Tinifghani folk religion

The Tinifghani Folk Religion, called Dernaketin, is a form of animist religious beliefs traditionally and historically practiced by the Tinifghani people of Abayad. Practice involves classes of shamans as well as ancestor worship. Although the Tinifghani predominantly subscribe to the teachings of Abayadi Rite Aranism, their animist folk traditions have been incorporated into their practice of the faith. Tinifghani folk religion also involves a great deal of ceremonies and rituals with independent origins to those practiced by most Aranist Abayadis. Two primary variations of this practice exist, found in the North and South Bula mountain ranges respectively.

Overview
Within the cosmology of Tinifghani folk religion, spirits act as the tutelary guardians of buildings, territories, natural places, or things. Spirits can be natural or ancestral, interacting with the world of the living, at times protecting people and at other times causing harm. Guardian spirits of places are celebrated and propitiated with communal gatherings and offerings of food. The deity Tesh and his numerous angels are included in the Tinifghani pantheon, as well as several indigenous spirits that have been elevated to the level of angels to the Tinifghani. Angels and spirits are ubiquitous, with some being associated with the elements: heaven, earth, fire, and water.

The Tinifghani folk religion’s belief system features thirty-two protective bodies of angels or spirits. At certain specific occasions during the course of an individual’s life, such as before a pending marriage, beginning a new job, or at other times of uncertainty, certain ceremonies are sometimes performed for the benefit of an individual, with the aim of binding (or re-binding) spirits of good fortune to them, as unintentional loosening of such bonds is believed to possibly risk illness or harm. The rites call spirits from all thirty-two bodies to return to one’s self to bestow health, prosperity, and wellbeing on the affected participant. During such ceremonies, cotton strings are often tied around a participant’s wrists to keep the spirits in place. It can be performed to welcome guests into the home or community, before or after a long trip, and to help cure or recover from an illness. Similar rituals are central to wedding and naming ceremonies for newborn children.

In daily life, most Tinifghani pay respect to the spirits that reside in spirit-houses, who are thought to protect the general vicinity of the shrine from harm. These spirit-hpuses are essentially miniature shrines, built to represent the presence of the shrine’s spirit, just as a full size shrine is meant to represent such a “presence.” Offerings of flowers, incense, and candles are given, and the spirits are consulted during times of change or hardship for protection and assistance.

In daily life, most people pay respect to the deities that reside in spirit-houses, who are thought to protect the general vicinity of the spirit-house from harm. These spirit-houses are essentially miniature shrines, built to represent the presence of the deity of the shrine, just as a full size shrine is meant to represent such a "presence." Offerings of flowers, incense, and candles are given, and the spirits are consulted during times of change or hardship for protection and assistance. Natural deities include those that reside in trees, mountains, or forests.

Guardian spirits of individuals often include ancestors or angels who arrive at various points in life. Malevolent spirits include those of people who were evil in a past life or died tragic deaths. Spirits associated with specific places, such as the household, a river, or a grove of trees, are not inherently benevolent or evil, which necessitates the offerings given to them to ensure their favor and assistance in human affairs.

Shamans
A class of spiritual leaders called shamans, or vestarin (meaning “tellers”) are localled trained specialists in the rituals and in communication with their personal angels and spirits in general. Using trances, sacred objects imbued with supernatural power, possessions, and rituals, the shaman is often consulted during times of trouble, hauntings, and illness or some other misfortune that might be caused by unhappy spirits. They are also usually present during religious festivals.

Ceremonies
Ceremonies devoted to the spirits commonly involve an offering of wine and food. Once the spirits have taken the spiritual essence of the offering, people may consume the earthly remains. The head of a household or individual wishing to gain the favor of the spirits usually performs the ritual. In many communities, a person, usually an older man believed to have special knowledge of the spirits, may be asked to choose an auspicious day for weddings or other important events, or for household rituals.

“Lowland” Tinifghanis who live in Abayad’s northeastern scrubland believe that they are protected by the dalgun, a body of spirits that require an annual offering to ensure the continued prosperity of their people. The communities’ ritual specialists preside over this major rituals, which in the past has involved the sacrifice of a bull and is still an occasion for closing the communities off from outsiders for a day. To feed the community spirits also serves an important function by reaffirming the communal boundaries and shared interests of all community members. For followers of the Southern Mountain tradition, worship of ancestors is even more important than it is elsewhere, although each clan has different practices and beliefs. The house spirit is particularly important, with the spirits of wild places avoided or barred from the village via special ceremonies.

Southern Tradition
The Southern Tinifghani have special emphasis placed on reverence and worship of ancestor spirits, believing that they are especially empowered to aid their descendants. They commonly offer sacrifices of chickens and millet beer rather than the wine used elsewhere in their unique ancestor-oriented ceremonies. Numerous taboos regarding behavior in the home are observed to avoid offending the ancestral spirits.

Northern Tradition
The Tinifghani in Abayad’s north have similar beliefs, but place less of an emphasis on family spirits compared to elemental spirits or angels. Additionally, their shamans are much more connected between communities, and play much greater roles in making sacrifices compared to individual households. They also supervise construction of communal buildings and officiate the construction of new homes. When a northern shaman dies, one of his sons is elected by the married adults of the village to be his successor. If his has no sons, one of his brother’s sons is chosen.

Angels are very important to the Northern Tinifghani, because they are believed to look out for the entire community as well as individual people and households. They are believed to live in the various homes of the community, and no activity is undertaken without informing them of it and offering sacrifices. The skulls and horns of goats and cattle that have been sacrificed are often hung at the community altar or under the gable of the community’s homes.