Tiv is an ancestral figure in the oral traditions of the Tiv people of central Nigeria and is traditionally seen as the source of the Tiv name. In the genealogical tradition, Tiv was the son of Takuruku and Aliwe. He later married Ayaaya and gave birth to Ipusu and Ichongo, who are traditionally regarded as the ancestors of the two main lineages of the Tiv people.
Traditional genealogy Tiv genealogy differs across oral traditions and written records. In the Anyamazenga tradition as described by Cletus A. Lanshima, Anyamazenga had a son called Takuruku, who married Aliwe, and together they gave birth to Tiv. Tiv then married Ayaaya and had four children: Gbe, Anadendem, Ipusu and Ichongo. Gbe is said to be the first son who separated from the family. Anadendem was their only daughter. She was crippled and died without a child, while Ipusu and Ichongo were the sons who later became the principal ancestral line. A study on the origins of the Tiv nation by Joseph Gbor also concludes that Tiv was the son of Takuruku and Aliwe and later married Ayaaya, with whom he had four children: Gbe, Ipusu, Ichongo, and Anadendem. A different version, based on the traditions examined by Terngu Sylvanus Nomishan, says that Takuruku married Aliwe and had two sons, Tiv and Uke; Tiv then separated from his family and set up a community with his wife, Ayaaya, who had two sons, Ipusu and Ichongo.
Ipusu and Ichongo Ipusu and Ichongo hold a central position in Tiv genealogical traditions; they are usually considered Tiv's two main sons and, at the same time, the ancestors of the major branches of Tiv society. According to Tiv oral history, Tiv left his relatives after a disagreement and migrated with his wife and two sons, Ipusu and Ichongo, ultimately settling at Swem. Later traditions link the descendants of the two sons to the main Tiv clan groups in the Benue Valley. Although scholars disagree on the exact genealogy, these two lineages have always been essential to Tiv social and political structure.
Migration traditions The traditional biography of the Tiv is closely linked to their migration accounts. According to the oral traditions, the ancestral Tiv community migrated through central Africa before arriving in the Middle Benue area. While various versions name Swem as an important ancestral settlement, scholars and Tiv traditions disagree over its exact geographical location. Archaeological research has used these traditions as evidence to reconstruct Tiv historical memory while also distinguishing them from independently obtained archaeological evidence to reconstruct the historical memory of the Tiv people, particularly accounts concerning their origins, migrations and settlement. Tiv oral traditions include several versions of the Tiv father's identity, such as Takuruku, Awange, and Shon.
Variants of the tradition The Tiv disagree about the identity of the Tiv's father. In some accounts, he is said to be Takuruku's son, while in others his ancestry is linked to Awange or Shon. Studies of Tiv philosophical traditions note that Takuruku has been interpreted in various ways, including as a human ancestor and, in certain traditions, as not a real historical person. Versions of Ayaaya also differ. According to the Anyamazenga tradition, Ayaaya is Tiv's wife and the mother of Ipusu and Ichongo, with some versions also including Gbe and Anadendem. In another version, however, the relationship is reversed: Ayaaya is Tiv's mother, and Aliwe is his wife. These differences stem from the oral nature of Tiv origin myths and ongoing academic discussion of the Tiv people's early history and migration.
Historical status No independent documentary evidence identifies Tiv as a historically distinct individual; he is known mainly through Tiv oral genealogies and origin traditions. As a result, scholars have regarded the accounts of Tiv, together with those of his ancestors and descendants, as traditions that contain elements of Tiv historical memory rather than as a simple documentary biography. In these traditions, the Tiv hold a central position as the ancestral figure from whom the Tiv people derive their common name and through whose sons, Ipusu and Ichongo, their main genealogical branches are traditionally traced.
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