Page-089-L

*    [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˥ ] “empty things empty

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*    things (they are which) you are

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*    doing”: you are doing nothing

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*    but useless things; cf. d-ihoi [ ˥ ˩ ].

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*ihɔʋ̃egbe [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] “brushing body”:

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*    purification of oneself after a

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*    breach of taboo. This consists in

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*    a complicated process of brush-

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*    ing one’s head with a chicken,

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*    certain leaves (aya [ ˩ ˥ ]; eb-

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*    ixiʋ̃i [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ]), and the tip of a

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*    palm-branch while pronouncing

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*    certain purifying formulas.

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*    Drawing circles (b-oxi [ ˥ ˩ ]) also

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*    plays a part in the ceremony;

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*    cf. hɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˥ ], egbe [ ˩ ˥ ]; v.

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*    ihɔʋ̃owa [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], ihɔʋ̃ɛʋo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

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*ihɔʋ̃ɛʋo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] “brushing town

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*    (village)”: purification of a

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*    viilage or town. This was, in

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*    Benin City, performed by mem-

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*    bers of the Ɔba’s household (and

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*    in villages it is done by a man

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*    appointed by the ɔdiɔ̃weɽe [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ]).

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*    They took a man, dog, goat,

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*    and fowl, tied branches of a

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*    palm, the ixiʋ̃i [ ˥ ˥ ˩ ]-tree and

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*    the shrub aya [ ˩ ˥ ] to them, and

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*    dragged them round the town.

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*    Then they prepared afɔ [ ˩ ˥ ],

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*    splashed it on the roads and

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*    said: ɔfu re [ ˩ ˥ ˦ ] “it is cool”, i.e.

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*    peaceful, absolved. Dogs are

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*    nowadays used for the purpose,

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*    and in bush-villages, chickens;

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*    cf. hɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˥ ], ɛʋo [ ˩ ˩ ]; v. ihɔʋ̃egbe

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*    [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], ihɔʋ̃owa [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

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*ihɔʋ̃owa [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] “brushing house”:

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*    purification of a house with

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*    a chicken (e.g. after the breach

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*    of a taboo); cf. hɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˥ ], owa [ ˩ ˥ ];

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*    v. ihɔʋ̃egbe [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ], ihɔʋ̃ɛʋo [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˩ ].

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*ihu [ ˩ ˥ ] foam; cf. hu [ ˥ ].

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*ihuã 1 [ ˩ ˥ ] song; ihuã n-aya gbe

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*    [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ] “a song that is taken to

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*    dance”: dancing-song; and spe-

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