The Impact of Christianity on Yekku festival in Tangale Land, Gombe State.

Abstract

Yekku festival is celebrated yearly among the Tangale people. This cultural festival played a key role in shaping the moral values of the people over the years. However, with the advent of Christianity, this festival is losing its influence. In view of the above the paper examines the influence of Christianity on Yekku festival. The study adopted structural functionalist perspective of Emile Durkheim (1995) as its theoretical base. The research used a qualitative/content analysis approach using interviews and journals. The research reveals that Yekku festival is losing members because of massive conversion to Christianity. The Tangle god (Yekku), is no longer held in high esteem since people now belief in monotheistic teaching of Christianity and worship of other gods is seen as idolatry. The paper recommends that Traditional rulers who are the custodians of Tangle culture and religion should take measures to revival the celebration of Yekku festival by calling on their sons and daughters in the diaspora to always come home to participate in the festival. The research concludes by calling on the people to embrace their traditional religious beliefs that have positive impact in their lives.