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throughout the year. May it not be robbed of its goodness by reason of the witchcraft of men or the malice of spirits (kwiyip). Grant to one and all of us health and prosperity." He then pours some beer on the stone representing the male deity, and afterwards drinks some of the beer himself, and gives a little to each person present. Next he rubs his finger in the beer which he had poured on the monolith and touches the breast of each person present. All then help themselves liberally to beer. After an interval the tutelary genius known as Vwam appears dancing, and sits down in their midst. He is served with beer by a girl who has not reached the age of puberty, and as she performs this duty she covers her eyes. The chief then presents a bush rat to the genius, who, later on, parades the town, receiving a dried bush rat from each householder. These offerings are subsequently handed over to the chief, and are ceremonially eaten immediately after the sowing of the crops.

As among most Nigerian tribes, the ancestors are the dominating religious influence. They are known as the kuru, [86] a word which obviously embodies the Jukun root for ancestral spirits, viz. ku. The cult of the dead is known as Sho Kuru. As among the Jukun, when a man dies, the personified ancestors [87] or kuru come and take away his soul to the grave in the bush where the ancestral souls are wont to assemble. They come and sit by his body throughout the night, blowing trumpets, the squeaky notes of which are intended to represent the cries of the ancestors. The leader of the kuru carries a trumpet of calabash, [88] the end of which is covered with a bat's skin. He also carries an iron gong suspended by a string[89] . The trumpets of his assistants are covered with dog skins. [90] Before the body is taken out for burial at dawn the kuru march round it three times [91] and then disappear into the bush, taking the dead man's soul with them. After their departure the tutelary genius known as Mbar [92] , concealed inside a hut, addresses the dead man's relatives and friends, bidding them not to break their hearts because the kuru have taken away the dead man's soul. For it is, he says, the custom of the kuru to add to their numbers. The relatives and friends must abide in peace and beget children to take the place of those who die. In making this announcement the genius uses a piece of guinea-corn stalk with a hole at each end and one in the middle. One of the end holes is covered

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