|
Tribe Snapshots Lobi |
| Location: |
Burkina
Faso, Côte
d'Ivoire, Ghana |
| Population: |
160,000 |
| Language: |
Lobi (Voltaic) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Bwa,
Senufo,
Nuna |
| Types
of Art: |
The Lobi carve numerous types of objects, ranging
from those used every day to figures that embody
religious ideals. The figures (bateba) are recognized
as living beings, which are placed on the shrines
of thila and are able to communicate with one
another and to fight off witches. |
| History: |
The Lobi migrated into Burkina Faso from present
day Ghana around 1770, and many of them crossed
the border into contemporary Côte d'Ivoire over
the next hundred years or so in search of uncultivated
lands. Although Lobi villages are often very independent
and so politically disorganized, they managed
to put up a strong resistance to French colonialization. |
| Economy: |
The Lobi mostly practice hoe farming, living
on millet, sorghum and corn. The men are normally
responsible for clearing the fields and preparing
them for planting, while the women do most of
the sowing and harvesting. Both men and women
produce crafts, which they sell on the local markets
for a modest income. Some livestock and cattle
are raised for trading and to be used for paying
for dowries and fines and also to use as offerings.
Although hunting and fishing at one time provided
an important source of protein for the Lobi, this
is no longer the case, as game populations have
been seriously diminished since the introduction
of firearms. |
| Political
Systems: |
Lobi villages are spread out and often intermingle
with one another. It is often difficult to distinguish
one from another geographically. Yet, due to village
affiliation with an individual thil ("supernatural
spirit"), it is possible to define community boundaries.
The thil, who is recognized as the head of the
community, expresses prohibitions through a religious
diviner, which must be obeyed by the village inhabitants.
Each village is independent, and the prohibitions
enforced in one area may be completely ignored
in the next. |
| Religion: |
It is believed by the Lobi that at one time
they lived in a metaphorical Garden of Eden at
one with the god and wanting for nothing. However,
as their numbers began to increase men began to
fight one another over women, and as a result
the god turned his back on them. Not wanting them
to be completely lost, the god sent forth thila
to take care of the people. The thila are contacted
through a diviner who delivers their messages,
demands, and prohibitions to the people. The village
thil is embodied in a village shrine but, since
thila may leave the shrines, they are often uninhabited.
Below the thila cosmologically, yet above men,
are numerous bush spirits. The Lobi are able freely
to distinguish between the bush spirits and the
thila based on a series of factors, which at first
seem quite confusing to the outsider. |
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