Frafra
Encyclopedia
Frafra is a colonialist term given to a subset of Gurunsi
peoples living in northern Ghana
and their language. The larger group of Gurunsi peoples inhabit both southern Burkina Faso
and northern Ghana. Derived from the greeting "Ya Fara-Fara?", which means "How is your suffering (work)?", this term is applied to these peoples, who share common histories, languages, and political structures, but it may also carry pejorative overtones in local usage. Most of Gurunsi live in modern day Burkina Faso, and the degree to which Frafra history differs from their northerly neighbours, such as the Nuna, Bwa
, and Winiama, is linked to their living in modern day Ghana. These differences arose during colonial times, which began in the early part of the 20th century, as French and British colonial systems differed in their administrative practices.
Frafra are primarily sedentary farmers, growing millet
, sorghum
, and yams
. Maize
, rice
, peanut
s, and bean
s are grown in addition to these staples. Farmers throughout the region practice slash and burn farming, using fields 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.
Frafra societies are mainly made up 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. 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.
Belief in a supreme creator being is central to Frafra beliefs. A shrine to this god occupies the center of every village. 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.
The most recognized of the Frafra art forms are cast brass jewelry and beautifully decorated architecture. 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.
It was not until recently that an emerging body of Frafra Literature is growing. It was A. Pamzoya who first wrote a novel on Frafra Culture with the title: Souvenir for Death. Dr. Jesika Agambila who is a prominent intellectual wrote a major collection of Frafra Folktales under the title Solma: Tales from Northern Ghana. This was followed by Journey, a novel set in the Frafra area.
A young emerging writer on deep rooted Frafra Culture and tradition is Stephen Atalebe
, whose Cowboy series gave a vivid powerful narrative about the Cowboys subculture and an inside into the Frafra culture. His other novel, Ancestral Manipulations, also made major contributions to the understanding of Female Circumcision as was practiced in the Frafra area. His most recent book Sins of the fathers explores traditional beliefs about death, taboos,womenn's rights, the ancestors, gods and the role of soothsayers in the traditional society.
Bolgatanga
is the commercial center of the Frafra area. Other important villages and towns include Bongo, Tongo, Zuarungu
, Zoko, and Pwalugu.
Frafra peoples have a special playmate (joking) relationship with the Dagaare peoples of northwestern Ghana, which has its roots in a believed common ancestry.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Sins+of+the+fathers+Stephen+Atalebe
Gurunsi
The Gurunsi are a set of ethnic groups inhabiting northern Ghana and southern Burkina Faso.-Pre-Colonial History and Origins:Oral traditions of the Gurunsi hold that they originated from the western Sudan near Lake Chad. While it is unknown when the migration occurred, it is believed that the...
peoples living in northern Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and their language. The larger group of Gurunsi peoples inhabit both southern Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
and northern Ghana. Derived from the greeting "Ya Fara-Fara?", which means "How is your suffering (work)?", this term is applied to these peoples, who share common histories, languages, and political structures, but it may also carry pejorative overtones in local usage. Most of Gurunsi live in modern day Burkina Faso, and the degree to which Frafra history differs from their northerly neighbours, such as the Nuna, Bwa
Bwa
The Bwa or Bwaba , or Bobo-Wule , are an ethnic group indigenous to central Burkina Faso and Mali. Their population is approximately 300,000. They are known for their use of masks, made from leaves or wood, used in performative rituals.-History:In the 18th century, Bwa lands were occupied by the...
, and Winiama, is linked to their living in modern day Ghana. These differences arose during colonial times, which began in the early part of the 20th century, as French and British colonial systems differed in their administrative practices.
Frafra are primarily sedentary farmers, growing millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, and yams
Yam (vegetable)
Yam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
. Maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, and bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s are grown in addition to these staples. Farmers throughout the region practice slash and burn farming, using fields 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
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, which are sold in local markets. Men participate in hunting during the long dry season. This is important for ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
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.
Frafra societies are mainly made up 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. 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.
Belief in a supreme creator being is central to Frafra beliefs. A shrine to this god occupies the center of every village. 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.
The most recognized of the Frafra art forms are cast brass jewelry and beautifully decorated architecture. 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.
It was not until recently that an emerging body of Frafra Literature is growing. It was A. Pamzoya who first wrote a novel on Frafra Culture with the title: Souvenir for Death. Dr. Jesika Agambila who is a prominent intellectual wrote a major collection of Frafra Folktales under the title Solma: Tales from Northern Ghana. This was followed by Journey, a novel set in the Frafra area.
A young emerging writer on deep rooted Frafra Culture and tradition is Stephen Atalebe
Stephen Atalebe
Stephen Atalebe is an emerging writer on deep rooted Northern Ghana Frafra Culture.His first book in the Cowboy trilogy, Cowboy: The Genesis, told of the young cowboys who decided to take destiny into their own hands and influence their future. They decided to steal their parents cows and absconded...
, whose Cowboy series gave a vivid powerful narrative about the Cowboys subculture and an inside into the Frafra culture. His other novel, Ancestral Manipulations, also made major contributions to the understanding of Female Circumcision as was practiced in the Frafra area. His most recent book Sins of the fathers explores traditional beliefs about death, taboos,womenn's rights, the ancestors, gods and the role of soothsayers in the traditional society.
Bolgatanga
Bolgatanga
Bolgatanga, colloquially known as Bolga, is the capital of both the Bolgatanga Municipal District and the Upper East Region of Ghana, and has a population of about 72,000...
is the commercial center of the Frafra area. Other important villages and towns include Bongo, Tongo, Zuarungu
Zuarungu
Zuarungu is a town in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Zuarungu was formerly a regional capital, until Bolgatanga, four miles to the west, offered land to build a hospital, and the seat of government was moved there. The people of Zuarungu are mostly Frafra people with a small minority of workers...
, Zoko, and Pwalugu.
Frafra peoples have a special playmate (joking) relationship with the Dagaare peoples of northwestern Ghana, which has its roots in a believed common ancestry.
External links
- University of Iowa: Frafra people
- GhanaWeb: Ghanaian Languages
- http://alice.library.ohiou.edu/record=b4536171~S7
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Sins+of+the+fathers+Stephen+Atalebe