View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Benue State University Institutional Repository i TIV PANEGYRIC POETRY: A STUDY OF PEVIKYAA ZEGI BY FELIX TERLUMUN IORYUE- LAWRENCE BSU/AR/Ph.D/07/907 BEING A PhD THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL, BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY MAKURDI, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DOCTORATE DEGREE (PHD) IN LITERATURE IN ENGLISH OCTOBER, 2018 ii DECLARATION I hereby declare that this work is my own research, undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Moses Tsenongu and Dr. Maria Ajima and that this work has not been presented anywhere for the award of a degree or certificate. All sources both primary and secondary materials have been properly acknowledged. Sign:__________________ FELIX TERLUMUN IORYUE- LAWRENCE BSU/AR/Ph.D/07/907 iii CERTIFICATION We certify that this thesis titled “Tiv Panegyric Poetry: A Study of Pevikyaa Zegi” has been duly presented by FELIX TERLUMUN IORYUE- LAWRENCE BSU/AR/Ph.D/07/907 of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Benue State University, Makurdi. First Supervisor: Second Supervisor: Signature:………………………. Signature:……………………….. Name: Prof. Moses Tsenongu Name: Dr. Maria Ajima Date:…………………………..... Date:…………………………....... Head of Department Name: Prof. Abimbola Shittu Signature:……………………… Date:…………………………... Having met the stipulated requirements, the thesis has been accepted by the Department of English. …………………………………………. Prof. Toryina Ayati VARVAR Dean, Postgraduate School Date:……………………….. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to The Almighty God without whom this work would have not been a success. I give Him praise and thanks. I am greatly indebted to my supervisors: Professor Tyodzuah Akosu, who started the supervision of this work before handing it over to Professor Moses Tsenongu as a result his sabbatical leave. Professor Tsenongu was later assisted by Dr Maria Ajima and together they left no stone unturned to ensure that this work becomes a reality. In spite of their tight schedules, they read through the drafts over and over, making important suggestions to improve the work. I am also indebted to Prof. Godwin Yina for his constant advice and assistance, and Prof. Abimbola Shittu who showed great concern over the progress of my work. My immeasurable appreciation goes to my wife Mrs. Comfort Ashwe for her unalloyed support. I fully acknowledge the support of my children. Margaret, Cherish, Daniel and Gabriel. I am proud of you. I deeply appreciate my sisters Franca, Janet and Dominica, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Esther Alumun, and my in-laws Patience, Fanen, and Ember for the love, encouragement and moral support shown to me in the course of this programme. My thanks also go to Scholastica Asenge, and Emmanuel Mase who did the type setting of the work. v DEDICATION To my late parents, Mr. Lawrence Ioryue Ashwe and Mrs Marry Veronica Ashwe; my late sisters Margaret and Agnes Ashwe, and my late son David Nguseter Ashwe who have left this sinful world and are with the Lord in heaven. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page - - - - - - - - - i Declaration - - - - - - - - - ii Certification - - - - - - - - - iii Acknowledgements - - - - - - - - iv Dedication - - - - - - - - - v Table of Contents - - - - - - - - vi Abstract - - - - - - - - - ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY - - - - - - 1 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM - - - - - - 7 1.3 CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS - - - - - - 8 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY - - - - - - - 10 1.5 AIM AND OBJECTIVES - - - - - - - 10 1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY - - - - - - 11 1.7 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TIV PEOPLE - - - - 11 1.7.1 Origin and Migration - - - - - - - 11 1.7.2 Population and Geographical Spread - - - - - 13 1.7.3 The Tiv Language - - - - - - - - 13 1.7.4 Tiv Religion - - - - - - - - - 13 1.7.5 Socio- Political Organisation - - - - - - 15 1.8 BRIEF INFORMATION ON PEVIKYAA ZEGI - - - - 16 1.9 METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY - - - - - 18 vii 1.10 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY - - - - - - 19 1.11 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK - - - - - - 20 1.11.1 RHETORICAL THEORY - - - - - - - 26 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF SCHOLARSHIP 2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW - - - - - - - 28 2.2 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PANEGYRIC POETRY IN TIVLAND 28 2.3 DIACRONIC NATURE OF TIV PANEGYRIC POETRY - - - 31 2.4 EUROCENTRIC CRITICISM OF TIV ORAL POETRY - - - 34 2.5 INDIGENOUS CRITICISM OF TIV ORAL POETRY - - - 42 CHAPTER THREE: THE THEMES AND SUBJECTS OF PEVIKYAA ZEGE 3.1 POVERTY - - - - - - - - - 54 3.2 BEAUTY AND ELEGANCE - - - - - - 56 3.3 WEALTH AND GENEROSITY - - - - - - 58 3.4 POLITICAL POWER AND POPULARITY - - - - - 61 3.5 HOSPITALITY - - - - - - - 63 3.6 DEATH - - - - - - - - - 65 3.7 LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT - - - - - 67 3.8 SOLDIERS INVASION OF TIVLAND IN 2001 - - - - 70 3.9 CREATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND STATES - - 72 3.10 THE POSITION AND RELEVANCE OF WOMEN IN THE TIV SOCIETY 73 3.11 POLICE - CIVILIAN RELATIONSHIP - - - - - 77 3.12 THE FUNCTIONAL NATURE OF PEVIKYAA ZEGE’S SONGS- - 78 viii CHAPTER FOUR: RHETORIC AND STYLE IN PEVIKYAA ZEGI’S SONGS 4.1 HYPERBOLE - - - - - - - - 85 4.2 PERSONIFICATION - - - - - - - 90 4.3 PERSONAL NAMES - - - - - - - - 92 4.4 HUMOUR - - - - - - - - - 95 4.5 PROVERBS AND EPIGRAMS - - - - - - 98 4.6 METAPHOR - - - - - - - - - 101 4.7 INTERJECTIONS AND INFLECTIONS - - - - - 104 4.8 RHETORICAL QUESTIONS - - - - - - 107 4.9 REPETITION - - - - - - - - - 111 4.10 ALLUSION - - - - - - - - - 115 4.11 ONOMATOPOEIA - - - - - - - - 119 CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE 5.1 SUMMARY - - - - - - - - - 121 5.2 CONCLUSION - - - - - - - - 123 5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS - - - - - - - 124 5.4 CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE - - - - - 125 WORKS CITED - - - - - - - - - 127 Appendix A: Transcription and Translation of Pevikyaa Zegi’s Songs - - 136 Appendix B: Record of Interview with Pevikyaa Zegi - - - - 242 Appendix C: Interview with Hon. Sev-Av of Ukum LGA on the Songs of Pevikyaa Zegi 245 Appendix D: Pictures of the Artist - - - - - - - 247 ix Abstract Oral literature has not received the deserved critical attention from scholars of literature. Consequently, the oral literary forms are neglected, leading to their gradual disappearance. To help fill this gap, the researcher has undertaken a study of Tiv panegyric poetry with particular reference to the songs of Pevikyaa Zegi. The songs were collected, transcribed in Tiv and translated into the English Language. Interviews were also conducted with the poet and some of his patrons to provide additional background information for the study. The songs were then analysed using rhetorical theory and the structural-functionalist theories. The rhetorical theory is concerned with the devices employed by the public speaker to persuade his audience to accept his views while the structural-functionalist theory pays attention to the literary/poetic devices employed by the oral poet as well as the functions of the songs. The analysis thus entailed an appreciation of the rhetorical and stylistic devices employed by the poet. The themes and subjects of the songs as well as their functions were also highlighted and discussed. The study found that Tiv oral poetry is a creative literary endeavour deserving critical attention from literary critics. The researcher has also contended that Pevikyaa Zegi’s songs are rich in rhetoric and style, and their content is topical, interesting and performs some functions in the society. It was thus recommended, among other things, that African literary critics should focus more on the criticism of oral literary form, and that government, individuals and organizations should collect, translate and store these cultural and literary artifacts to protect them from extinction. 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY The field of oral literature is an academic endeavour that is not adequately researched owing to its vast scope and the diverse cultural milieu it embodies. The sheer diversity of cultural artefacts in oral literature is a reflection of its uniqueness and the need for more studies in the field with the aim of preserving the rich oral cultures in Africa. On the contrary, oral literature has over the years been relegated to the background in Africa as some aspects of the people’s culture are being eroded by the influence of Western civilization and Christianity. The survival of oral literature is premised on the fact that by its nature and character, it existed and survived through performance. The advent of modern literacy, which is reading and writing, has made it possible to document or record oral performances. The documentation of oral performance, however, appears to have retarded the pace of patronage of the oral poet as these oral pieces are now accessible in written and audio-visual forms – a fact which has made the hitherto dependence on live performances of the poet optional by the public. The overwhelming influence of the Western form of literature nonetheless, the place of oral performance remains central to the preservation of the culture of many societies in Africa. The early scholars of African literature were obsessed with ‘letters,’ that is, reading and writing, and were unduly confined to written literature at the expense of oral performance which is native to Africa as its earliest form of literary expression. Even at that, the place of orality remains central to the emergence of written literature in Africa, because great writers like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and others borrowed heavily from the resources of orality domiciled in their respective