Bwa
Encyclopedia
The Bwa or Bwaba or Bobo-Wule (Bobo-Oule), 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.
who raided and enslaved the Bwa and stole their livestock
. The end of the 19th century brought French mercenaries who used the Fulani to help control the area. The Bwa traditions of storing crops for use in lean years were undermined by the crippling taxation systems of the French and they suffered further from famine
from 1911–1913. The French demanded military recruits from the Bwa and in 1915, the Bwa revolted. This revolt lasted six months and ended with the destruction of many Bwa villages.
and the Mouhoun River (Black Volta
) in Burkina Faso. Their total population is approximately 300, 000. The major towns occupied by the Bwa are Houndé
, Boni
, Bagassi
, Dossi and Pa.
being cotton
. They also farm millet
, rice
, sorghum
, yam
s, and peanut
s. Bwa villages are autonomous and they do not recognise any outside political authority. They are led by a council of male elders
who make all the major decisions. Villages are structured with a cluster of mud walled buildings around a central space where livestock are guarded at night.
. Some speak Jula (Dioula
) for trading and communication with outsiders, and French
is also used.
beliefs. Approximately 5% are Muslim
, approximately 10% are Christian
and approximately 85% are animists.
The creator god of the Bwa is known as Wuro, Difini or Dobweni. He created the world by setting his creations up in balanced opposing pairs (for example male and female, domesticated and wild). The Bwa have to work to maintain the balance. Wuro left the earth after being wounded by a woman pounding millet. He had three sons: Dwo (or Do), god of new life and rebirth; Soxo, god of the wilderness and Kwere, the god of lightning. Wuro sent Dwo, with his brothers, to earth as his messenger and manifestation.
The Bwa, (the northern Bwa in particular) worship Dwo as an intermediary between man and nature. The religious leader of each village is an earth priest called the labie, the oldest man of the village. The congregation of Dwo is a strong cohesive force in Bwa villages. The Bwa share their Dwo religion with the neighbouring Bobo people
, and probably acquired it from the Bobo centuries ago. In the late 19th century, following decades of oppression and misfortune, many southern Bwa villages abandoned the cult of Dwo and adopted the religion of their Nuna neighbours.
. The masks, made from wood and leaves, are used in traditional rituals. In particular the Southern Bwa are known for their tall plank masks, known as nwantantay, and tend to use wood to make their masks. http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eafricart/Dossi%20mask%20gallery/index.htm This is a result of their adoption of Nuna religion and their traditions of using wooden masks. About 1897, after a series of disasters, including the arrival of the French and their Senegalese mercenaries, the Bwa decided God had abandoned them, so they turned to their Nuna neighbors and purchased the rights to use, wear, and carve wooden masks, their costumes, and the songs and dances that go with them. The religion associated with wooden masks is focused on the spirit Lanle, whose power is manifested through the wooden masks. The northern Bwa use leaf masks more than wooden ones. http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eafricart/Leaf%20masks%20web/index.htm These leaf masks frequently represent Dwo in religious ceremonies. The masks also represent the bush spirits including serpents
, monkey
s, buffalo
and hawk
s. Mask performances generally take place in the dry season between February and May.
an explorers to the area called the Bwa "Bobo", confusing them with their neighbours the Bobo people
. Although the two groups share religion and culture, they are ethnically distinct. The confusion led to alternative names for the Bwa including Bobo Oule, or Eastern Bobo. In Jula, Bobo Oule means "Red Bobo". This distinguishes the Bwa from the Bobo who are called the "Black Bobo". The southern Bwa became known by their neighbours as Nieniegue meaning "scarred Bwa" as a result of the tradition of scarification
of their faces and bodies. This practice is no longer commonplace and so the term is also in decline.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
indigenous to central 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 Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. 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 Bamana empire who made the Bwa pay taxes. The places left unconquered were raided by the Bamana, which led to a weakening of the Bwa social and political systems. In the 19th century, the Bamana declined and the area was dominated by the FulaniFula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
who raided and enslaved the Bwa and stole their livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
. The end of the 19th century brought French mercenaries who used the Fulani to help control the area. The Bwa traditions of storing crops for use in lean years were undermined by the crippling taxation systems of the French and they suffered further from famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
from 1911–1913. The French demanded military recruits from the Bwa and in 1915, the Bwa revolted. This revolt lasted six months and ended with the destruction of many Bwa villages.
Distribution
The Bwa live in central Burkina Faso and south-east Mali, between Mali's Bani RiverBani River
The Bani River is the principal tributary of the Niger River in Mali. Its length is about 1100 km. The Bani is formed from the confluence of the Baoulé and Bagoé rivers some 160 km east of Bamako and merges with the Niger near Mopti.-Geography:...
and the Mouhoun River (Black Volta
Black Volta
Black Volta or Mouhoun is a river of western Africa rising in western Burkina Faso and flowing about 1,352 km to the White Volta in Ghana. The Black Volta forms a small part of the boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast, and also a section of border between Ghana and Burkina Faso.-See also:*Deux...
) in Burkina Faso. Their total population is approximately 300, 000. The major towns occupied by the Bwa are Houndé
Houndé
Houndé is a city located in the province of Tuy in Burkina Faso. It is the capital of Tuy Province....
, Boni
Boni
-Places:* Bone state, vassal state of the government of Celebes, Dutch East Indies* Boni, Haire, a town in Mali* Boni, Korarou, a town in Mali* Boni MRT Station, a train station in Manila, Philippines-Other:* Boni , a 2009 Telugu film...
, Bagassi
Bagassi
Bagassi is a town in the Bagassi Department of Balé Province in southern Burkina Faso. It is the capital of the Bagassi Department and the town has a total population of 2977.-External links:*...
, Dossi and Pa.
Society and politics
Like many of their neighbours, the Bwa are predominantly farmers, their main cash cropCash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
being cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
. They also farm 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...
, 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...
, 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...
, yam
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...
s, and 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. Bwa villages are autonomous and they do not recognise any outside political authority. They are led by a council of male elders
Elder (administrative title)
The term Elder is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority...
who make all the major decisions. Villages are structured with a cluster of mud walled buildings around a central space where livestock are guarded at night.
Language
The Bwa speak Buamu, a central Gur language of the Niger–Congo familyNiger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
. Some speak Jula (Dioula
Dioula language
Jula is a Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. It is one of the Manding languages, and is most closely related to Bambara, being mutually intelligible with Bambara as well as Malinke. It is a trade language in West Africa and is spoken by millions of people, either as a...
) for trading and communication with outsiders, and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is also used.
Religion and mythology
Most Bwa still retain traditional animistAnimism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
beliefs. Approximately 5% are Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, approximately 10% are Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and approximately 85% are animists.
The creator god of the Bwa is known as Wuro, Difini or Dobweni. He created the world by setting his creations up in balanced opposing pairs (for example male and female, domesticated and wild). The Bwa have to work to maintain the balance. Wuro left the earth after being wounded by a woman pounding millet. He had three sons: Dwo (or Do), god of new life and rebirth; Soxo, god of the wilderness and Kwere, the god of lightning. Wuro sent Dwo, with his brothers, to earth as his messenger and manifestation.
The Bwa, (the northern Bwa in particular) worship Dwo as an intermediary between man and nature. The religious leader of each village is an earth priest called the labie, the oldest man of the village. The congregation of Dwo is a strong cohesive force in Bwa villages. The Bwa share their Dwo religion with the neighbouring Bobo people
Bobo people
The Bobo are an ethnic group living in Burkina Faso although the area occupied by the Bobo extends north into Mali. In much of the literature on African art the group that lives in the area of Bobo-Dioulasso is called Bobo-Fing, literally 'black Bobo.' These people call themselves Bobo, and they...
, and probably acquired it from the Bobo centuries ago. In the late 19th century, following decades of oppression and misfortune, many southern Bwa villages abandoned the cult of Dwo and adopted the religion of their Nuna neighbours.
Masks
The Bwa are well known for their use of traditional tribal masksAfrican tribal masks
Ritual and ceremonial masks are an essential feature of the traditional culture and art of the peoples of Subsaharan and West Africa. While the specific implications associated to ritual masks widely vary in different cultures, some traits are common to most African cultures: for example, masks...
. The masks, made from wood and leaves, are used in traditional rituals. In particular the Southern Bwa are known for their tall plank masks, known as nwantantay, and tend to use wood to make their masks. http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eafricart/Dossi%20mask%20gallery/index.htm This is a result of their adoption of Nuna religion and their traditions of using wooden masks. About 1897, after a series of disasters, including the arrival of the French and their Senegalese mercenaries, the Bwa decided God had abandoned them, so they turned to their Nuna neighbors and purchased the rights to use, wear, and carve wooden masks, their costumes, and the songs and dances that go with them. The religion associated with wooden masks is focused on the spirit Lanle, whose power is manifested through the wooden masks. The northern Bwa use leaf masks more than wooden ones. http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eafricart/Leaf%20masks%20web/index.htm These leaf masks frequently represent Dwo in religious ceremonies. The masks also represent the bush spirits including serpents
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
, monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s, buffalo
Water Buffalo
The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in southern Asia, and also widely in South America, southern Europe, northern Africa, and elsewhere....
and hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s. Mask performances generally take place in the dry season between February and May.
Classification
Early EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an explorers to the area called the Bwa "Bobo", confusing them with their neighbours the Bobo people
Bobo people
The Bobo are an ethnic group living in Burkina Faso although the area occupied by the Bobo extends north into Mali. In much of the literature on African art the group that lives in the area of Bobo-Dioulasso is called Bobo-Fing, literally 'black Bobo.' These people call themselves Bobo, and they...
. Although the two groups share religion and culture, they are ethnically distinct. The confusion led to alternative names for the Bwa including Bobo Oule, or Eastern Bobo. In Jula, Bobo Oule means "Red Bobo". This distinguishes the Bwa from the Bobo who are called the "Black Bobo". The southern Bwa became known by their neighbours as Nieniegue meaning "scarred Bwa" as a result of the tradition of scarification
Scarification
Scarifying involves scratching, etching, burning, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification.In the process of body scarification, scars are formed by cutting or branding the skin...
of their faces and bodies. This practice is no longer commonplace and so the term is also in decline.