Today, our edition of the community survey will guide us through a look through the life of one of the most unique Nigeria tribe, the Tiv ethnic group. They are regarded as the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria, with a population of over seven million and a historical account which merges Nigeria and Cameroon.together.
Early historical account of the Tiv tribe.
It was recorded that the earliest contact the Tivs had with the European colonisers was in 1852 when they were found on the banks of the river Benue, though it is also claimed that they had wandered through southern, south-central and west-central Africa before arriving at the savannah lands of West African Sudan via the River Congo and Cameroon Mountains.
They came into contact with European culture during the colonial period. During November 1907 to spring 1908, an expedition of the Southern Nigeria Regiment led by a British missionary, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Trenchard‘s came into contact with the Tivs. Trenchard brought gifts for the tribal chiefs and thus, was able to convince them if the inestimable project they had at hand for their people. Eventually, roads were built and trade links established between Europeans and the Tiv indigenes. But before most of these establishments began, a certain missionary named Mary Slessor went throughout the region seeing to the people’s needs.
However, regardless of the numerous views held about their origin, most historians believe that the ancestors of this collective people could be traced to the Bantu people who once inhabited the Central African continent, in the Shaba area of the present Democratic Republic of Congo.
Community Condition/Means Of Earning
The Tiv indigenes are mostly 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. Although goats and chickens are plentiful, few cattle are kept because of the presence of tsetse fly.
The polygamous Tiv family occupies a cluster of round huts surrounding a reception hut; brothers usually live next to one another. Their social organization is based on patri-lineages that are closely associated with distinct geographic features; in segmentary lineage systems such as the Tivs, 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.
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good: His love endures forever."
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.
It should also be noted that traditionally, the Tiv had no chiefs (political decisions were made by lineage elders), the British administration tried to establish a paramount chief to oversee leadership functions in 1948. The Tiv’s complex system of exchange marriage was outlawed in 1927 and was replaced by marriage with bridewealth.
Their Culture And Lifestyle
Dressing Code
Since time immemorial, the Tiv people have perfected the art of weaving; a craft that has been passed down from generation to generation. Tiv people favor their traditional attire to any other form of attire due to the strong cultural identity it commands.
The ange is Tiv most popular form of attire. It is made up of white and black stripes woven together to form a beautiful design. There is Tugudu which is used strictly for burying dead ones. The women of Tiv like to put on a special fabric known as Ivvavtyo which is worn during important occasions. Other fabrics used by the Tiv people are Lishi, Gbev-whaa, Godo, Gurugu, Chado, Deremen and Gbagir.
The Tiv people apply a very meticulous process in making their fabrics. It takes about a day for one person to weave, dye and prepare the fabric for sale. The fabric is greatly patronize by many people and it has helped to boost the economy of the country.
Burial rites
The Tiv people attach great significance to the burial of their loved ones. The burial is steeped in their local customs. The process starts with the sending of messages to Takurudu who is regarded as the ancestor of the Tiv people. This is usually done with the aid of musical instrument such as Idya or Ilyu.
Through that means, he is duly informed of the death of the person and told to await the arrival of the dead in the ancestral world where he would welcome him/her with open arms
On the day of the burial, the corpse would be washed by elderly woman and wrapped in Ange, Tugudu or Gbagir attire. Usually, the corpse of the deceased is buried within 24 hours and no coffin is used.
Language and communication
The Tiv language is spoken by about 7 million people in Nigeria with a few speakers in Cameroon. Most of the people who speak the language in Nigeria are found in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States of the country. The language is also widely spoken in the Nigerian States of Plateau, Nasarawa and Cross River, as well as the FCT Abuja.
Also, they still practise some of their ancient traditional system of communication till today, using the Kakais, Agbande, Indyer, Suffice and Ilyu etc. Nevertheless the increase in the western world media is threatening the cultural communication system.
Many of the communities in Benue state still use their instruments to convey messages to the people of their community, and it is helping a great deal, since there is a language barrier to the people with the introduction of the western world means of communication, using the western language (English) to pass across information to the indigenes of community.
A big thank you for the time devoted to reading through this survey about this unique tribe. The next account on it would focus on the religions which the people of this tribe practice and then, ways of improvements.
