SUBJECTING SOME RITES OF PASSAGE AMONG THE NGAS OF PLATEAU STATE TO THE LENS OF JEWISH RITES OF PASSAGE

Abstract

This paper is a comparative analysis of religious rites of passage of Jewish and Ngas people of Plateau State. Rites of Passage are sets of ceremonies or events that mark important stages in one’s life. It is a formal procedure for transition into the next stage of life. The paper buttressed the rich Jewish and Ngas heritage that are seamlessly passed from one generation to the other without showing any superiority or inferiority complexes to any particular culture as seen in most of the Eurocentric missionaries. Findings from this paper revealed that most of the rites among the Ngas people of Plateau state are similar and are very much like the Jewish though with mark dissimilarities. Methodology used is a descriptive and comparative approach. The paper aimed at re-awakening the cultural heritage and the pride of holding firm to what Jews and Ngas have and to also enlighten and broaden knowledge that not everything cultural should be discarded as primitive and fetish.