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Tribe Snapshots Bwa |
| Location: |
Central Burkina Faso, Mali |
| Population: |
300,000 |
| Language: |
Bwamu (Voltaic) |
| Neighboring
Peoples: |
Bobo, Bamana, Gurunsi, Lobi |
| Types
of Art: |
The Bwa produce numerous masks, which are made
from leaves and vines and sculpted from wood.
They are best known for their impressive plank
masks which are used in the southern villages.
Wooden sculptures used in fertility and divination
ceremonies are also carved. |
| History: |
The history of the Bwa is characterized by a
succession of outsiders attempting to take advantage
of their independently organized villages. In
the 18th century, the Bamana empire of Segou came
into power and occupied a large portion of the
Bwa lands in Mali. They forced the Bwa to pay
taxes and carried out raids in the unconquered
areas. In the 19th century, the Bamana empire
declined, only to be replaced by the Moslem Fulani
empire in the north. They also carried out incursions
into Bwa territory, destroying crops and villages,
stealing animals, enslaving men and women, and
conscripting men into their armies. In 1897, the
French arrived on the scene, only to use the Fulani
as mercenaries in order to control the region.
In 1915, the Bwa revolted against the French demand
for military recruits. The French responded by
destroying all the offending villages. |
| Economy: |
The Bwa are primarily farmers. Since the early
colonial days the largest cash crop is cotton,
of which they often produce so much that they
must purchase food for cash in distant markets.
Most of the field work is done by the men, although
women help out during planting and harvesting.
Other crops include grains, such as millet, rice,
sorghum, yams, and peanuts. Women also gather
fruits and plants from the nearby wilderness,
which are used in the concoction of certain medicines
and to supplement the daily diet. |
| Political
Systems: |
The Bwa live in autonomous villages which do
not recognize an individual political authority.
All decisions are made by a council of male elders
of the local lineages. External infringements
on this system have been historically resisted.
While the independence of Bwa villages has proven
an advantage in the face of local crises, when
the people have quickly organized and taken action
almost immediately, it has also prevented the
Bwa from forming strong alliances when confronted
by outside invaders. |
| Religion: |
The Bwa believe that the world was created by
a god named Difini or Dobweni, who left the Earth
when he was wounded by a woman pounding millet
with her pestle, abandoning humankind to his fate
on Earth. Dobweni sent his son Do to act as his
messenger to humans and to act as an intermediary
between people and spirits. Do is primarily concerned
with all ceremonies that represent the renewal
of life, for he is associated directly with the
life giving bush or forest, which provides the
Bwa with game and medicines they need to survive.
He also represents plant life and the power that
lends productivity to man's labor in the fields.
The cult of Do is a major cohesive force in Bwa
society, providing an opportunity for cultural
and community bonding. The religious leader among
the Bwa is an earth priest (labie) who is the
oldest male member of the clan that first occupied
the land on which the village is built. |
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