Today's topic is a guide on the Tiv Benue Traditional Wedding Ceremony.
Lets dive right in.... You know there's a bit of history first 😄
The Tiv people live on both sides of the Benue River in Nigeria; they speak a language of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family.The Tiv are farmers whose main crops are millet, yam, and sorghum, all of which are eaten as porridge or are made more delectable by their addition into sauces and stews. The Tiv Tribe constitutes approximately 7% of Nigeria's total population, and number about 3.5 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Camaroon. The Tiv are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. The Tiv language is spoken by about 2.2 million people in Nigeria (as of 1991), with a few speakers in Cameroon.
Tiv Benue Traditional Wedding Ceremony Guide
Initially, The groom arrives with few of his family members to see the bride’s family for an official introduction of both families. They are required to attend with a few items such as salt, palm oil, a bottle of wine,spirits (e.g. gin) and optionally bush meat if requested by the brides family.
At the introduction, both families discuss and agree on a date for the traditional wedding. The grooms family is then given a list of further items which they are to come back with on the traditional wedding day.
An example list is:
For The Father:
- Pig
- Local Gin
- Additional Alcoholic Drinks (which is expected in form of money)
- Danchiki (an attire for the brides father)
- Azenga (cowries)
- Matches
For The Mother:
- Bush meat
- Palm oil
- Salt
- Wheelbarrow
- Umbrella
- Mudu (measuring Bowl)
- Mat (Tabruma)
- Chair
- Soft Drinks
- Basin
- Necklace
- Clothes
- Broom
- Table
After the formal Introduction is The Traditional Wedding Day. On this day male and female members of the brides family are separated in two different rooms. The groom, accompanied by his family members are asked to go into the room with the men from the brides family to discuss the dowry (brides price) payment
At this junction, presentation of the List Items and Bride Price are put forward In the same room that the dowry payment is discussed, the items bought from the list are presented to the bride's father after the dowry payment has been made. After which the bride is asked to come out to show her 'fathers' (all the elderly men in the her family) the man who she wishes to marry by giving him a drink.
The bride will then proceed with the groom to the second room where the female members of her family are gathered. In this room the bride shows her mother the man she has chose and they are both given marriage advice by her mother and other present in the room.
At times the groom is expected to give money to the youth of the brides community after the ceremony.
If the groom happens to be of the Tiv Tribe, his family will expect the arrival of the bride with Tiv traditional music and 'Swonge' dancers (Tiv traditional dancers), this process is called the ‘Kwase kuhwan”.
Another interesting and beautiful African Traditional Wedding.
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