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

Overview

Sarikin Kofa, Keeper of the Gate, stays at the entrance of Jan Gari and permits or refuses other spirits passage according to Magiro’s commands. Tremearne also records the respectful title Uban Dowaki, Master of the Horse, alongside names referring to leprosy, lameness and bodily deformation that the spirit is said to dislike. The account attributes anger and illness to mockery of him, but describes medicines sought through invocation as well.

His representation makes the physical distinction explicit: the spirit has neither hands nor feet. The dancer stumbles, sits hiding his legs, lets his hands hang and waves his arms as if brushing flies from sores. A spoken self-description contrasts fingerless and toeless footprints with ordinary tracks. The accompanying song first praises the gatekeeper and asks him to open the door, then uses the unwelcome names if he does not respond. The performance treats bodily vulnerability and control over entry together; those historical names are not applied here to actual disabled people.

Controls spirit-city gateActs under Magiro’s commandsAbsent hands and feet in accountStumbling seated representationSongs request passage
01

Origins & earliest records

A. J. N. Tremearne reports interviews and ritual performances during four months in North Africa, alongside comparisons to Nigeria. His foreword credits local assistance and photography but these passages do not identify an individual speaker for every statement.

02

Records & interpretation

The Ban of the Bori, chapters XXI–XXII, complete selected account pp. 298–299; foreword pp. 13–14 and catalog publication date checked.

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

    Chapters XXI–XXII, pp. 298–299; role descriptions, performed representation and attributed explanations.

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 account with interviews and performance descriptionsTremearne — Sarikin KofaResearch access: 2026-10-05
  2. Library catalog metadataInternet Archive catalog — The Ban of the BoriResearch 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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