Nana Tigare's trance dance
Consciousness through dance gateway to the Spirit World
By Matt Hunter
The dance of Nana Tigare is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in West Africa. Even in a form diluted for cultural tourists or the general public, the magnificence of form and rhythm is too dynamic to be forgotten. Students and dancers know of Tigare, the dance, for its artistic and creative value. Spiritual people know Nana Tigare, the god, for his "life and death" healing power.
The sect of Nana Tigare is a mysterious combination of Jewish, Christian, Islamic and African mythology. Oral Tradition has it that Nana Tigare was sent down from heaven by God Almighty to protect Moses as he wandered through the desert during the exodus of the "Hebrew children" out of Egypt. Oral tradition also states that Nana Tigare was one of the arch angels, or hosts of heaven, present when God demanded of the patriarch Abraham, the sacrifice of his son Isaac on the altar. However, a sheep was subsequently substituted as a sacrifice. And surely, Nana Tigare was present as a guiding spirit to protect King David in battle, and King Solomon on his journey from Israel to Ethiopia to meet the Queen of Sheba. It is in the north of Ethiopia and Arabia where the dance began to take on its present form. It is also here the dance came under Islamic, Sufi influences, adopting the characteristic Sufi Dervish spinning or turning movements, to induce a trance-like state.
Christianity
The Christian element in the sect of Nana Tigare expresses itself in the attitudes toward Jesus, who is seen as a very unusual and powerful priest or "ju-ju man". He is one of the most powerful obosumfo (chief priest) to ever visit the planet earth. In almost every Tigare shrine, one can find a cross or some other symbol of Christianity. Though Jesus is not considered to be the "Almighty God", he is often used to symbolize God in the highest. When a drink offering or libation is poured, the offering cup is touched three times with the bottle of drink being offered, before the drink is poured into the cup. This symbolizes giving the drink in the name of the father, son and holy spirit as in Christianity. An interesting fact is that many Nana Tigare devotees in the north of Ghana are Muslims who pray in mosques five times per day.
Witch-Catcher Cult
Nana Tigare became popular in Ghana at a time when witchcraft was killing people at a rate analogous to a plague. The old people in an area overrun with witchcraft would choose a young, gifted priest to go into a land where there were powerful forces that could combat evil. The priest would be initiated into such a cult, then return home with witchcatching powers. In this case, that power is Nana Tigare. If Nana Tigare's aid is sought before a victim dies from a curse, the victim is healed. The evil doer is caught, forced to confess and repent, or his soul is taken away from him. With a reputation against evil being established, the sect of Nana Tigare is popularly know as the "witch-catcher cult". Large numbers of people attend Tigare functions and festivals simply for the power and beauty of the music and dance, and for the joy of an energising and exhilarating experience of contact with the spiritual world. Many will witness wonders or experience being "touched" by the spirit in a very ecstatic way.
Moving the gods
Many festivals will begin when the gods (or sacred objects housing the gods) are removed from the main house of the shrine and taken to the house or area for sacrifice.Few outsiders are allowed in this area. Most devotees or the general public wait patiently outside this area dancing and preparing the spirit to receive a blessing which comes at a very precise moment of power. At this moment, the gods perform a "wondrous act" which also indicates the acceptance of a sacrifice. Many volunteers help to carry abodes of the gods or sacred objects from the main house. A line is formed with 10-20 people of all ages, each carrying at least one sacred object. The purpose seems to be to allow as many people as possible the privilege of coming in contact with the spirit and receive a blessing for helping with the ceremony. Often the move from one house to the other can take quite a long time with the volunteers waiting in line holding the sacred objects. This also serves the purpose of affording the volunteers the opportunity of feeling the "weight of a god". A small object the size of an egg is "not small". It may have a cosmic weight of 10 tons. Carrying an object that weighs 1 kilo can suddenly feel like 100 kilo.
Trance and possession
Possession can come to anyone at any time, at a festival or gathering, but usually it comes to dancers. Dancers always kneel before the lead drum and touch the earth before dancing. The movement is in a counter clockwise circle, though the dancer can spin or turn left or right. The first tour around the circle is usually slow. The dancer may drop to one knee and touch the earth as a sign of respect when passing an elder or honoured guest. The honoured guest will in turn raise two fingers like the sign of a "V" to show approval. It is also like wishing the dancer well on the voyage into the "spirit land" or trance.
When a good dancer turns, one can easily see the roots of James Brown, Prince or Michael Jackson. However, the turns, made in perfect synchronicity with the rhythm of the lead drum, are not for show, but to pull power. A show-off will be sharply reprimanded by the elders or perhaps will not be allowed to dance. No turn in Western dance can be precisely compared to the turns in the dance of Nana Tigare. At the moment of possession, a dancer often reacts as though he has been hit by the blast of a shotgun or a bolt of lightning.
Even those standing close by can feel the energy in their body, in the air, and certainly in the sound of the drum, the shakers, and the bells. An entirely different intensity and frequency occurs.
The dancer displays ecstatic frenzy, delirium and convulsions, but also a vacant, peaceful expression of oblivion. Completely contrary to this, a trained priest can go in and out of a trance without even being noticed. A dancer may continue to dance after being possessed or going into a trance. However, this stage of the dance is more like slow motion whirling, "space walking" or floating without gravity.
I recall an instance when a dancer became deeply possessed. He fell to the ground with big jerking, convulsive movements. Then suddenly he became still, motionless as if in a coma.
I thought he was dead.
The people from the shrine werecompletely relaxed and unalarmed. One person went to get a big bucket of water. I thought the water would be thrown in his face like in a cowboy movie.
Instead, much to my surprise, the water was poured out on the earth as an offering to Nana Tigare. Water was poured at the dancer's feet, then at his head and on both sides of his body. The dancer was revived, totally refreshed, with a smile on his face. He seemed to say, "Wow! That was nice! Now I am back again."
All of his friends began to smile and laugh.
Reviving water
During a festival, a chief priest may dance with a magic stick similar to the sceptre seen on sculpture of Egyptian pharaohs. A priest may also dance with a thin iron javelin used like an antenna to attract spiritual energy. On one occasion, a priest touched a pool of water with this javelin and a huge explosion was heard.
Suddenly a crowd of people stampeded to the pool and began to splash water all over their bodies to receive blessings. It was like a scene from the Bible when those in need of healing would rush to a pool when the water has been touched by an angel.
I can agree with Maya Daren in her classic book on "Voodoo" entitled the "Divine Horseman". She describes the trance-like state, or possession, as "white blackness".
When possessed, it can be said that one has "blacked out", totally unaware of events in the sphere of earth.
However, in the spiritual sphere, one is very aware, but only aware of
brightness, total divine light and energy.
This article is published on print in Djembe Magazine, no. 18, October 1996.
Feel free to quote or reproduce any article in Djembe under condition of
stating source. Photos are stricly copyright of the photographer. Contents
of the article are purely the opinion of the author, and do not in any way
reflect the official position or thoughts of Djembe on those issues. Consider
Djembe an uncensored, open "bulletin board"