Harvest

Crop-Promoting Rituals

Among the Moba people of northwest Togo, for instance, an elder will offer a libation to the ancestors, asking them for a good harvest. A feast, known as Nyatun, takes place in September, prior to the beginning of sowing. Beer is made from sorghum for this special occasion. For 3 entire days, the people dance and have fun. On the third day, an animal is sacrificed to the ancestors. After harvesting, the festivities resume, on a grander scale, lasting for about a month, with much dancing, and culminating with another sacrifice, to which all the family lineages are expected to contribute. Before the sacrifice takes place, however, divination is performed to find out what animal should be offered.

The Avatime people of Ghana pay even greater attention to the presowing period and engage in many rituals whose purpose is to appeal to the ancestors and divinities so that the Avatime community will have much to reap at harvest time. Their farming year starts sometime in June, when a particular constellation of stars has appeared in the sky. The Sunday after the constellation appears, libations are poured to the rice gods in each village. What follows is a series of rituals, every other Sunday or so, when the priests go to a sacred place in the forest and pour additional libations. This is repeated one more Sunday, which ends with the priests dancing alone at first and then together. As they dance, their movements imitate the movements associated with the planting and preparation of rice. The next day, Monday, all go into the fields so that planting may start. During the period leading up to the beginning of sowing, loud noises must be avoided altogether. No dancing, no drumming, no singing, and no mourning may take place because the spirits are believed to be at work, preparing the land for successful sowing. Therefore, they should not be disturbed, but left to focus on this most important task.

Toward the end of November, the rice is ripe and ready. Preparations for the harvesting rituals get underway, with more libations being poured and the sacrifice of a black male goat that has been castrated. Cowries are tied to the goat's neck, and red and white marks are made on its forehead with clay. The meat is cooked, along with rice, and offered first to the rice gods. Only then can people start eating as well and rejoice together.

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