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Economic, Residential and Ritual Fission of Sisala Domestic Groups, Ghana1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 December 2011

Eugene L. Mendonsa
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Extract

After an initial discussion about the nature of Sisala society and the segmentary lineage system of shrine types, I will show that fission of domestic groups in Sisala-land takes place in three successive stages: economic, residential and, much later, ritual. This paper deals with two related problems, (a) Given a collective value of kinship amity and unity (Fortes 1969: 219ff), how are groups able to break the ritual bonds which serve to unite them into one body of ancestor-venerators? (b) How are the Sisala able to maintain the ideology of kinship and unity in the face of continual fission of family units?

Résumé

FISSION ÉCONOMIQUE, RÉSIDENTIELLE ET RITUELLE DES GROUPES DOMESTIQUES CHEZ LES SISALA

La fission des groupes domestiques en pays Sisala s'effectue selon trois étapes consécutives: d'abord économique, ensuite résidentielle et, à un stade ultérieur, rituelle. Bien qu'en principe un groupe de parenté ne doive jamais se fractionner, l'individu développe progressivement une indépendance croissante vis à vis de son chef légal ou moral. Toutefois, même un fois la fission résidentielle accomplie, un nouveau groupe continue de participer au culte des ancêtres du groupe parental d'origine. L'indépendence n'est pleinement réalisée qu'au cours de la génération suivante, le nouveau groupe érigeant son propre autel des ancêtres, affirmant par là même son statut de segment complémentaire du clan et dont l'égalité est reconnue par rapport au groupe parental d'origine. Ceci n'est pas envisagé comme une négation de la parente mais comme son prolongement.

Le rapport filial entre le lignage parental et le nouveau segment se redéfinit comme rapport fraternel: ainsi, la fission devient possible dans le cadre d'une idéologic qui insiste sur l'unité du group lignager. La séparation réalisée à un certain niveau du système lignager segmentaire se voit redéfinie comme une nouvelle forme d'unité à un niveau supérieur.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 49 , Issue 4 , October 1979 , pp. 388 - 407
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1979

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