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Tribe Snapshots Nuna |
| Location: |
Southern Burkina
Faso |
| Population: |
100,000 |
| Language: |
Nuni |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Mossi, Winiama,
Kassena,
Bwa,
Lobi |
| Types
of Art: |
The most recognized of the Nuna art forms are
magnificent wooden masks colored red, white, and
black. In addition anthropomorphic figures sculpted
from clay and wood and various personal objects,
ranging from jewelry to wooden stools, are created
to honor the spirits. |
| History: |
Nuna emigrated from nothern Ghana in a northward
direction together with their Winiama neighbors
at the end of the 15th century before the Nakomsé
advance. The Mossi invaders were never able successfully
to maintain power in Nuna territory because the
horses on which they depended for military power
quickly became sick and died. The bush surrounding
Nuna territory is infested with the tsetse fly,
making sleeping sickness endemic. Mossi accounts
tell of the magical powers of Nuna peoples and
their neighbors. Because of the structure of Nuna
towns, they were difficult for cavalry raiders
to penetrate. Nuna farmers could stand on the
roofs of their homes and kill any mounted warriors
who dared to enter the narrow alleys between houses.
The region, however, was constantly ravaged by
slave raids perpetrated by the Mossi, Fulani,
and Songhay, until the end of the 19th century.
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| Economy: |
Nuna are primarily sedentary farmers, growing
millet, sorghum, and yams. Maize, rice, peanuts,
and beans are grown in addition to these staples.
Farmers throughout the region practice slash and
burn farming, using fields (keri) for approximately
seven or eight years before they are allowed to
lie fallow for at least a decade. In the family
fields close to the villages, women grow cash
crops, including sesame and tobacco, which are
sold in local markets. Men participate in hunting
during the long dry season. This is important
for ritual reasons, since it is during this time
that men may interact with the spirits that inhabit
the bush. During the dry season, when food supplies
are running low, some fishing is practiced in
local swamps. |
| Political
Systems: |
Nuna societies are comprised mainly of farmers,
without social or political stratification. They
are not divided among occupational castes or groups
since most of them simply till the land and engage
in occasional hunting. Before the arrival of the
French, they had no internal system of chiefs,
and all important decisions were made by a council
of elders consisting of the oldest members of
each of the village lineages. Religious leaders
do maintain some political authority, determining
the agricultural cycle and parceling out land
for cultivation. The French established local
puppet rulers, and the families of some of these
maintained nominal political power until the revolution
in 1983. |
| Religion: |
Belief in a supreme creator being is central
to Nuna beliefs. A shrine to this god occupies
the center of every village. An element of this
creator god is Su, the mask spirit which is enshrined
in the oldest and most sacred mask in the community.
The spirit of Su can be harnessed to benefit the
community or to cause harm to their enemies. When
Su is properly appeased, communal harmony is achieved.
He is responsible for providing women with fertility
and is recognized for his role in the continuity
of life. Each extended family maintains its own
hut, in which the lineage magical objects are
kept. The objects allow the family to maintain
contact with the vital forces of nature. These
objects are inherited by the ancestors and are
the communal property of the lineage, providing
protection and social cohesion among all members
of the family. |
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