The facts collected here are almost exclusively such as came to my notice in the course of the ordinary administrative work in Degama Division, to which I was posted in June, 1914.

The region is mainly inhabited by sections of the two great tribes of Ibo and Ijaw. A full description of these will be given later, but it appeared best to issue without further delay this little monograph, dealing with a certain aspect of their religion, the publication of which has already been long postponed owing in the first place to the war and then to pressure of other work.

As regards the remaining tribes, the subject will be found discussed in other books, especially the _Ethnological Sketch_, comprising the second and third volumes of _The Peoples of Southern Nigeria_, published by the Clarendon Press. The descriptive parts in the following pages were written by my first wife.

P. A. T.

_June, 1925._

1. Ikuru drum at Ihie

2. Phallic serpent (Eke) and tortoise (Naba), Okpala

3. Chief juju at Tema

4. Outside the Mbari House, Omo Dim

5. Clay figure of Ale in an Ibo Mbari house

6. Abara, the messenger of Ale and Amad’ongha or Otaminni

7. Girl ’Mgbe, Otaminni house, Opioro

8. Humorous figures

9. Shrine of Otaminni, Opioro

10. The chief of Opioro, head priest of Otaminni

11. Figure of Mbafor in the Njokku Mbari at Omo Dim

12. ‘Little Moon-face’, Omo Dim

13. Group in Obogwe Mbari house

14. Obukere Club head-dresses

15. Sacred drum used to call together the Obukere Club, Oduaha

16. Figure in Mbari house, Umoyo

17. Wrestling scene (’Mba) in shrine of Amade Onhia and Ale. Shrine drummers on the right

18. Clay figure of Amade Onhia in an Ibo Mbari house

19. The Guardians of the Shrine, Omogwa and Otamelli

20. Burial scene in Amade Onhia shrine, Okehin

21. The Aroid which grows round about the great Amad’ongha shrine at Ozozo

22. The shape, surrounded by skulls and draped with blood-stained linen, which represents the earth goddess Ale in the shrine at Ewawfe

23. Obelli Oduaha Ibudu juju for granting many piccans

24. Ibudu in compound next to Chief Ababua’s, Omo Chuku

25. Headless Ibudu in Omo Alipo compound, Omo Chuku

26. Ibudu at Ogaminni, near Ndelle

27. Ite Uru Ibudu

28. Charm

29. Ibudu Nwa

30. Ibudu Nwa at Ale-Barada

31. Ibudu at Digiriga

32. Ibudu placed before the entrance to Omu Dara quarter of Akpani

33. Ibudu at Akpani

34. Eku at Umo Abale quarter of Omo Dioga

35. Pillars, carved tusks, and bronze torques. Kalabari shrine of Awome-Ka-So

36. Patterns of the low Eki

37. Group of Eku, near ’Ndelle

38. The Wekwe Eruru

39. The ‘Servants of Ezum Mezum’

40. Clay figures at the base of a cotton tree near Elele

41. Figures at the base of a cotton tree, near Elele

42. The Eni Awsoku

43. Ife Ja Okko or Ife Ajokko at Ogu

44. Chief Eleche with his head wife, standing by the memorial pillar of the late Head Priest of Aya-Eke

45. Wrestling to make the yams grow. Chief Eleche’s place, Elele

46. Ancestral tablet

47. Shrine of Ojuku juju at Woji