“A Famous Were-Leopard”. Percy Amaury Talbot. Internet Archive.The power of metamorphosi
“A Famous Were-Leopard”. Percy Amaury Talbot. Internet Archive.The power of metamorphosis is generally termed Uworraw-Ukponn, corresponding to the Ibo word Ehihi, and is sometimes inherited, sometimes bought. […] Usually fast runners, and those who move with a peculiar creeping motion, are looked upon as leopard souls[.]– Percy Amaury Talbot (1923). Life in Southern Nigeria. pp. 88, 106.Many communities and lineages among Cross River peoples like the Ibibio and among different Igbo groups and beyond have special animals or vegetation that they have bonded with. In many cases, this came with the ability to take the form of the animal, plants, or trees through a projection of the individual’s consciousness which can happen at great distances such as from one’s home to an entity in the wild. The ability is usually first gotten through medicine and is hereditary. Sometimes these animals may have protected or saved the community before the bond. It is forbidden for members of such lineages to harm or harvest the animals, plants, or trees they have bonded with or allow others to do so because they are considered kin. -- source link
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