A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Nana Arzikki, also called Arzikki Boboniya, is described as a poor elderly Gwari spirit formerly enslaved to the other bori. The entry makes her Mallam Alhaji’s wife and Yerima’s nurse, explicitly distinguishing nursing from motherhood. Another account says Kuri first took her but refused marriage. These are reported spirit relationships, not a documented life of an independently identified historical woman.

Her representative walks around clapping, then stands with knees turned inward, bent hands holding the cloth, and an appearance of crying with a running nose. The song derides her lack of clothing and borrowed rag, while one line refuses to join others’ laughter. An adjoining song for Ba-Gwariya uses her names differently, so the book’s overlap is retained rather than erased. Tremearne also associates her with impaired legs; that is a historical possession attribution, not a medical cause.

Yerima’s nurseAlhaji’s wifeFormerly poor and enslaved in accountClapping and inward kneesBorrowed-rag song
01

Origins & earliest records

A. J. N. Tremearne combines interviews and descriptions of bori performances with comparative interpretation. These selected notices do not consistently name individual speakers; printed attributes are distinguished from his conjectures.

02

Records & interpretation

Complete selected spirit notice in chapter XXVIII, printed pp. 389; adjoining chapter context read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    The Ban of the Bori: Demons and Demon-Dancing in West and North Africa

    A. J. N. Tremearne, collector and colonial-era interpreter · 1914

    XXVIII. Spirits of the Forest, Waters and Grove, pp. 389; ritual representation and attributed explanation.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Digitized historical ethnographic accountTremearne — Nana ArzikkiResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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