How Many Blessings do Tiv Elders have? By IorliamAmo Shija For the years that I have been practicing community journalism, one of the commonest events that one has to report is a politicians visit to his elders, community leaders, traditional rulers and the likes, seeking for blessings to carry out a political exercise;especially, to seek for an elective post. At venue where the elders are gathered, the politician stands humbly in their middle, tries to say why he or she is seeking for the particular office and begs for ,iveren or bleesing to enable him win the election. Among the elders or traditional rulers, as the case may be, some few people are selected to talk.To say what they think about the visitors desire. One elder after another would mumble something like, yes, he is our son, so there is nothing wrong in blessing him. There are so many ways that over time, I have observed, politicians are blessed, but there are two most commonest. The first is the laying of hands on his or her head with the politician kneeling(this one is done especially by the traditional rulers.) The other is reffered to as ichegher. In case of the latter, carried out especially by the elders of the land, the politician is called forward, the ground is watered and a piece of mud is scooped by one of the elders and put on the politicians toe. He or she stands blessed by this exercise and expected, the politician leaves with the hope that he has been giving fatherly luck to go and win. What is wrong with blessing a son or daughter who wants to go for any venture; not to talk of Politics? There is nothing wrong,methinks, especially among highly spiritual people like the Tiv who cherish the luck that accrues from the blessings of elders and their royals. I think That is why, these politicians crave desperately for traditional blessing. After the traditional rites, the politician gives out some cash as transport to the traditional rulers or elders as the case may be. This concept of tranport or injar mato and its effects on tiv politics and culture is a phenomenon that one might address seperately, so there is no time mixing it up with the main issue here. The issue at hand is, how many blessings do Tiv elders and their traditional rulers have to give out for their several sons vying for thesame office? How effective are these blessings that are dished out to every contestant that comes calling? For everybody that comes, there is thesame blessing! In the end, how do these blessings work? Or are others merely deceived since it must be just be one person that will win the election eventually or how does these blessings that our traditional people are giving left and right become effective eventually, when the winner emarges? There is a common argument they give in defence! you dont reject a son or daughter a blessing , I dont know how appropriate this argument is, but could we also say, it is the desperation of politicians for blessing that is causing the proliferation of blessings; inspite of the fact that the way some of these are administered on the politicians look fake and suspicious?
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 07:31:22 +0000
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