Understanding what is culture
Battista Mondin in his book philosophical anthropology identifies three principle meaning and uses of the term culture; first is the Elitarian sense, here culture signifies knowledge. Thus a person is said to have a vast scientific, artistic or literary culture, or when a person is referred to as “he is very cultured” second is the pedagogical sense, in which culture connote education, formation and cultivation of person. That is the process through which man comes to the full maturation and realization of his own personality and the third is the anthropological sense in which culture signifies the totality of customs, techniques, and values that distinguish a social group, a tribe, a people, a nation. Culture is a strong part of people’s live, it influences their views, their values, their loyalties, their worries and fears, here we explore Mumuye zing chiefdom cultural festivity called Belle festival, it is an annual festivity which usually takes place on January in zing, Belle is Mumuye word which means hunting; hunting as we know is a sport that involves the seeking, pursuing, and killing of wild animals and birds with bow and arrow, in the Mumuye society it is usually men that hunt while the women gather plants and do most domestic chores. Belle festival as a cultural activity is not a hunting exercise but a religious activity that celebrates hunting ceremony and rituals.
Belle festival the nature of celebration
Belle festival is usually organise by the leaders of Mumuye traditional religion called shon lansi, The celebration usually takes place in January but it starts in December by Kpaapo people setting a fire in the bush to burn the ceremonial hill between Yakoko and zing. After some weeks, zing twelve subclans will set their own fire and this is usually in January at the end of guinea corn and millet harvest.
The D-day
On the eve of the festival, the ceremony start with burning of bush around Zandii hill, which will continue burning throughout the night till down, on the D-day The entire shrines are kept clean and neat, The skulls are purified, food and meat are prepared and shared to friends and relatives, about two or three o’clock, both men and women will go to Zandii hill where the ritual and the hunting exercise is performed by the men.
Attire for men and women
To honour the occasion ladies dress in the native beads and in a beautiful native cloths called Lantan, Men dress in the Mumuye traditional shrouds and some in Lanta taking their quivers and bows with them in order to demonstrate how to hunt.
The ritual
The chief priest leads the occasion. He prays and chants the history by calling the names of the ancestors who were before him, the skulls of each chief priest who had died long
ago is brought out for remembrance and reverence. These rites are performed until dusk then everybody will leave the place.
Other activities
Dance presentation: The twelve subclans present traditional dance, they all come in line dancing one after the other starting by Laapo then groups such as Dossa, Diidonko, Koko, Zandii, Danko, Kpana etc will follow.
Shooting and Racing competition: The young ladies run a race to see who is strong enough to win, Men compete to shoot at a target, and it’s during this exercise that a best shooter for the year emerges. Finally as Mumuye you have a role to promote this culture because the well being of your future children depend on it, as we all know every is process; it is not always finished. the ideas written here may not be the final word on Belle Festival so let join our heads together in promoting our culture, although i am responsible for this write work, a great deal of ideas are from Peter Marubitoba Dong et al work (The Mumuye Contemporary history and culture). Relax and wait for part two of this work
Brilliant haven't grown up in taraba but now I have an insight about my tribe/dialect ��
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