RAKO
neutralSpirit
Rako is an iska spirit of the bori possession cult of the Hausa, practised in northern Nigeria and Niger. The ethnographer A. J. N. Tremearne, in 1914, ranks him among the little-known masculine spirits, alongside Samayi and Kumo, and notes that he was scarcely honoured any more by the Hausa diaspora of North Africa of his time. Rako passes for sending the weakness and the loss of strength bound to old age. The sacrifice that suits him is that of yellowish fowls. During the ritual dance, the adept possessed by Rako utters a cry, shakes his head, then sits down and nods, in the manner of an old man weighed down by age. Unlike other spirits, he does not practise the jifa, the ritual leap. Like the other iskoki, he belongs to a system in which each spirit is attached to a precise affliction that the rite makes it possible to appease.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
Voice of its pantheon. RAKO carries the memory of its tradition and weaves a thread into the Mabioni. Bound to the Hausa pantheon. Its alignment depends on the invoker's protocol.
Sacred Mask
An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of old age, embodiment of the power of Rako
Era
Ancient cycle
Frequently asked questions
What affliction is Rako reputed to cause?
The weakness and the loss of strength proper to great age, according to the description of Tremearne (1914).
Is he an important spirit of the bori pantheon?
No. Tremearne ranks him among the little-known masculine spirits, alongside Samayi and Kumo, and notes that he was scarcely honoured any more in his time.
What sacrifice is offered to him?
Yellowish fowls. The spirit manifests himself through an adept who cries out, shakes his head, then nods like an old man.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- A. J. N. Tremearne, The Ban of the Bori: Demons and Demon-Dancing in West and North Africa, Londres, Heath Cranton, 1914, p. 341.