Page-174-L prev next

*    blood. This is done after sacri-



*    fices to erha [ ˥ ˥ ]: the senior son



*    as well as the ɔka‿ɛgbɛe [ ˩ ˥ ˥ (4-1) ]



*    with the elders of the family rub



*    the big toes of their right feet



*    (which stand for one’s male



*    ancestors), the ɔka‿ɛgbɛe and



*    the elders doing so in order to



*    give all the family ancestors



*    their share. When this has been



*    done everybody touches his



*    forehead with a finger dipped in



*    blood in order to give his head



*    (v. uhuʋ̃u [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ]) part of the



*    sacrifice. (This is also done after



*    a sacrifice made to a deity.) ɔfi‿



*    obɔ y-esagiɛ̃ rhie ra [ ˩ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ / / ˥ ]



*    “he is dipping his hand into



*    blood taking rubbing (his fore-



*    head)”. When sacrificing to



*    one’s head (at igwɛ [ ˩ ˩ ]) (which



*    is combined with a fufu-sacri-



*    fice to one’s guardian spirit as



*    it is forbidden to kill anything



*    for the ɛhi [ ˩ ˩ ]), one rubs the



*    middle of one’s forehead with



*    blood, saying: ɛhae ʋ̃ɛ kokooko



*    [ ˩ ˩ ˥ ˦ ˦ ˦ ] “my forehead strong”,



*    then the back of the neck is rub-



*    bed for the ɛhi with the words:



*    uguɛɽ-ugu-ɛhi ɽuɛ [ ˩ / ˩ ˩ ˥ ˩ / ]



*    “you guɛ and guɛ your ɛhi”,



*    then both ears are touched: ehɔ



*    ɽuɛ h-ɛ̃ʋ̃ata [ ˩ ˩ / ˩ \ ˩ ] “your ear



*    may hear the truth”. The heart



*    is touched by somebody saying:



*    ud-uɛ gb-ɛgĩ [ ˩ / ˦ ˦ ] “your heart



*    may be firm”; the waist: ɛkũ‿



*    agbɔ̃ n-ɔma s-uɔ-tɔ [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˩ ˩ / / ˩ ]



*    “may waist of good life reach



*    your ground”: may your happi-



*    ness be firmly grounded; the



*    knees: uɣud-igu-ɛʋ̃ɛ ya [ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˥ / \ ]



*    “may you not fall on the pala-



*    ver-knee”: may you not have to



*    kneel (i.e. to beg anybody on your