy occasions. Today they are not only used for festive occasions but also during the rituals associated with the important events of life; for example, marriage, death, and religious worship. Therefore, it is quite appropriate for outsiders to wear it for religious and festive occasions.

Wood carving is divided into many branches, each with its own specialists. Among the major products are wooden sculptures of outstanding artistic quality and the talking-drums. The Ashanti fertility doll or "Akua ba" doll is commonly found in the homes of the Ashanti and given to the females in the village to bring them closer to the spirit of Fertility Gods.

Kikogo game played by the Ashanti people

The Ashanti play an African game called "Kikogo" which means transferring and refers to players moving markers that are usually beads or stones around a wooden board that has cups or depressions similar to that of an egg carton. The game is as popular as draughts (checkers) are in the western countries.

Read More

AFRICAN CULTURE IS ONE OF THE BEST ON THE PLANET

Read More

THE TIV PEOPLE

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.

Tiv residential setting.

 READ ALSO - DURBA FESTIVAL IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

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

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

Tiv bride and groom

 READ ALSO - THE NIGERIAN FLAG

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

Tiv cat dance

 READ ALSO - THE BINI KINGDOM

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. 

Tiv traditional dancers from Benue state middle belt of Nigeria

 READ ALSO - NIGERIA AND HER HISTORY

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.

Read More

My Stay in Minna

                          

ALSO READ -THE OSUN SACRED GROVE

       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.

READ ALSO- THE YORUBA PEOPLE AND CULTURE.

           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.

READ ALSO-MINISTER DISPLAYS TAROK CULTURE

         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.

Read More

DURBA FESTIVAL IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Horse man in a Durba festival

READ ALSO-THE OSUN SACRED GROVE  

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. 

READ ALSO-THE NIGERIAN FLAG

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. 

Read Also- Ashanti tribe of Ghana

 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.

READ ALSO-THE NIGERIAN HERITAGE IN PICTURES

 

celebration of the Dubar festival in Kaduna

Read More

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 synthesis 
A 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

Read More