University of Massachusetts AmherstScholarWorks@UMass AmherstResearch Report 15: The spirits and their cousins:Some aspects of belief, ritual, and socialorganization in a rural Hausa village in Niger

Anthropology Department Research Reports series

January 1975

Title page, Acknowledgements, Table of contents,and List of tables and figuresRalph Harold Faulkingham

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THE SPIRITS AND THEIR COUSINS:

SOME ASPECTS OF BELIEF, RITUAL, AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

IN A RURAL HAUSA VILLAGE IN NIGER

by

Ralph H. Faulkingham

Research Report Number 15

Department of Anthropology

University of Massachusetts

Amherst October 1975

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The d a t a presented and analyzed i n t h i s r e p o r t w e r e c o l l e c t e d during t h r e e t o u r s of research i n a l a r g e v i l l a g e of Hausa-speaking people n e a r Madaoua, Republique du Niger. The f i r s t r e sea rch , con- ducted between January 1968 and March 1969, was supported by a pre- d o c t o r a l fe l lowship and t r a i n i n g g r a n t from t h e United S t a t e s Nat iona l I n s t i t u t e of Mental Health. The second t o u r of research i n December 1973 and January 1974 was underwr i t ten by The Populat ion Council; and t h e most r e c e n t f i e l d i n v e s t i g a t i o n during June 1975 was funded by t h e Research Council of t h e Graduate School a t t h e Univers i ty of Massachusetts/Amherst through a f a c u l t y research grant . I g r a t e f u l l y acknowledge t h e generous suppor t of t hese agencies .

Suz i and Edmond Bernus, Michael Horowitz, Guy Nicuias , Marc P i a u l t , and Jean Rouch f a c i l i t a t e d my first e n t r y t o t h e f i e l d and the s e l e c t i o n of a f i e l d s i t e . Dioulde Laya, d i r e c t o r of the I n s t i - t u t de Recherche en Sciences Humaines, ~ n i v e r s i t ; de Niamey, helped i n ob ta in ing my research a u t h o r i z a t i o n s and repea ted ly o f f e red encouragement' and suppor t . Jerome Barkow, Lydia Black, Michael Krasnow, H a r r i e t Lyons, Nancy Munn, and Harold Olofson gave invalu- a b l e comments on e a r l i e r d r a f t s of t h i s monograph. My h e a r t f e l t thanks goes t o each ind iv idua l .

My h o s t s , t h e people of Tudu i n t h e arrondissement of Madaoua, ~ G u b l i ~ u e du Niger, p a t i e n t l y endured my many ques t ions and gener- ous ly shared t h e i r understandings, joys , and t r aged ie s . I am par- t i c u l a r l y g r a t e f u l t o Abdu 'dan Umma, a d i v i n e r and h e a l e r i n Tudu, who i n s t r u c t e d me i n t he many i n t r i c a c i e s of Hausa s p i r i t b e l i e f , and t o age" 'dan ~ a l l e who taught m e t h e framework of l o c a l s o c i a l o rganiza t ion .

TABLE OF CONTENTS

. . . . . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

I: INTRODUCTION . 11: SPIRIT BELIEF IN TUDU . Ill: RITUALS OF DIVINATION AND HEALING

NOTES . . REFERENCES

THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND RITUAL OF SACRIFICE . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . RITUALS OF SPIRIT POSSESSION

AN ANALYSIS AND BELIEFS

. . . . . . . CITED . . . .

OF RELIGIOUS RITUALS IN TUDU

. . . .

. . . .

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Rainfall (in mm.) at Madaoua per ten day periods and crop yields per capita. 1969-74 . . . . . . . . . . 4

Table 2: 1974 census of Tudu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Table 3: Migration of males (15-44 years) for

seasonal employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Table 4: Participation in seasonal employment.

by location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Table 5: The hierarchy of spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Table 6: Directional spirits and areas of rule . . . . . . . . 15 Table 7: The mushe spirits (musawa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Table 8: A Sample of th? inheritable spirits.

their signs. and customary sacrifice . . . . . . . . 17 Table 9: A healer's patient record for January 1969 . . . . . 26 Table 10: Comparison of 'x bori and other women

according to selected social criteria . . . . . . . . 38

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Annual Rainfall at Madaoua. 1944-1973 . . . . . . . . . 3 Figure 2: Members of the Makiri Cluster Mentioned

in the Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Figure 3: The Developmental Cycle of Spirit

Propitiation by Sacrifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32