There are beliefs in Uvwie that have become norms and taboos which are held in high esteem.  Failure to keep this norms amount to sacrilege and attracts sanctions and cleansing to bring about restitution and restoration.

Some of them are as follows:

During traditional burial rites, family members and children goes to wash body and clothes (final ablution rite) in the river. On their way back in a procession, everybody is charged not to look back, no matter the distraction.  This can be drawn from the biblical story of Lot’s wife who looked back and turned a pillar of salt.  It is spiritually believed that if one looked back, he would forfeit supposed blessings from the ancestors. Others are as listed below:

1. Sweeping the house at night
2. Answering calls while eating
3. Holding a married woman by the wrist
4. Answering call at night
5. Woman bound from sleeping with their husband during menstrual periods
6. Pregnant woman is not allowed to drink directly from bottles
7. You do not all people by their names in the bush
8. Significance of hitting either the left or right leg against stone etc

 

Sweeping the House at Night:

It is belief that when the house is swept at night, when the spirits that gives children visit at night, they will have nothing to eat and subsequently refuse to visit such homes next time.  Resultant effect is childlessness or reduction in the number of children such couple will have.  However, if a child sweeps the house at night without knowing, the parents will ask that the broom should be used to sweep back the dirt and not be packed out of the house until morning to make restitution.

 

Holding a Married Woman by the Wrist by another Married Man:

It is an abominable offence for a man to hold a legally married woman by the wrist.  It is belief that if the woman does not alert the husband, the children or the husband will die mysteriously.  The same thing goes when a married woman sleeps with another man (infidelity).

Answering calls while eating: It is the belief in Uvwie that you do not answer to calls while eating

 

Holding a married woman by the wrist:

A legal married Uvwie woman is forbidden to be held by another man by the wrist. It is forbidden.  When this happens, the woman is expected to report this act to the husband and cleansing is done to avoid the accentors taken offence and bring sickness or death upon the children of the marriage or the husband.

 

Answering call at night:

When one is called at night and you do not know who is calling, it is belief in Uvwie that you do not answer to sure call as you may just be answering a spirit call which may result to sickness or death

 

Woman bound from sleeping with their husband during menstrual periods:

A woman under her menstrual period is spiritually tend to be unclean. Therefore, it is belief that when sure a woman sleeps with the husband, she will defile the man spiritually and expose him to danger or harm and death.

 

Pregnant woman is not allowed to drink directly from bottles:

The Uvwie norms forbids a pregnant woman drink from a bottle. It is belief that if she does, the child when born will stammerer.

 

You do not call people by their names in the bush:

It is belief that calling and responding to calls in the bush, are done with an echo sound. This is to avoid some evil spirits from know your name and striking one with strange illness.

 

Significance of hitting either the left or right leg against stone:

Uvwie people belief that when you hit the left leg against a stone, it is a bad omen.  While if it is the right one, it is belief to be a good omen.  However, if the left leg is hit against a stone of an object accidentally, the person will deliberately hit the right leg to revert the expected bad omen.