Grusi

Grusi

people
      ethnolinguistic group among the inhabitants of northern Ghana and adjacent areas of Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) and Togo. The linguistic groups and subgroups of the area are difficult to classify with certitude, but the Grusi languages make up a subbranch of the Gur (Voltaic) branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The difficulty in establishing distinct language boundaries is the result of a gradual and continuous migration of peoples that has produced a complex pattern of merged ethnic groups.

      Population movements have been brought about partly through invasion and conquest by other peoples, such as the More-Gurma (Mõõre-Gurma) speakers from the east. Ecological pressure has also contributed to population movements. The area is one of dry savanna and is subject to frequent droughts. Agriculture by shifting cultivation contributes to the depletion and erosion of the soil, necessitating periodic relocation of groups to more productive lands. Crops include yams, millet, corn (maize), and cotton. The cattle, sheep, and goats that are kept are used more for marriage payments and ritual sacrifices than as a source of food. Crafts practiced in the area are often connected with agriculture and include metalworking, basketry, leatherworking, and pottery.

      Contacts between members of some Grusi-speaking ethnic groups demonstrate a certain social intimacy combined with a need to regulate interactions. Isala and Kasena, for example, are known to trade insulting remarks in a joking spirit so as to reduce tension from past conflicts. Institutional ties among the peoples of the area are sometimes formed in ritual and political activities and through intermarriage.

      Because there are a number of particular cultural traditions, the social organization of Grusi-speaking peoples varies. Descent-group membership, succession, and property inheritance are often through males, but among the Tampolense and Vagala the female line is used. The heads of lineages of relatives oversee livestock, farmland, and ancestral shrines. Political functions are generally not centralized, and each group can contain a number of independent chiefs. In the case of one group, the Isala, centralized political authority under chiefs was little emphasized before the advent of British colonial administration.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Grusi — Grusi,   Grụssi, Gurụnsi, französisch Gourounsi [gurun si], Volk in Westafrika, zwischen Schwarzem und Weißem Volta im südlichen Burkina Faso und nördlichen Ghana, über 500 000 Menschen. Die Grusi treiben Feldbau und Viehhaltung. Sie wohnen in… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Grusi languages — The Grũsi or Gurunsi languages form a subgroup of the Central Gur languages, comprising about 20 languages spoken by the Gurunsi peoples. The Grusi languages are spoken in northern Ghana, adjacent areas of Burkina Faso, and Togo. The largest… …   Wikipedia

  • Langues grusi — Les langues grusi sont un sous groupe des langues gur. Voir aussi Liens internes linguistique liste de langues langues par famille langues nigéro congolaises langues atlantico congolaises langues voltaïco congolaises langues gur Bibliographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Leukocytozoon — is a genus of parasitic protozoa belonging to the phylum Apicomplexia. The parasites were first seen by Danilewsky in 1884. The genus was created by Ziemann in 1898. This taxon was revised by Berestneff in 1904 and then by Sambon in 1908. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Kassem (langue) — Kassem kasɩm Parlée au Burkina Faso et Ghana Nombre de locuteurs 250 000 Classification par famille   langues nigéro congolaises …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kabiyé language — Infobox Language name=Kabiyé region=Togo, Benin, Ghana speakers= 730,000 iso2=nic iso3=kbp familycolor=Niger Congo fam1=Niger Congo fam2=Atlantic Congo fam3=Volta Congo fam4=North fam5=Gur fam6=Central fam7=Southern fam8=Grusi fam9=Eastern script …   Wikipedia

  • Kabiyé (langue) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Kabiyé. Kabiyé kabɩyɛ Parlée en Bénin, Ghana, Togo Région Afrique de l Ouest Nombre de locuteurs 730 000 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gur languages — formerly Voltaic languages Branch of the huge Niger Congo language family. Gur comprises some 85 languages and language complexes spoken by about 20,000,000 people mainly in Burkina Faso, northern Côte d Ivoire, northern Ghana, and northern Togo …   Universalium

  • Ghana — Infobox Country conventional long name = Republic of Ghana common name = Ghana national motto = Freedom and Justice national anthem = God Bless Our Homeland Ghana [http://www.emefa.myserver.org/Ghana.mp3] official languages = English capital =… …   Wikipedia

  • Gur languages — Infobox Language family name=Savannas region=West Africa, around Burkina Faso in the west to CAR in the east familycolor=Niger Congo fam2=Atlantic Congo fam3=Savannas child1=Northern Gur child2=Southern GurThe Gur languages, also known as Central …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”