Cosmology & Spirituality
The Composition of a Tiv Spiritual Being
A Tiv spiritual being exists in two layers, the spiritual being and the physical being, which work together as one complete being.
Teachings, symbols and stories from Tiv tradition: our knowledge, our people, our identity, our continuity.
Custodians of the Tiv Order
Abaver: Primordial Custodian of the Ancestral Tiv Order
Abaver, son of Jua, from Ukum: the Primordial Custodian and Guardian, Sovereign Tutelary of the Ancestral Tiv Order, whose custodianship covered reproduction and continui…
Custodians of the Tiv Order
Tyev Ajir: Custodian of War, Courage and Strategic Order
Grand Custodian of Defense: the guardian who stood between chaos and preservation and wielded force not for conquest, but for balance.
Custodians of the Tiv Order
Iyoukor: Custodian of Restoration and Steward of Peace
Aôndo ú Iyoukor: steward of peace, weaver of harmony, restorer of what is broken. Where conflict hardens hearts, Iyoukor softens and realigns.
Heritage & Knowledge
The Iho: Tiv Indigenous Metallurgy and Agricultural Engineering
The Iho (also pronounced Ihyo) is the Tiv harvest knife forged by Tiv blacksmiths: the material expression of Tiv farming heritage.
History & Places
How Guma Came to Existence: The Meeting of Two Rivers
The meeting of two rivers, the birth of a new colour and the meaning of change: how the River Benue and River Katsina-Ala gave Guma its name.
Cosmology & Spirituality
Gba’Aôndo U Tiv Spirituality Has No Concept of “Secret Worship”
In Gba’Aôndo U Tiv spirituality, spiritual power must be witnessed and ancestral shrines are open to the community.
Heritage & Knowledge
Tiv Traditional Cardinal Points
The Tiv names for the four directions: Imbyusu Tar ì Imese, Imbyusu Tar ì Yaan, Ityough Ki Taregh and Ityô Tar.
Rites, Prayer & Covenants
May Our Ancestors Guide Our Paths: A Gba’Aôndo U Tiv Invocation
An invocation of Gba’Aôndo U Tiv, closing with “Hie’…”: may our ancestors guide our paths.
Cosmology & Spirituality
Why the Rooster Is Highly Revered in Tiv Tradition
It crows. It honours the dawn. It holds sacred meaning. That tiny morning call carries deep spiritual meaning in Tiv culture.
Rites, Prayer & Covenants
The Covenants of a True Tiv Born
Born once. Blessed twice. Known to belong, prepared to endure: the two covenants that mark a true Tiv born.