Bereavement

Until recently, Death was a solemn occasion among the Tiv. Today, the Tiv mourning custom of festivities during period of mourning compels the bereaved to provide festivities for sympathisers instead of being provided for. This switch of roles and its supposed implications on bereaves motivated this research. Findings indicated among others that the Tiv are affected by bereavement on several dimensions of health. But the ability or otherwise to organise festivities today seems to determine bereaves' outcome. This custom is a product of redefinition of values by the elite to display affluence and ignorantly copied by the society. Its practice has brought untold hardship on the poor but increased the status of the rich. Suggestions are made for desired change.