incarnation by the injured party
against the offender. Offences
leading to this swearing and
consequent uhuki are e.g. a
man’s not giving his wife food
and clothes, or not having inter-
course with her on the day when
she purifies herself after men-
struation, or a wife’s promiscuous
way of living (so that the
husband forsakes her), or her
omitting to mourn for her de-
ceased husband properly (v. xiɛ̃
[ / ]); uhuki ɔkpokp-ɛe [ ˥ / ˩ ˩ ˩ \ ]
“uhuki (it is that) is troubling
him (or her)”. The “trouble”
caused by uhuki may manifest
itself in very different ways, and
in different degrees of intensity.
A man may refuse to marry and
may hate women, or even be
temporarily impotent or mad;
with a woman it is believed to
be the cause of frigidity and cer-
tain misdemeanours. A sacrifice
can “bring them (i.e. the uhukis)
to sense”: a “doctor” makes
an image representing the hus-
band or wife, respectively, of
the preceding reincarnation, and
makes a sacrifice to it. After-
wards, the image is buried
with the sacrifice (ɔɽe‿uhuki
[ ˩ ˩ ˥ / ˩ ] he buried the uhuki).
The uhuki was said not to be
the dead man (or woman)
himself.
uhukpa [ ˥ / ˥ ], [ ˥ ˦ ˦ ] (1) once;
ɽu‿ɛe‿uhukpa [ ˩ / ˥ / ˥ ] do it
once (and also: “at once”).
(2) at once; ikɛk-ɔɽe wamu bũ-
hukpa [ ˥ ˩ / ˩ ˥ ˩ / / ˥ ] his bicycle
broke at once.
uhuʋ̃ova [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ] sickness (general
term); uhuʋ̃ova lɔɣɔ ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ ˥ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ]
