FAMILY UNITY THE SUPYIRE PEOPLE AND CULTURE: AN OUTLINE SKETCH
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.