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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Yam Ceremonies and the Values of Ohafia Culture
Author:Arua, Emea O.
Year:1981
Periodical:Africa: Journal of the International African Institute
Volume:51
Issue:2
Pages:694-705
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:Abam
customs
yams
Religion and Witchcraft
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External links:https://www.jstor.org/stable/1158833
https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pao:&rft_dat=xri:pao:article:4011-1981-051-00-000013
Abstract:The ceremonies which the Ohafia of south-eastern Nigeria perform in connection with their major farm crop, yams, relate both to the annual agricultural cycle and to the taking of yam-related titles which express status in Ohafia society at large. The special place yams occupy in Ohafia culture as the prestige crop, associated particularly with men, cannot be explained simply as an effect of the material importance of yam and its cultivation in the Ohafia economy, for in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the Ohafia economy has depended on other important bases too, and Ohafia men have combined farming with activities, such as warfare and trade. Indeed, the agricultural economy itself has been more dependent on female labour. Nonetheless, 'yam-values' remain of central symbolic importance to the ideals of individual and communal success promoted by Ohafia culture. The present paper describes yam ceremonies as they were up to about a generation ago, and discusses how they have been modified in recent years to express current Ohafia aspirations. Maps, notes, ref., French sum.
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