Ipusu

Ipusu is an ancestral figure in the oral traditions of the Tiv people of central Nigeria. He is traditionally regarded as one of the two principal sons of Tiv, alongside Ichongo, and as the ancestor of one of the two principal genealogical divisions of Tiv society.[1] In a commonly recorded classification, the Ipusu division comprises the Shitire, Ukum, Kparev and Tongov groups.[2]

Oral traditions

According to one tradition, Takuruku married Aliwe and had two sons, Tiv and Uke. Tiv left his parents and married Ayaaya. He had two sons, Ipusu and Ichongo, whose descendants became the two main divisions of the Tiv people. Nomishan explains the names of the two groups, saying that the descendants of Ipusu are referred to as Ipusu-akem while the Ichongo-akem are those of Ichongo.[1] The relationship is traditionally represented as:

Tiv
IpusuIchongo

Meaning of the name

The name Ipusu signifies ‘uncircumcised’, in contrast to Ichongo that signifies ‘circumcised’. Nomishan also explains the name Ipusu-akem as meaning ‘land that is without stones and good for farming’, and says that Tivland had been a ‘fertile land’, and the expression 'ipusunya' referred to ‘soft’ and ‘good’ soil.[1]

Descendants and lineages

There is also variation in tradition regarding the descendants of Ipusu. Torkula mentions Shitire, Kum and Kpar as Ipusu’s descendants but notes the disagreement over the position of Tongo: while Makar placed Tongo under Ipusu,[3] Akiga related him to both Ipusu and Ichongo. Akiga’s account also names Shitire, Kpar, Kum and Tongo as sons of Ipusu and links their descendants to Shitire, Kparev, Ukum and Tongov clans respectively.[4]

Ndera similarly identifies four groups as the descendants of Ipusu:

  • Shitire
  • Ukum
  • Kparev
  • Tongov[2]

Role in Tiv society

The descendants of Ipusu are members of the wider Tiv society that has a segmentary lineage organization. According to Torkula, the Tiv social organization is patrilineal with tar being a territorial division inhabited by families that are descended from a common ancestor. The whole of the Tiv society known as Tar Tiv is divided into communities or ityar that are linked genealogically to either Ipusu or Ichongo, the two sons of Tiv.[3]

Laura Bohannan also used genealogies to describe the Tiv social organization. She too saw Tiv as a society of segmented lineages but noted that genealogies revealed the relationships between the segments and served as a charter for the society’s structure.[5]

Ndera notes that Shitire, Ukum, Kparev and Tongov are the four sub-divisions of the Tiv people that trace their origin from Ipusu. However, studies on the settlement patterns of the Tiv show that the distribution of the people did not follow their genealogies. Ugbegili and Gbamwuan document migrations of Tiv people into the plains from the Ibenda hills during severe droughts. The migrants comprised people from various social groups who settled among other Tivs already living in the plains.[6]

Migration and settlement

The oral traditions provide information on the migration of the Tiv people from the Ibenda hills to their current location. Nomishan explains that Shitire, Masev, Iharev, and Ugondo went to the plains of Ibinda, while the others from the Tiv family went to different places.[1] Akiga tells a similar story but explains that after the migration from the Ibenda hills the Shitire left with Ugondo and Turan, while Ukum went with Kparev, Masev and Iharev.[4]

This migration of the Tiv away from Ibenda hills to settle in different locations did not follow their social groups. According to Ugbegili and Gbamwuan, the migrants from the hills settled among other Tivs in the plains. This resulted in people from different social groups settling together.[6]

Variation on the oral traditions

There are inconsistencies in oral traditions on the origin of the Tiv people. While Torkula records traditions that identify Tiv as the ancestor of all the Tiv people, other traditions attribute the foundation of the Tiv society to Takuruku, Anyamazenga, Karagbe, Shon, Gbe, Akem or Awange. Torkula notes the variations in oral traditions on the origin of the Tiv but observes that Tiv genealogies are mainly about the descendants of Ichongo and Ipusu.[3]

The accounts on the descendants of Ipusu also differ. Torkula records Shitire, Kum and Kpar as Ipusu’s descendants but notes the disagreement over the position of Tongo: while Makar placed Tongo under Ipusu, Akiga related him to both Ipusu and Ichongo. Akiga’s account also names Shitire, Kpar, Kum and Tongo as sons of Ipusu and links their descendants to Shitire, Kparev, Ukum and Tongov clans respectively. Ndera also talks about Shitire, Ukum, Kparev and Tongov as the main sub-divisions of the Tiv that trace their origin from Ipusu.[3][4] Ndera similarly identifies Shitire, Ukum, Kparev and Tongov as the principal groups descended from Ipusu.[2]

These variations in traditions occurred within the context of genealogies that showed the relationship between different segments of the Tiv society. Bohannan observed that genealogies revealed social relations between the Tiv and served as a charter.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Nomishan, Terngu S. (2020). "Perspectives on the Origin, Genealogical Narration, Early Migrations and Settlement Morphology of the Tiv of Central Nigeria" (PDF). International Journal of Academic Pedagogical Research. 4 (8): 26–32.
  2. 1 2 3 Ndera, Jonathan D. (2013). "Archaeological Perspectives on the Origins and Migrations of the Tiv in the Benue Valley of Nigeria". Journal of Tourism and Heritage Studies. 2 (2): 14–23. doi:10.33281/JTHS20129.2013.2.2.2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Torkula, Alfred Akawe (2001). A Survey of the Marriage and Burial Institutions amongst the Tiv of Central Nigeria (PhD dissertation). p. 16.
  4. 1 2 3 Akiga, Sai. Bergsma, Harold M.; Akiga, Martin L. (eds.). History of the Tiv (PDF). p. 137.
  5. 1 2 Bohannan, Laura (1952). "A Genealogical Charter". Africa. 22 (4): 301–315. doi:10.2307/1156915.
  6. 1 2 Ugbegili, Sylvester I.; Gbamwuan, Asor (2021). "Tiv Pre-Colonial Settlement Patterns" (PDF). MakurdiOwl Journal of Philosophy. 1 (1): 142–167.
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