|
Tribe Snapshots Bidyogo |
| Location: |
Coast of Guinea-Bissau |
| Population: |
20,000 |
| Language: |
Bidyogo |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Baga |
| Types
of Art: |
Several types of statues are carved to house
the spirits of ancestors. Seated figures are usually
used for divination and magic. Two main types
of masks are used in initiation. Bull masks and
shark or swordfish masks are very naturalistic. |
| History: |
Although not much is known about the origins
of the Bidyogo, their language definitely connects
them with the current occupants of the coastal
mainland. It is known that at one time mainland
peoples related to the Bidyogo extended far north
along the coast into present day Mauritania and
were gradually forced south as a result of southward
Berber movement. The earliest written references
to the Bissagos Islands and the people who live
on them dates to 1456, when a Portuguese explorer
described them in his travels. Throughout the
17th century the islands were used as a port for
ships intent on exporting slaves. In the late
19th century the archipelago was colonized as
part part of Portuguese Guinea. |
| Economy: |
The lowland swampy ecology of the islands is
particularly good for growing rice, making it
the most important staple crop of the Bidyogo.
Fishing in the surrounding Atlantic is nearly
as important as farming. The Bidyogo are quite
adept at handling long canoes that on occasion
have also been used to war against people living
on the coast. Pigs are the primary animal raised
on the island. Although this practice may have
been introduced by Portuguese sailors in the 15th
century, it is also likely that pigs, which were
once a very important part of North African economies,
were brought to the islands by Bidyogo ancestors
before the influence of Islam. |
| Political
Systems: |
Political power is invested in leaders who derive
their power through their relationship to the
ancestors, which is traced through the matrilineal
line. Having a direct connection to the ancestors
buried in the land entitles the leader to control
the distribution of that land. The leader of each
community is attended to by a council of elders.
Bidyogo homes are structured with connecting compounds,
creating a strong sense of community, both physically
and socially. Women are particularly important
in Bidyogo political systems, for they may achieve
the rank of chief. |
| Religion: |
It is believed that Nindo, the supreme god,
created Obide, a man, and Okanto, the woman, who
gave birth to two boys, who are remembered as
the original four ancestors. Bidyogo oral history
recounts a tale in which the people were told
to carve a statue to honor the god that was to
be present at religious ceremonies. They also
believe that after dying, the soul (Orobo) can
only find peace if a statue is carved in which
it can rest. Although there have been some Islamic
influences on the Bissagos Islands, most of these
have been cultural and not specifically religious. |
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