The Eloyi (AKA, Afo) people live scattered among the Benue, and Plateau Provinces in central Nigeria. The principal geographic feature in their region is a fifteen-mile range of steep rocky hills, in which most of the Eloyi lived until 1918.
There was a revolt in 1918, and most Eloyi were forced to leave their strongholds in the rocks and to settle in the plains at the foot of the range. Since then, some have moved back to the rocky hills, leaving them again isolated, even from their Eloyi brothers in the plains.
In 1932, the British divided the Eloyi into ten village areas, each under a village head. However, the Eloyi preserved their attitude of independence and refused to recognize the village head, feeling that their customs, traditions, and religion were being threatened. Thus, there were two leaders, traditional and government-recognized.
Today, though many of their customs persist, large numbers of Eloyi are on a wage economy. They are gradually becoming integrated into a larger national and global commercial economy. As a consequence, in comparison to some other tribes in the Benue Valley, the Eloyi are more economically advanced. The Eloyi in the hills plant guinea corn, cotton, yams and tobacco. They specialize in weaving and dyeing since there is a high local demand for cloth. They travel far distances to trade their surplus goods. The Eloyi of the plains, however, are mostly farmers who trade only on a small scale. They obtain cash from the export of palm oil and dried fish. Eloyi men hunt, clear the land for agriculture, and do most of the fishing and large-scale trading. Women trade at the local level, often making more money than their husbands. They also help in cultivation and perform most household responsibilities, such as caring for children and preparing meals.
The Eloyi live in compact villages or towns; some of them walled. The larger villages are divided into wards, which are sometimes separated into distinct hamlets. In the hills, round huts with conical thatched roofs serve as Eloyi houses. They are grouped in a compound around a central courtyard, which serves as a place for social gatherings and relaxation. The plains people fortify their villages and construct large houses, adopting the Hausa pattern of compounds.
To most Eloyi, the village community is everything, and the tribe is nothing. No tribal organizations have been found among them. Each village has a stubborn independence of the next, causing frequent tension within the Eloyi tribe as a whole.
The village chief and council of elders handle most village affairs and try cases. However, the gado is the father of the community and the final authority on Eloyi custom. He orders the performance of village planting and harvest rites, which are carried out on the grave of their ancestors. He also decides questions of law.
Although a small number of the Eloyi have become Muslim, the majority continue to practice their traditional beliefs. The Eloyi believe in the impersonal god, Owo. The cult of Owo is personal and not a group affair. Owo is symbolized by either a white silk cotton tree or a fig tree, depending on the location in which a particular Eloyi lives.
Ancestor worship (the belief that the spirits of deceased ancestors are alive and need to be fed and cared for) is important in Eloyi life. In their worship they wear masks to impersonate ancestors. They also engage in witchcraft, magic, and divination with strings.
The Eloyi have few Christian resources available to them; thus, they need Bible translators and literacy workers.
They need continuing prayer and intercession in order to reach the hearts of these people with the love of Christ.
Ask the Lord of the harvest to send loving laborers to teach the Eloyi to make disciples.
Ask the Holy Spirit to grant spiritual hunger to Eloyi leaders.
Pray that God will give the Eloyi believers boldness to disciple others in the ways of Christ.
Pray for Bible translators to translate the Bible into their language.
Pray many will dream of Jesus and see visions of Him calling them to faith in him.
Scripture Prayers for the Eloyi, Afo in Nigeria.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eloyi_people
https://www.imhofverlag.de/buecher/encountering-the-afo-eloyi-people-of-northern-nigeria/
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
