Ngas Concept of Tuput: Reincarnation or Resurrection?

Abstract

In this article, we interrogate the concept of tuput (“to die and come out”) and the subsequent equation of it with reincarnation by the Ngas people of Plateau State in Nigeria, wherein it is claimed that persons who have undergone the ritual processes of tuput-enablement reincarnate within 2 days of their death, not by way of rebirth through conception and delivery but by just mysteriously reappearing in their full former selves and then resuming their normal life as though they never died. This claim raises a stir in us. In exploring the tuput phenomenon, we interviewed some indigenes of the Ngas community concerning the phenomenon. Thereafter, we situated the claims about tuput within the framework of existing theories of reincarnation and juxtaposed them with resurrection—another related theory of afterlife. Our findings reveal among other things that (a) although tuput is a theory of afterlife, it is not reincarnation. Tuput comes closer to the theory of resurrection as a theory of afterlife; (b) belief in tuput is unreflective and its associated claims are laden with internal contradictions; and (c) although tuput suffers the defects listed in (b), it nevertheless has some underlying values and promises that could be harnessed to enrich human knowledge and expand the scope of existing literature, if investigated further.