Page-158-L

*    ogwɛga [ ˩ ˥ (4-1) ˩ ] practises only that

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*    sort of oracle. Other doctors

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*    may know the method, but they

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*    are not called ɔb-ogwɛga. If

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*    another doctor does not know

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*    the ogwɛga, he may have to call

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*    in an ɔb-ogwɛga. The ɔb-ogwɛga

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*    is paid for his work, but he is

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*    also a farmer, as the money he

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*    earns is not a sufficient liveli-

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*    hood. The oracle is learned from

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*    another ogwɛga doctor (without

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*    staying with him); itie [ ˩ ˥ ] (the

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*    code) is said to take at least

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*    three months to learn. After

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*    this, eria [ ˩ ˥ ], the analysis of the

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*    code-words, is learnt. That is

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*    said to take more than six

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*    months. If a man is too keen

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*    on learning eria so that he starts

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*    on it before knowing itie pro-

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*    perly, he is supposed never to

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*    learn itie correctly. Then he is

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*    called: ɔʋ̃a n-ɔgu-eria xɛ‿iha

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*    [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˥ ˦ ˩ ˥ ˩ ] “a man who knows

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*    analysis waits for the oracle,

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*    i.e. the calling out”. An ewawa

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*    learner must be a servant under

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*    a doctor. The ewawa doctor, who

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*    is always an Osũ [ ˩ ˥ ] priest, also

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*    undertakes cures, but they are

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*    not as good as the ɔb-odĩ. Most

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*    of them also give food to witches.

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*    Their servant is called ohãgbã

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*    [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ] or ɔwaisɛ [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ]. The ap-

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*    prenticeship takes four to seven

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*    years because the pupils learn

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*    cures at the same time. Ewawa

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*    doctors are payed with money

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*    and they only farm when they

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*    have a big family. They make

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*    many charms, e.g. some for

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*    traders ensuring good husiness,

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*    some warding off danger for

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*    travellers, some against witches

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*    for sick people, etc. Especially

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