Tiv Glossary

Abaver, son of Jua, from Ukum: the Primordial Custodian and Guardian, Sovereign Tutelary of the Ancestral Tiv Order, custodian of reproduction and continuity.

The source and order of creation. In the academy’s teaching Aôndo is “The Source. The Order. The Ancestors.”, and the rhythms woven into creation reflect the order Aôndo established.

The name used in our teachings for Aôndo as the one who established the order of creation, reflected in the daily rhythm from night to day.

The settlement at the confluence where the River Benue and River Katsina-Ala meet.

The name the natives gave the river where the Benue and Katsina-Ala meet and become a new colour; today also the name of Guma Local Government Area, Benue State.

The word that closes the Gba’Aôndo U Tiv invocation that ends “May our ancestors guide our paths.”

The traditional Tiv agricultural knife forged by Tiv blacksmiths, used especially at harvest and the new yam period to release the yam without destroying the plant.

An axe forged by Tiv blacksmiths (or u varen iwa).

The Tiv traditional name for the west.

The Tiv traditional name for the east.

The traditional items presented for admission into the academy: for the Elementary School, one cock and one hen, together with the tuition.

A machete forged by Tiv blacksmiths (or u varen iwa).

The Tiv traditional name for the south.

The Tiv traditional name for the north.

The first covenant of a true Tiv born: the beginning, belonging to the lineage. The child is introduced to the ancestors, cleansed and protected, and named to be known. “The water opens the way.”

Part of the physical being: the physical form, made of flesh, bones and blood, through which we act, work and experience life.

Steward of peace, weaver of harmony and restorer of what is broken: custodian of reconciliation, truth, compensation, accountability, restoration and harmony.

Part of the physical being: the life essence within the body that gives life, movement and vitality in the physical realm.

Part of the spiritual being: our highest consciousness, spirit essence and connection to Aôndo and the wider spiritual realm.

A declaration of identity, and the title of our live sessions on understanding Tiv spirituality.

The second covenant: enduring, strength to face destiny. With ashes and kernel oil, destiny is stabilised and the mind is fortified. “The oil seals the path.”

Tiv blacksmiths who forge implements such as the ihyo (knife), ishom (machete), ijembe (axe) and hoe blades.

Part of the physical being: the seat of thought, reasoning, memory and decision-making.

The guardian who stood between chaos and preservation, bound by sacred duty and guided by ancestral wisdom, wielding force not for conquest but for balance.

Part of the spiritual being: the spiritual life-force that gives vitality, movement and life to the physical body.

Part of the spiritual being: the spiritual life of thought, understanding, intuition and inner knowing.

A Tiv person, as in the question “What inheritance have I received as Wantiv?”