Building the Church through Inter-Religious Dialogue: A Particular Focus on Belief in Life, Death, and the Hereafter in Tiv Culture

Abstract

This essay will discuss the theological-philosophical conception and belief in life, death and the hereafter in my culture Tiv as a starting point for religious dialogue between Christianity and Tiv traditional religion. Attitudes, practices, and beliefs of other African traditional religious cultures that relate to the subject matter will be cited to facilitate the discussion. The Tiv people are located in the middle belt
of Nigeria, West Africa. The total population of the Tiv people is approximately six million. The issue concerning the migration of Tiv people is not yet resolved, even by Tiv scholars. Some scholars said the Tiv people migrated northwards from the Bantu of the Southern Africa, through the Congo region of Central Africa, across the mountains of Cameroon to the Benue valley, some during the 16th or 17th century. Some traced the origin of Tiv from Swem, a place (hill) located in Cameroon. However, the issue of migration is not the center of the discussion in the essay.