Edo Definitions

Most of these definition wil lcome from Hans Melzian's 1937 A Concise Dictionary of the Bini Language of Southern Nigeria

aba

aba [ ˩ ˥ ] seeds hung up on a stick that is used in ewawa [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] divination and when feeding witches; gives knowledge of the secrets of witchcraft.

ogwɛga

ogwɛga [ ˩ \ ˩ ] (1) a tree, Detarium senegalense, also called erh- õgwɛga [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ]; the seed is broken in two parts and put on strings (four halves on each string) as an instrument for divining. There is another tree bearing the name ogwɛg-odĩ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ], “the deaf ogwɛga”, Klainedoxa gabo- nensis; its fruit is used as a substitute for the ogwɛga [ ˩ \ ˩ ] proper, though it is not believed to be as useful for the oracle. Another substitute is the fruit of the axwɛxwɛ [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ] tree. (2) the method of divination (v. also ominigbɔ̃ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]) in which the seeds of the above-mentioned tree are used. The instrument of divination consists of four strings each of which contains four halves of the seed. At one end of each string a small bell (ɛɽoɽo [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ]) and some cowries are fastened. The diviner (ɔb-ogwɛga [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ]) seizes one end of each string and throws them with the intention of turning them upside down. The subsequent arrange- ment of seeds is then analysed (v. eria [ ˩ ˥ ]) according to a certain code (itie [ ˩ ˥ ]), the criterion being the “open” or “covered” position of the seed-halves. The analysis is said to proceed at first from the right side to the left, and, after that, in the opposite direction, but as if the arrange- ment were looked at from the other end of the strings. The different positions have names, e.g. odĩ [ ˩ ˥ ] is a string with the two outer seed-halves showing their inside, and the two inner halves showing their cover. (Under the headings dealing with these positions, o. will mean “open”, and c. “covered”+, as reckoned from the top of the string.) The names of the positions are: odĩ [ ˩ ˥ ], oɣoi [ ˩ ˩ ] oɽuhu [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ], ɔɣae [ ˩ ˥ ], ogbi [ ˥ ˩ ] ako [ ˩ ˥ ], ose [ ˩ ˥ ], ohũ [ ˩ ˥ ] ɛrhoxwa [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ], ɛka [ ˩ ˥ ], ɔkã [ ˩ ˩ ] ɔʋa [ ˩ ˩ ], etuɽɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ], ete [ ˩ ˩ ] ɔha [ ˩ ˥ ] and eɣitã [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ]. As the relations of two strings to one another are always considered, these names are usually com- bined, e.g. ɔh-ɔɣae [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] (ɔha ＋ ɔɣae). If both positions are the same, their name is followed by n-abe [ \ ˩ ] “combined”, e.g. ɔkã n-abe [ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ]. The “code” of this divination gives a fixed sentence for each of these com- binations, and the task of the diviner is to explain to his client the meaning of the sentences appropriate to the arrangements of seeds. As these represent certain typical situations in life, their corresponding names in the code are often used as idiomatic ( “deep”) expressions for these typical situations, v. eh-ɔɣae [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] and ɔkãn-abe [ ˩ ˩ \ ˩ ]. The actual throwing of ogwɛga [ ˩ \ ˩ ] is done in the following way: “alligator-pepper” (ɛhĩ- ɛ̃do [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ]) is chewed and spat on the instrument, then the client holds uk-iha [ ˥ \ ˩ ], “the mes- senger of the oracle”, also called uta [ ˥ ˩ ], in front of his mouth and asks the master of the oracle (ɔka [ ˩ ˥ ]) his question. The ɔbo then touches all the sixteen seed- halves, saying: w-ɔɽ̃-ɛ̃ʋ̃ɛ n-ɔxaɽe (wɛ [ ˩ ]) [ / / ˩ ˥ / ˩ ] “do you know the word he has said?”, puts uk-iha [ ˥ \ ˩ ] between the strings and throws them so that the ɛɽoɽo [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ] and the cowries fall at his side.

ɔbo

ɔbo 1 [ ˩ ˥ ] (pl. e-) a “doctor”; there are oracle-, witch- and ordeal- doctors as well as those who cure, or make rain. The oracle- doctors are composed of four different groups according to the different kinds of oracles; there are ɔb-ogwɛga [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ], ɔb- ewawa [ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ], ɔb-akpɛlɛ [ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ], and ɔb-ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ]. The ɔb- ewawa may be an ɔbo n-ɔz-isɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “a doctor who chooses seeds”, i.e. one who gives the name of a suspect to each one of several seeds (when trying to find out the perpetrator of an offence), and finds the guilty one by means of ewawa [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]. The ordeal-doctors, ɔb-itã [ ˩ \ ˩ ] are ɔb-it-õfigbɔ̃ [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˩ ] “palm- oil-ordeal-doctor”, ɔb-it-ẽbe [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˧ ] “leaf-ordeal doctor”, or ɔbo n-ɔd-itã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] (one who knows all sorts of ordeals). The experts for the feather- and sasswood-ordeals have no special name besides that of ɔb-itã. The witch-doctor, ɔbo n-ɔwa n-azɛ̃ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ] “doctor who gives food to the witches”, also called ɔbo n-ɔy-ada [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “doctor who goes to the cross-roads”, leads negotiations with witches and pacifies them by gifts of food from his clients. The “curing doctor”, ɔb-odĩ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ], bears no outward sign of his profession, but is usully very competent and cures people for money or for their services. A doctor who makes his diagnosis by looking into his patients’ eyes (in case of illness or “juju-trouble”) is called ɔbo n-ɔmi-ãɽo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] i.e. “a doctor who looks eye”. An antisocial individual working with “bad medicines” may be called ɔb-ɛrhia [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] a “spoil- doctor”. A “doctor” who travels round the country and makes a living by it is called ɔbo n-ɔy-eria [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] “a doctor who goes grazing”. The four types of oracle doctors are represented by different people. The ɔb-ogwɛga [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ] practises only that sort of oracle. Other doctors may know the method, but they are not called ɔb-ogwɛga. If another doctor does not know the ogwɛga, he may have to call in an ɔb-ogwɛga. The ɔb-ogwɛga is paid for his work, but he is also a farmer, as the money he earns is not a sufficient liveli- hood. The oracle is learned from another ogwɛga doctor (without staying with him); itie [ ˩ ˥ ] (the code) is said to take at least three months to learn. After this, eria [ ˩ ˥ ], the analysis of the code-words, is learnt. That is said to take more than six months. If a man is too keen on learning eria so that he starts on it before knowing itie pro- perly, he is supposed never to learn itie correctly. Then he is called: ɔʋ̃a n-ɔgu-eria xɛ‿iha [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “a man who knows analysis waits for the oracle, i.e. the calling out”. An ewawa learner must be a servant under a doctor. The ewawa doctor, who is always an Osũ [ ˩ ˥ ] priest, also undertakes cures, but they are not as good as the ɔb-odĩ. Most of them also give food to witches. Their servant is called ohãgbã [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] or ɔwaisɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]. The ap- prenticeship takes four to seven years because the pupils learn cures at the same time. Ewawa doctors are payed with money and they only farm when they have a big family. They make many charms, e.g. some for traders ensuring good husiness, some warding off danger for travellers, some against witches for sick people, etc. Especially a charm “mentioning a man’s name” (ɛb-usueni [ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ] “name- mentioning charm”) and a charm speaking by itself (oʋi‿ɛɽ̃i^ ʋ̃i [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ] “son of the Under- world”) procure them more clients than the other oracle doctors have. This fact, together with their acting as witch doctors, enables them to make a living by being doctors only, without additional farm work. Their knowledge of herbs is, however, said to be smaller than that of the eb-ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ]. An ɔb-akpɛlɛ [ ˩ \ ˩ ˩ ] is mostly an Olokũ [ ˥ ˥ ˦ ] priest, i.e. not a priest at a public shrine, but he has a bigger Olokũ shrine in his house than an ordinary Olokũ shrine. Many of his clients come to his Olokũ shrine and bring things for the yearly Olokũ sacrifice (eh-olokũ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˦ ]). The oracle method is learnt in about six months’ time. During this time the pupil keeps his akpɛlɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] in a pot at his Olokũ shrine (which nearly every adult possesses). Charms are also put into the pot, and the akpɛlɛ has first been charmed by the teacher, a full communal Olokũ priest. Afterwards the akpɛlɛ is put on an ukpabɔ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] tray and taken to some cross-roads (ada [ ˩ ˩ ]) where it is charmed again and buried with the charm for a fortnight “in order to see the truth”. (Ada being a meet- ing place for witches, spirits, etc., anything hidden there sees them.) Akpɛlɛ and Ogwɛga have to be familiar with witches because they procure food for the witches by indicating pacification sacrifices, ese [ ˩ ˩ ]. After the fortnight, the pupil, having learnt his craft, takes it out and is an ɔb-akpɛlɛ. The ɔb-ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila must be a “priest” of Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ], i.e. Ifa (Yoruba). (But there are no public shrines or priests of Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila.) Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila is the Yoruba god of palm kernels (and divination), and people from Akurɛ e.g. are more expert in this method than Bini people. A full babalawo [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] (Yoruba name for the Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila priest) gathers the kernels from the base of ivĩ‿ɔ̃ɽ̃ɔ̃mila [ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ], “Ɔɽ̃. kernels”, a special sort of oil palm, and gives them to the pupil. The pupil and his family smoothe the kernels by means of a grindstone, wash them with a charm and keep them for three months in a pot of oil. This is called ɔvi-ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˩ ] “he has taken the Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila” (pl. verb). During this time small sacrifices are made to them until the pupil is (financially) able to “take” them. If he has no means he must possibly leave them in the pot for a year. At last, big sacrifices are made over a period of a fortnight during which time the pupil must procure an axwɛxwɛ [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ], i.e. oracle in- strument, of his own. Then the Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila are taken out and are afterwards put on an ukpo [ ˥ ˩ ] (mud bed) on which many cloths have been spread, forming a heap with a shallow cavity at the top. Parrot-tail-feathers are, among other things, added as adornments. The babalawo asks the kernels whether the pupil will live long and be prosperous (i.e. have many children). Only after this installation of the Ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila kernels is the teaching started which takes more than a year, and at the end of which the pupil becomes an ɔb- ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila. Some of these doctors are farmers, some traders. They also concern themselves with cures, and they also learn about medicines. The oracle plays a part in their cures by naming the leaves to be used in special cases (by quoting previous in- stances). The money given to the ɔb-ɔɽ̃ɔ̃mila does not enable him to live on his practice as is the case with ɔb-ewawa. Ordeal doctors are not priests.