By
DANIEL JAMES TALI, Ph.D
+2348063321302, +2348154828937, talidaniel@ymail.com
GINDIRI THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
There are many different kinds and categories of free spirits among the Goemai people of Plateau State, Nigeria. However, many contemporary Goemai People seem to be ignorant of this fact possibly because of carelessness, the influences of modernization and civilization. The focus of this research is to find out the origin of Goemai people, to investigate the types and functions of free spirits among Goemai people. The data for this research were collected from books, journals, dictionaries and encyclopedias, among others which were sourced from the internet and libraries. The data were basically analyzed through the discussion, descriptive and historical methods, among others. The research found out that the different types of free spirits among the Goemai people include spirit of dead people who are rejected in the land of the ancestors for either living a bad life or indulging in certain evil activities while alive, the spirits of those who die in war, hunting expedition, through the activities of sorcery, in accident and those who have double self and the spirit of those on the path of the deities who are basically divided into white and black spirits. The free spirits basically perform the functions of blessings and curses. The research recommended that the elders in Goemai land should teach the younger generation about their religious heritage, especially in relation to free spirits and the younger generation should complement the efforts of their elders by availing themselves to learn this religious heritage, among others.
Key Words:
Goemai People, Belief, Free Spirits,
Introduction
The world comprises of 7 continents namely: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Antarctica. Similarly, the world comprises of about 195 countries including India, China, United States of America, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Iran, Japan and State of Israel, among others (George 1-3; Josh 1-4; WorldAtlas 1-4; Worldometer 1-5; Davis 1-2; Worldmeter 1-4).
These different continents and countries of the world are homes to varying religious traditions. For example, India gave birth to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, China gave birth to Taoism and Confucianism, Japan gave birth to Shintoism, Israel gave birth to Judaism and Christianity, Saudi Arabia gave birth to Islam, Iran gave birth to Baha’i Faith and Zoroastrianism and Africa gave birth to African Traditional Religion (Deshmukh 1-10; Vaughan 1-3).
African Traditional Religion which is the indigenous religion of the African people. The religion is as old as the people in the continent. It believes in the existence of Supreme Being or God and that this Supreme Being or God is too big to be worshipped directly but through other mediums including deities and divinities. It also believes in human beings, magic, ancestors, medicine men, witchcraft, after life and spirits. The kinds of spirits existing among the Goemai people are called “free spirits”. These free spirits are believed to be into different types and perform different functions as will be discussed below (Parlong 7-9; Gehman 145-153).
ORIGIN OF GOEMAI PEOPLE
Goemai people of Dorok district originated from the Kwararafa Empire. This is because of the similarities in their tradition, culture and civilization with that of Jukun, the aboriginal of Kwararafa Empire. Their migration began in the late 17th century, when the dynasty was beginning to disintegrate due to intra-dynasty feuds. The migrants came into this part of the “Goemai” land and joined with the autochthons who were the natives (i.e. the pure “ankwe”) to form the present “Goemai”. Nevertheless, it is now very difficult to trace the where about of this pure “Ankwe” (Longban et al 36).
