This is a historical event that took place over five centuries in Tiv land, captured with a fictional lens.
After the death of his wife and children, Karagbe flees to seek refuge with his maternal family in Utyusha, afraid of the coven that had killed his family. The wicked coven, some his uncles, tracks him down with the intention of repatriating Karagbe to be killed as well.
Karagbe excuses himself to the forest of medicine, where he fills a small pot with specific items from nature with the help of a dog. He prays to the ancestors to avenge his innocence, then follows his paternal uncles home. His uncles kill him, but not before he breaks the pot of justice, Swem. The breaking of Swem sets nature against the wicked uncles, Kpamberakpa and Anyamgere, and all the members of the coven begin to face the consequences.
Mystified by the power of the pot, the early Tiv elders canonize Swem into a totem of justice. How did the whole story unfold? What is the mystery behind Swem? Why is Swem used in all the English and traditional courts of justice in Tiv land for oath-taking?
Let’s find out in this story.