2.9 THE EARTH
The Supyire have an intimate relationship with the earth, as it is ancient and the source of all fertility. They receive children from spirits living in a certain sacred
spot on the earth. They live in huts made from the earth, farm on it with tools fashioned from metals drawn from the earth. Finally they are buried under the earth.
Traditionally the grave is dug with two holes connected by a tunnel. Before the body is laid to rest in the tunnel, the children of the deceased crawl through the tunnel to
see their parent’s home. The sacred nature of the earth is seen in that land cannot be bought or sold,
but can only be used by permission, and that certain acts can spoil the earth. In that case, rain will not fall until the spoilt earth is repaired.
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2.10 FAMILY UNITY
“It is through a crack in the wall that a cockroach enters.” “One hand cannot wash itself.”
Many proverbs, like the two above, and folk tales express the ideal of unity, solidarity and co-operation in the Supyire family. This is a concern common
throughout Africa. Grebe and Fon write, “The greatest moral value that the head of the family tries to uphold is
UNITY. Within society each extended family is in opposition to other ones. Dealings between families are regulated by the influence a given family has
within society. The larger a family, the greater its chance to make its influence felt. But if the family members are not united, the group is weakened. The
head of the family will, therefore, always strive for two things: 1 to increase the number of his family; and 2 to have his family united.”
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One is automatically expected to feed and lodge any member of one’s exten
ded family who arrives at one’s home for as long as they care to stay. The desire for unity is seen too in the process for making decisions. The men will gather
to discuss a given problem. The youngest will be given the first chance to speak.
34
See below, p.44.
35
Grebe, Karl and Wilfred Fon, African Traditional Religion and Christian Counseling; Yaounde: Karl Grebe, 1982, p.4.
Then each in his turn, from the youngest to the oldest, will speak. Finally, the eldest, the chief makes the decision. The wise chief, having taken into account everyone’s
point of view, will make his decision and attempt to please everyone, thus guarding the peace in the family, at least on the surface.
The flip side of this stress on unity is that individualism is not readily tolerated. Families that install themselves outside the main village are regarded with
suspicion. I have heard of one village where anyone who might become a Christian has been threatened with death. Malana Sagoro recounted the story of one man,
whose only son married a Fulani girl, adopted a Fulani name and Fulani customs, and herded cattle as a Fulani nomad. The father insisted that his son return to Supyire
ways. The son refused. When the son died prematurely, the father said that he had asked the ancestors to punish his son.
The village is also seen as a large family, with a similar decision-making process. In Kabakanha, for example, there are three main families all with the same
surname, two of which are descended from the two brothers who founded the village. The third is descended from a slave family, and its members do not have the right to
become village chief. The chiefdom is handed to the oldest man within the two “free” families.
At a national and international level, the Supyire identify themselves closely with others in the Senufo language family, but generally keep a distance from other
ethnic races. In the town of Sikasso, where the Supyire are the largest ethnic group, they have their own political party, though they cannot command an overall majority
in the local legislative body. If a dispute arises, the preference is to resolve it internally within the family or at the village level, rather than bringing them to the
attention of the civil authorities.
2.11 CONCLUSION
“The stranger’s eyes are wide open, but he doesn’t see anything.” This Supyire proverb underlines how little a casual visitor to this society understands. At
first glance, the positive aspects of life here are clearly evident: the united family, assiduously working together on the land, living in a close-knit village. But a closer
look under the surface reveals lurking fears which seems to dominate: fear of the
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