Mama Ingyorhena Ivyarave is my mother. Her two names are Ingyorhena Ivyarave. The word "mama" is an honour accorded to old women in Tiv culture. I was thirty-seven years old when my mother performed casket burial. I knew and I know much about her. Read about my mother in the following subheadings:
Birth
Considering the age of her eldest child, I reason that Mama was born in 1939 . Her father was Uke Adeke. Her mother was Shimo Uke. Her father and ancestors were indigenes of Jato Aka, Yaav Council Ward, Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State of Nigeria. In the past, Yaav Council Ward was grouped with other locations and they were known as Turan District. This indigeneship has continued with Mama's family in the present. The kindred to which Mama's family belongs is known as Mbatye. Her father married four wives. Go to this website, .................... and see their names and children. Her mother was an indigene of Ikyov, Ushongo Local Government Area, Benue State of Nigeria.
Informal Education
Mama was informally educated. She behaved in certain ways that showed respect for civilization. For example, she maintained her teeth very well. She brushed her teeth. Her teeth looked whitish even in year 2016 before the sickness that led to her casket burial. Another example is that she did banking. I knew her with an account with Lobi Bank. It was still access to informal education as she travelled regularly from Jato Aka to Gboko for business.
Marriage and Children
Mama married Baba Ivyarave Ijov in 1958 . She bore nine children. I am the last of the nine. Details of her children are found on this website, ................ Baba Iyarave Ijov married nine wives. Six out of the nine bore children. Three of the nine did not bear. Mama was the second of the nine wives. Details of the other wives and their children are found on this website, .................. Mama bought a plot in another part of Jato Aka in 1980's and went there to live with her children. It was not a wrong act. Her husband had many wives. Secondly, her matrimonial house and her personal house were located in one town, Jato Aka. She was not at war with her husband.
Work
Mama practised farming. She cultivated yams, cassava, potatoes, beans and vegetables. She used some of the products to feed her children. She sold some of the products to make money. Apart from farming, she engaged in rice milling and sales business. She bought rice from markets as harvested directly from fadama. She boiled and dried under hot sun. Then she took to mills in Gboko where the rice was processed into eatable grains. That was the form in which she sold and got money. It can be seen that Mama had two sources of income. With her money, she built a plot in Jato Aka outside her matrimonial home. Her children were opportuned to live in an oblong house in the beginning of 1991 . Baba Ivyarave Ijov also visited us.
Bodily Deformation
Mama became bodily deformed in 1991 . The situation started like stroke. She was taken to one of our relatives, Akosu Nyitse, who was a native doctor. After some months, there was no sign of healing and she returned to her house. Her voice changed and her body dried up. She could not walk uprightly. She walked slowly when she held unto a person. Alternatively, she moved by bending and supporting herself with wood. Even as a deformed woman, she managed and sponsored my education. I completed primary and secondary education before I travelled out of home. When I visited home in poverty, she gave me money. I requested for money to make a six month computer training in 2005 and she provided. I went into a remedial programme at Benue State University, Makurdi in 2007 and she sponsored. I can not boast of doing much for her as a caring child. My first time of giving her money was in December, 2010 and the amount was only one thousand naira (N1000.00) . I managed to show concern with little amounts from time to time. The highest thing I wanted to do was to buy a mattress for her in 2016 . When I went to the dealers, they increased the amount from ten or eleven thousand naira (N10000.00 or N11000.00) which used to be to seventeen thousand naira (N17000.00) . I came back and waited for a future. A strange medical practitioner appeared barely three months from the day I bargained for my mother's mattress.
Strange Sickness
Mama suffered in the hands of a strange medical practitioner, Washima Akile, from November, 2016 to August, 2017 . That strange practitioner was brought by my elder brother, Asange Ivyarave. I was not at home but I travelled there to see my mother's situation. I was not worried at first. I started getting worried around April, 2017 as her legs and hands were becoming inactive. I threatened on 12th July, 2017 that I would take her away from my elder brother and care for her by myself. I gave October, 2017 as the deadline. I left home again on 13th July, 2017 . My elder brother called me on 5th or 6th August, 2017 and told me that the situation was worsening. I replied that I would visit home on 8th August, 2017 . I left Abuja in the morning of the said 8th August, 2017 and went to Shangev-ya, Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State of Nigeria. My sister, Nguveren Iorundu, is married there. My intention was to get a mobilization through my sister to withstand my elder brother and take my mother away. I arrived Shangev-ya around 5.00p.m. on the same day but my sister told me that our mother was in N.K.S.T. Mortuary. She said she went to Jato Aka that morning. However, our mother died and was taken to the mortuary before her arrival.
Casket Burial
Mama was declared dead on 8th August, 2017 in the morning. She was kept in hiding. Her resemblance corpse was embalmed in N.K.S.T. Mortuary, Jato Aka, Kwande Local Government Area, Benue State of Nigeria. We removed it from the mortuary on 6th September, 2017 and kept wake in Tse Ijov Azembe, Jato Aka. We buried it on 7th September, 2017 . It was taken to her grave between 8.00 a.m. and 9.00 a.m. and the grave was completely closed before 9.48 a.m. The casket burial was in Tse Ijov Azembe, Jato Aka. When construction of the cover of Mama's grave was finished, Daniel Asar Asera made an intimidating comment. He said, "Kwagh bee a bee je. Hegen me nenge a war u Atsen kpa me kera fa ga. War u kwase u Atsen kpa me kera fa ga". This was a comment in Tiv language meaning "Everything has finished. Now I can not recognize the grave of Atsen if I see it. The grave of the wife of Atsen also I can not recognize". What was this man saying? The graves of Atsen and his wife were not built to completion. There were no names on them. The grave of Mama was built all round before burial and her name was on it. The casket carrying her resemblance corpse was laid in the grave through a side and a cover was constructed immediately as an indication that the grave was closed. Was Daniel Asar Asera saying that he would destroy Mama's grave such that it would have no marks for recognition like the other graves? Was he saying he would remove the corpse from the grave and sell to make money? Yes, his comment posed those points of intimidation. I will do my best to protect Mama's grave. I will also investigate Daniel Asar Asera to know whether he removed dead members of our family from their graves in the past.
Back Home
I plan to bring my mother back home. Money is available. I am presently studying defence. When I fully activate my guns, I will bring her back. I will write details of her return under this subheading.
