Sara

The Sara ethnic group lives in the Central African Republic around the area of Lake Chad. They are associated with several other linguistic and cultural groups that include the Kara, Gula, Kreish, Ngama, and Nduka. In fact, if one takes these groups alongside the Sara proper, they constitute the fourth largest ethnic group in the country. What is clear is that the Sara material culture shows evidence of migration from the eastern region of the continent.

In examining the material contributions of the Sara people, one has to pay attention to the productive qualities of the culture. They are mainly agrarian. Among the foodstuff that they grow and eat are taro, yams, and sweet potatoes that provide their basic sustenance. They also raise cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens, as well as small horses. Sara people have relied on their agricultural skills to maintain a healthy community and to ward off outsiders. Nevertheless, they have had a history of invasions from Arab slave traders who devastated the culture of the people over a long period of time.

Arab slave traders from the 15th through the 19th centuries invaded the Sara lands, taking many of the artisans and farmers into slavery. The enslavement and persecution of the people created enormous pressure on the traditional religion of the people, forcing them to change many of their practices and observances and to change the location of their shrines. Punishment and brutality eventually created a distorted traditional religious practice. Many Sara were forced out of their region into places controlled by Arabs, and others became Muslims to escape the appellation infidel. Indeed, the interaction with the Arab slave traders caused the people to seek the perforation of the lower lips of their women so as to make them less attractive to the Arab slave traders. Various decorative plugs were placed in the perforations as ornaments.

Sara culture remains deeply traditional, although Islam has significantly influenced the society. As is true of many African societies, bodies of elders normally oversee autonomous village communities, each of which is composed of separate marriages outside the clan. This tradition as a part of the historical response of the people to [Page 593]ancestral custom recognizes the roots of the Sara. The moral authority of the Sara people is tied up in the rituals of passage of the young men and women that occur every 7 years for a period of 2 months. For boys and girls, this is a phase of physical hardship, discipline, and ethnic scarification as measures to indicate maturity.

Indeed, the Sara people represent one of the ethnic groups that have been forced to relinquish a major part of their ancient traditions and customs because of external religious influences. Belief in the impact of the ancestors on the living is still a part of the Sara tradition despite the inroads made into their culture by other religions.