Tiv

The Tiv are an important people who number about 7 million in Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv are divided into two patrilineal descent lines from the original ancestor Tiv. This ancestor had two sons, Chongo and Pusu. A Tiv person is either a member of MbaChongo, descendants of Chongo, or MbaPusu, descendants of Pusu. These descent lines are further divided into several major branches. These branches are often further divided until one has the smallest unit of the lineage called the ipaven. One could be in an ipaven, but also a member of the kinship community called the tar.

Like a few other ethnic groups in Africa, the Tiv have no kings, chiefs, or councils. The idea of leadership exists, but is based on age, personal influence, and industry. The idea of clans, kindreds, and family groups is a European classification of the Tiv structure. They are governed by those individuals who best represent the interests of the family because of their age and wisdom.

The Almighty Creator among the Tiv is called Aondo. This name refers to the Sky Deity who created the entire universe. However, once Aondo had created the Earth and the universe he left humans to themselves. The Tiv must rely on their ancestral spirits instead of Aondo for personal matters. Although one does not pray to ancestors or worship ancestors, one can make offerings to them just to ensure that the world remains stable.

The Tiv used many musical instruments for specific religious and social purposes. For example, the [Page 665]kakaki instrument was used to announce important community events. Among the Tiv, the kakaki was used to announce a birth, a marriage, or a death. They also used the ilyu, a wooden instrument, to call members to the public square, the palace of the leader, or the market. The indyer was used for all festivals, ceremonies, celebrations, and masquerades. Also, the agbande and ageda instruments were employed in the festivals. However, the adiguve, a stringed instrument, was used for dancing. It could also be played when announcing the death of a leader. Therefore, the Tiv of Benue State in Nigeria and Cameroon use their traditional instruments to maintain their cultural community.

The Tiv created a system of marriage, where each man was the guardian of his sister, and at the time of marriage the sister was exchanged for another man's sister who then became his wife. This form of marriage caused many arguments and violent outbursts among family members. It was discontinued during the British intervention in 1927. Marriage by bride price became the subsequent form of gaining a spouse after the prohibition of the exchange system.

Religion among the Tiv centers on ancestral respect. A community can only create harmony and balance by attending to the needs of the patri-lineal lineage ancestors. To assist the people with the ordinary situations of daily life, the culture defines akombo, magical forces, as the key to interpreting the meanings of life. One is said to have mastered or used akombo effectively when one employs the emblems necessary to harness the best powers of the ancestors. A person who masters the akombo is a diviner who might be used to carry out certain rituals for curing the community of evil. Most men study the traditions and learn the secrets of mastery of akombo to protect their kinship lineage. Using their knowledge, the diviners ensure that the community is protected from all forms of disrepair and evil. They learn to use decorative art, sculpture, and graphic symbols to control akombo. Of course, akombo is not alone in the process of community survival. There are no shrines or temples to akombo because no particular personalities are attached to them. Each akombo might be tied to a disease or symptom that would need to be regulated by sacrifice or some other form of intervention such as medicinal rituals. The akombo exist, but must be activated by tsav that might be called charisma, talent, energy, dynamism, or ability. One can employ tsav to create a new environment for a family or establish an authoritative interpretation of some event. Some people even claim that tsav is evil or people can manipulate tsav for wicked purposes. However, it is clearly used by some to protect, pacify, ritualize, and galvanize the ancestral world. Those people who possess the value of tsav are said to be the mbatsav.

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