Mythology of NYOKUM
NYISHI Indigenous Identity SocietyThere was a Nyishi myth that there are numbers of spirits that dictates the life of humanbeing living in this universe. These spirits are of 2 (Two) kinds: 1) Benevolent Spirit (Good spirit) and 2) Malevolent spirit (Evil spirit /Ui). Benevolent Spirit has the supper-natural power to ward off malevolent spirits and have the power to influence human life. Malevolent spirit (Evil spirit /Ui) has the power to influence evil effect on human life. There is a common belief that human beings can live a life of peace and prosperity in their life only when perfect harmony is being maintained between the Benevolent Spirit and human beings. When God and human beings are not maintaining a harmonious relationship between them, malevolent spirit(Ui) will take advantage of it and make an evil influence on human life thereby causing misery and hardship in human life. If any displeasure of good spirit is caused by the human being by the influence of the malevolent spirit (Ui), human life shall have to face the wrath of God. When human being happened to face the wrath of God, all unpleasant situations like natural calamities, famine, flood, drought, earthquake, epidemic, warfare and unnatural death, etc. occurs. Therefore to control such unpleasant situations in the upcoming agricultural season and to align human life with God, Nyishi celebrates Nyokum in a special way to invoke Benevolent Spirit to ward off Malevolent spirit (Ui) from disturbing the peace and tranquility in human life. It is also celebrated to ward off Malevolent spirit(Ui) from bringing unpleasant situations in agricultural production. The core value of the Nyokum is to propitiate or to appease the Benevolent Spirit for protection from the unpleasant situation in human life and for bumper agricultural harvest.