Bori is the traditional religion of the Hausa people of northern Nigeria, which includes animism, magic and spirit possession. The Bori religion was widespread in Hausa in pre-Islamic times but began to decline with the introduction of Islam into Hausa land. “Boorii” is a Hausa word for a spiritual force that can be found in physical and/or inanimate objects. The Bori religion exercises the power to control these forces through spiritual dances, rituals and music. These spirits or powers are controlled and used for many purposes such as healing, protection and joy of people or society.In religion there are many spirits with specific names (e.g. Daudu) and powers. The royal priestess of the Bori religion is called “Inna,” which means “mother of us all.” He leads other members of this religion in spiritual dances and rituals.It also plays an important role in purifying and protecting society from evil forces, as well as healing and divination.
Bori priestesses and other members demonstrate their skills at Bori festivals, such as the Girka initiation ritual.
The researcher gave a report on the performance of the spiritual Bori dance. It works like this:
The Bori people gather to dance in the afternoon, about two hours before sunset. Soon the ear is touched by the sounds of violins (Goye) and guitars (Molo), accompanied by gourds (Koko) beaten with sticks or, if they have grooves, held in front of the chest of the player, who turns the scratches and He scratches his round nails with them, making a buzzing sound.Then Magadja gets up. He wears two cloth belts (called [564] Damara) with sewn-in amulets woven around his chest and hips, and in his hand he holds a thin bronze staff. As soon as he lifts his feet from the ground, he moves slowly, his movements soon become more lively and he follows the music by speeding up and tapping the beat with the soles of his feet on the ground. Suddenly he jumps up and falls to the ground with his legs spread before getting back up and repeating the performance. A large mortar was brought.Magadiah approaches and, as mentioned above, also for this reason dares to jump, causing the solid earth to tremble as he falls onto it. She does this three or four times until, exhausted, she collapses into the arms of the servants, who comfortingly cover her with clothes while the initially breathtaking crowd thanks the dancer and musicians with generous helpings of kauri and kolas. (The Bori Magadjiyar: Max Dashu-suppressedhistories.net)
As mentioned earlier, the introduction of Islam into Hausaland led to a decline in the practice of the Bori religion. The roles and functions of priestesses disappeared or were transferred to Islamic institutions. However, many Bori members in Hausaland still identify as Muslims today, while some Muslims also use aspects of the Bori religion to protect their homes from evil spirits (jinn).
The Bori religion is still practiced today in some Hausa regions such as Kooni and Dogondutchi, now in southern Niger.