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

Overview

Nana Tsiwa, whose name is glossed as Impertinence, is a daughter of Ba-Maguje. She is said to provoke quarrels among children. A cloth is named as the proper offering, and ground-nuts and beer are also welcomed, while Tremearne reports that she does not like sacrifice. That particular distinction between gifts and sacrifice is preserved rather than copied from the fowl offerings of other spirits.

Her representation shifts the buttocks from side to side, strikes the face and stomach and then stands at the salute before jumping, sneezing and leaving. Her announcement calls her horned and challenges anyone wanting a quarrel to find her the next morning; the song repeats that deferred challenge and praises her appearance. Horns occur in the praise, but the notice does not independently describe their material shape or a horned animal transformation.

Children’s quarrelsCloth and food offeringsChallenge for the next morning
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 notice in chapter XXVII, printed pp. 378; complete chapter 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

    Chapter XXVII, printed pp. 378; complete spirit notice and ritual representation.

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 TsiwaResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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