Ivory Coast Folklore

1. Fuji

In the cities and coastal areas of C? te d 'Ivoire, people usually wear suits and ties on some important occasions. In peacetime, most Ivorians mainly wear traditional national costumes. Men wear fat robes of "cloth". This kind of robe is very simple to make. Usually made of two pieces of sky blue or white cotton cloth. It is sleeveless, and round neckline drives it to his chest, all the way to his foot, and there are openings on both sides from shoulder to knee. When wearing a "cloth" robe, you must wear a purple felt or a white knitted hat, or wrap your head with a white cloth. What color "cloth" to wear now, whether to wear a hat or wrap your head, depends on your personal preference. But in the past, color, pattern, wearing a small hat or wrapping a cloth head all depended on its status in the tribe and family. So there were "blue people" and "white people".

Although the colors of women's traditional clothes are changeable, the styles are basically the same. Whether young or old, use a piece of cloth to wash the armpit or around the waist to reach the ankle. This piece of cloth for apron is called "pane" If the style of the "pane" is unchanged for many years, then its pattern especially keeps up with the development of real life and political and economic situation. The dazzling colors, rough lines and rough patterns of the "pane" represent historical events, political trends and interpersonal feelings in different periods like stamps. For example, in August of 1985, thousands of women attending the inauguration ceremony of Bijan Cathedral wore "panes" with the head of the Pope printed on them. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Kotiva was in financial difficulties, a kind of "Panie" called "crisis" was very popular. During the presidential election held in C? te d 'Ivoire from 5 June to 10, 2000, many women wore "panes" with the heads of the presidential candidates they supported. Usually, women can often be seen to express their feelings with the patterns on the "pane". For example, there is a pattern on the "pane" that means "four feet", which means "you and I will never leave"; There is also a kind of "pane" printed with fish patterns, called "grilled fish", which means that her husband takes her to a restaurant on weekend nights. These patterns show the love between husband and wife. Another kind of "pane" has an eye painted on it, which is called "the eye for finding rival in love" to show off its beauty and arouse the envy of rival in love. Some patterns show "why do you hate me"; Some say "honey, don't look back", which is a silent protest from women to men. In the villages in the remote areas of northern C? te d 'Ivoire and the forests in the central and western regions, some people's clothes still remain at the original level of leaves and bark. People wear leaves or bark as fig leaf, men tie their hips with rattan, and women tie them in front and behind. In the north, villagers often use banyan bark as mats. Bahulu people think that this kind of bark mat is better than any other cloth. If this kind of banyan bark mat is used frequently, it can make people's skin soft and smooth. All tribes in C? te d 'Ivoire have a long tradition of wearing ornaments.

As early as the beginning of the12nd century, Dioulas, who were good at business, used a lot of small white shell currency imported from the Indian Ocean and regarded it as a symbol of wealth. Until the eve of World War II, this small white shell was the only currency of the Buna people. At the same time, this small white shell has gradually become an important raw material for young men and women in C? te d 'Ivoire to make precious ornaments. In grand religious festivals or major celebrations, the small white shell "shell crown" made by young Senu couples performing various religious ceremonies and dances is the most eye-catching. On the "probation" festival, people will also see that the chest ornaments of young men performing martial arts tricks are also made of this white shell. In the forest areas of western C? te d 'Ivoire, people like bone ornaments. For example, Mongolian people grind animal bones and even human bones into various animal-shaped bone pieces and make them into necklaces, earrings, anklets and so on.

Before the appearance of metal ornaments, jade and gem ornaments were the favorite ornaments of tribal people in the central valley and coastal areas. For example, bracelets and ruby necklaces made of white-striped sapphires by mosaic immigrants are very popular with Ivorian women. Hard wooden ornaments are very popular in Robi ethnic areas. Wooden ornaments include bracelets, earrings and anklets. In particular, the hanging ring on the lip corner of Lobby women living in the northern border area is hardwood.

After the appearance of bronze, iron and aluminum, they soon became excellent raw materials for women's jewelry and men's weapons. From women's bracelets, earrings, rings and armbands to men's decorative weapons and religious ceremonies, such as bronze bells and mirrors, they are almost all made of metal.

Leather is also an important raw material for decorations commonly used by tribal people in C? te d 'Ivoire. Such as saddles and reins in harness, armbands and earrings in women's ornaments, magic items and pencil boxes used by wizards, etc. Most of them are made of leather. Ornaments made of rhinoceros horn and ivory are popular because of their delicate texture and exquisite workmanship. However, due to its high price, it is mostly monopolized by upper-class women in C? te d 'Ivoire. Gold jewelry is the last piece in the history of ivory coast jewelry. But once it appeared, it immediately became the representative of the most precious ornaments.

Step 2 prescribe diet

Ivorians' diets are not exactly the same because they live in different regions and have different religious beliefs. In Malinche, Dioulas and Lobi communities in northern C? te d 'Ivoire, the residents' main food is sorghum and millet. Mash sorghum and millet with a wooden mortar, add some vegetables, peanuts, mung beans and peppers, and cook together into porridge. When it is cooked, you can eat it by hand. This food is commonly known as "kuskuskus". In the Arab countries of North Africa, "kuskuskus" is a common food for residents. There are many ways to make "kuskuskus". For example, the mashed sorghum and other grains are cooked first, and then tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and other vegetables are cooked with some beef and mutton to make vegetable soup, which is poured on the "Kuskus". You can also pour milk or honey on the "Kuskus". In the eastern and central regions, residents of Aken and Nanmandi ethnic minorities mainly eat sweet potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains and bananas. Some places use a small amount of rice; The farther west we go, the less food there is, or even no food at all, but there are abundant trees, fruits and vegetables here, and people often eat fruits. Tsetse flies are rampant in the mountainous areas of the central and western regions, animal husbandry is declining, and there are very few beef and mutton. Dried fish and smoked fish imported from Mali are rare meat for local people. Ivorians have a hobby of taking stimulants since ancient times, such as eating kolako. People believe that coral fruit is omnipotent, especially it can stimulate the function.

life

Since the independence of C? te d 'Ivoire, with the development of national economy, the living conditions of Ivorians have changed greatly. In towns, especially in big cities such as Abidjan and Yamoussoukro, buildings, chic bungalows, wide streets and crowded traffic vehicles can be seen everywhere, showing a modern atmosphere. Residents, like Europeans, have quite modern houses and various indoor facilities. In rural areas, the housing conditions of villagers have also changed and improved greatly. However, in the vast rural areas of C? te d 'Ivoire, the residents of various tribes still retain the monotonous traditional huts and shacks for thousands of years, with mud as the wall and grass as the top. Only the shape of the hut and the decoration of the gate yard are slightly different in different areas. Cone-shaped "mushroom houses" are common in the north, and the central forest area is dominated by long brick shacks. In the border area with Mali, long brick shacks and "mushroom houses" are mixed together, while the Lobi residential area in the northeast adjacent to Burkina Faso is a stepped house.

In the Korhogo area in the north, residents' houses have obvious characteristics of the northern savanna. Mushroom houses and long brick shacks can be seen everywhere. There are some long brick shacks and some "mushroom houses" for the family to live in. In addition to people's rooms, there are barns for livestock. Here, the doors and mud walls of villagers' huts are often painted red and white. It is said that these two colors can ward off evil spirits. In the south-central region, the Jiagu people's residential area in Bandama Valley is a tall air-cooled "wreath" residence. In this "garland" house, bedrooms and warehouses are arranged around, and the courtyard in the middle is the courtyard. In the west and south of Jia ancient people's settlement, it is the Guluo people's settlement. The residence of Luo surname is similar to the Oracle bone family, except that the "wreath" is slightly square, similar to the quadrangle in northern China, but the four corners are rounded instead of right angles. There is not much difference in appearance between the houses of the southeast tribes and the houses of the Guluo people, but the decoration of the doors and courtyards is unique. However, in the style and customs of housing construction, there is no historical origin with the tribes in the mainland, which is obviously the result of the influence of Akon immigrant culture. In the diarrhea area of southeast China, fishermen who live on lakes build water villages with local characteristics. This kind of water house is unique. The thick wooden stake goes straight into the bottom of the water and is very strong. The board is laid 2 meters above the water, and the board house is built on it. Windows are opened on all sides, and the roof is made of reed or straw, which has good heat insulation and rain resistance. Each house is about 40 square meters, with complete bedrooms and kitchens, and quiet outdoor activities. There is a certain distance between each house. The number of households in each village ranges from dozens to hundreds. The houses of the Ani people have obvious characteristics of the descendants of Ashanti. In the courtyard of the Ani people, especially in the houses of the heads and chiefs of the Ani people, there stands a carved Optimus Prime, which symbolizes strength. The upper part of the column is carved with totem animal images of families and tribes and myths and legends about families and tribes; Most of the sculptures in the second half are about real life. The carvings on the door are basically the same as those on Optimus Prime.

polite

Due to different tribes, living areas, religious beliefs, language and culture, living habits and historical origins, the customs and etiquette of C? te d 'Ivoire are colorful. Ivorians are famous for their simplicity, sincerity, courtesy, hospitality and making friends. A person has been educated in many aspects such as morality, etiquette, religion and culture since childhood. When Ivorians meet, they always take the initiative to greet them warmly. Generally speaking, they will shake hands and say some words of friendship and blessing enthusiastically. When familiar friends meet, their right hands warmly shake hands and greet each other, and their left hands hug each other's waist until the conversation is over. Ivorian society has always had the custom of respecting the old and loving the young, and whether to respect the old and loving the young is regarded as the basic moral standard to measure whether a person is educated and polite. Offending the elderly is a serious illegal act. At home, you will be scolded or beaten by your elders, and in public, you will be scolded and cursed by everyone. No one will come out to defend or protect the accused. In a family, the oldest person is of course the head of the family. Everything in the family must be decided by the head of the family, who has supreme intangible power. Even if parents' brothers or children are senior leaders of the country, the first thing to do when they return to China is to report to the head of the family, and they can only listen respectfully to what their parents say. No matter on any occasion, at any time, when the younger generation meets their elders, even strangers, they should take the initiative to express their greetings and bow with honorifics. A considerable number of Ivorians are polite when they meet elderly guests, and often call them "father" or "mother" when greeting them, which fully reflects the national etiquette of Ivorians to respect the elderly.

C? te d 'Ivoire is a country that attaches great importance to appellation, and thinks that proper appellation can first give people a civilized and polite impression. In C? te d 'Ivoire, men are generally called "sir", women who are married or wear wedding rings are called "madam", unmarried women are called "miss" and women with unknown marital status are called "lady". These appellations can also be associated with names, positions, titles and ranks. For example, Mr. Buddy, Mrs. Buddy, Mr. Director, Mr. Colonel and Sister Nurse. Senior government officials above ministers are generally referred to as "Your Excellency", and they can also be collectively referred to as "Your Excellency the Prime Minister" or "Your Excellency the Prime Minister". The titles of doctors, lawyers, professors, judges and other personnel can be combined with surnames, degrees and husbands, as well as degrees and surnames, such as "Professor Bedi" and "Professor Bedi". Religious people can address each other by their positions, or by their surnames, positions or husbands, such as "Father", "Father Bedi", "Mr. God", "Ashin", "Bedi Ashin" and "Mr. Ashin". In C? te d 'Ivoire, when dating friends, you must contact in advance, determine the time and place, and keep the appointment on time. When invited to a friend's house, the host will wait at home or outside the door. When entering the host's house, if you see a carpet in the living room, you'd better take off your shoes as soon as you enter. If you are going to a dinner party, you usually bring some gifts. Ivorians often entertain guests with drinks such as coffee, tea and juice. At banquets, Muslim families usually entertain guests with mineral water and other drinks, while non-Muslim families usually entertain guests with beer, whisky and other alcoholic drinks. Ivorians generally don't persuade people to drink, but the method of toasting is quite special. After opening the bottle cap, the host poured eight glasses of wine, first presented the glass to the guest, then put the bottle next to the guest and said "please". Later, the host returned to his place, opened another bottle of wine, poured eight glasses of wine, sat down and said, "Please! Cheers. " The host and guest had a friendly conversation while drinking. In the process of drinking, there is no scene where you pour for me and I pour for you. Instead, all the wine bottles are given to the guests, who drink and pour themselves. How much to drink and how much to drink is up to the guests themselves. If you drink wine with ice or cold water, guests don't have to help themselves. It is impolite for guests to help themselves.

In C? te d 'Ivoire, when people are talking, they usually pay attention to each other's conversation, do not interrupt the topic they are talking about, and do not comment on each other's conversation lightly. If there is something they don't understand, they should be polite, so as to gain each other's trust and win each other's goodwill. In C? te d 'Ivoire, people often use humorous language in conversation. However, for officials or elders who meet for the first time, humor is generally used with caution, otherwise the other party will feel abrupt, or think that you are being clever or deliberately joking, and think that you are untrue. In addition, Ivorians generally don't talk about each other's salary, age, wife and special relationship between men and women.

5. Marriage customs

C? te d 'Ivoire is a multi-ethnic country, and each ethnic group has its own unique wedding customs, so the wedding customs in C? te d 'Ivoire are as colorful as a kaleidoscope. Now give one or two examples to introduce. Ebli Ethiopians living in the southeast coast of C? te d 'Ivoire practice polygamy and are used to thinking that polygamy is a symbol of wealth. If a man has only one wife, it means that his family is not rich. Polygamy is prevalent among Ethiopians in Ebri, not only to show off their wealth, but also to farm and do housework. Egyptian women in Ebiri are not only hardworking, but also willing to do heavy work. They do this on their own, thinking that they can free up their husbands' time and let them participate in and handle political affairs in the village and even the tribe. According to the custom, the person who has lived with her husband for the longest time is most favored by her husband, and her status and power rank first among the wives and become the "first lady". If a husband remarries, he must ask her permission. Generally speaking, the marriage of Ebri's Egyptian children is decided by the father or uncle. If there are several daughters, the father has the right to betroth the eldest daughter to his good friend. Once the girl's father or uncle agrees to the marriage, the young man can give a marriage order. Wedding orders are usually sent twice. The first time is a girl's birthday. The young man personally sent a pair of bracelets and some potato pieces to the girl's father. The second time was on the wedding day, and the young man wanted to give his aunt a dowry. Dowry is usually 5 CFA francs and a few pieces of cloth to make a "checkered" skirt. After the wedding, young people and girls became legal couples. At this time, if the girl does not agree to get married, the young man has the right to ask the girl's father for a bride price. When returning gifts, generally only the dowry is refunded, and no money is refunded. Ebri Ethiopians prohibit consanguineous marriage, underage marriage and forced marriage. Generally speaking, men and women from different regions and tribes can get married, but it is forbidden to get married if one of them is a Muslim or from a tribe that follows the patriarchal clan system. In real life, there is no fixed pattern in the marriage customs of Ethiopians in Ebri. After giving the bride price, especially the dowry, the young man can take the girl away and hold the wedding on another day. According to the present custom, the parents and family members of the newlyweds must attend the wedding. At the beginning of the wedding, the groom will publicly announce that he wants to be a wife and declare that he has paid enough dowry. Then, the groom gave a banquet in the guest house with guests attending the wedding. Ginger wine is an essential auspicious drink at the banquet.

After marriage, if one spouse is unfaithful to the other, it will lead to divorce in principle. However, this is not entirely the case in real life. In most cases, if the husband has an affair, he can just pay the cheated wife a compensation for his mistake, but if the wife is unfaithful to her husband, most of them end in divorce. Even if the husband insists on not leaving, he should call his peers in the village and report the fact of being cheated. Peer criticized and asked the unfaithful wife to correct her misconduct. If the place where the unfair sexual relations take place is not at home, people in the same trade will ask the woman with bad behavior to buy ginger wine and treat you to apologize; If things happen in their own homes, the unfaithful wife will buy a sheep and some chickens in addition to ginger wine to show her shame. However, the man who seduced the woman was at large, and no one investigated his responsibility, let alone asked him to compensate for the losses caused by it.

Traditionally, for whatever reason, Ebli Egyptians are generally not allowed to divorce their wives. Divorce is only allowed under the following circumstances: First, between husband and wife, one party is unfaithful to the other, and apology and compensation are not enough to repair the broken feelings; Second, the husband and wife agreed not to maintain the relationship between husband and wife, and the husband agreed not to ask the woman for dowry; Third, when a husband abuses his wife, he poisons his wife. Under normal circumstances, neither husband nor wife will file for divorce first. Because, if the woman files for divorce first, she must repay her ex-husband's dowry before remarriage; If the man files for divorce first, the woman will not refund the dowry. After divorce, all the children are left to the father, but the mother has the right to visit the children regularly. In terms of marriage, the Danes living in the west of C? te d 'Ivoire are contrary to the custom that other tribes prohibit marrying others, and it is stipulated that men of this tribe must choose women who worship different totem tribes as their spouses before they can get married. After marriage, when the wife is found to have improper behavior, she will often be punished by material compensation, which will lead to divorce in some cases. After the incident, it is up to the husband to decide whether to punish or leave. If the husband wants to find an opportunity to abandon his dissatisfied wife, and the wife's misconduct is discovered by the husband at this time, and the bad wife is sent back to her family, the family must also pay him back. The lover of a bad wife will also be punished, and the cheated husband will get all the expenses for supporting his wife. If the cheated husband doesn't pursue the responsibility of cheating on his wife and wants to keep her, her family doesn't need to return her dowry, but the bad guy who seduces his wife should send some clothes to his couple and some wine and chicken to the old man who mediates and corrects the dispute to apologize.

6. Mourning custom

There are about 60 tribes in C? te d 'Ivoire, and each tribe has its own traditional funeral customs, which are different and have their own customs. Here are one or two examples. Ebri Ethiopians living on the southeast coast of C? te d 'Ivoire died in their village, and people in their village and neighboring villages were informed and summoned by drumming. After the family of the deceased announced the "death" to the villagers, women began to cry in front of the body, and men beat tambourines around the house.

If the deceased is an important person who wants to shoot a gun to mourn, such as a village head or chief, women must cry and dance in front of the body to show their prayers. If the deceased is a celebrity, his legal heir must be a big shot after his death. He killed a cow in front of the mourners, personally cut it off for the woman who was buried with him, and drove away the flies that stung the body. After the body is buried that day, the coffin will be parked at home for 8 days. On the eighth day, relatives and friends of the deceased gathered in the village square, and the patriarch presided over the "class sacrifice" ceremony. The patriarch held a full glass of brown wine and faced the door of the deceased, praying: "This is the last glass of wine that God gave you (referring to the deceased). Please accept it. In return, I implore you to bless palm trees to bring us more palm oil and wheat fields to bring us more food. " After the "class sacrifice" ceremony, the families of the deceased can propose the specific date of the funeral to the chief. After approval, it will be held on another day. On the night before the funeral, the villagers announced the official start of the funeral by beating drums. With the help of the villagers, the families of the deceased cooked some cassava and sweet potatoes and prepared some ginger wine to treat the guests who came to the funeral the next day. On the day of burial, the whole village stepped into the home of the deceased in the rhythm of tambourines and bid farewell to the coffin of the deceased. The mourning ceremony lasted from sunrise to sunset. Surrounded by family members and villagers, the heirs of the deceased sent Lingshu to the cemetery for burial, and then rewarded those who attended the funeral with cooked cassava, sweet potato and ginger wine. Wealthier families have to slaughter cattle and thank loyalty. At the funeral, all female members of the deceased's family wore white "pane" mourning clothes and were not allowed to leave the house at will for three months to show filial piety.

When the family of Mrs. Senu, who lived in the northern prairie, died, the family members parked the body of the deceased on a board and immediately asked the mage to hold a soul-sending ceremony. The wizards surrounded the body, put a tambourine on it and set up a big bronze bell beside it. When one mage slams the tambourine on his body with his hammer, another mage shakes the big bronze bell vigorously, while the rest of the mages play the trumpet, play the tambourine and recite incantations. At that time, the drum spell sounded loudly, forcing the ghost stranded in the world to leave the world and enter the underworld. After the ceremony, the wizards put the body on a stretcher, which was carried around the village by the villagers, and then sent it to the grave for burial. Subway excavation. Insephors thinks that blacksmiths are very powerful and can drive away all kinds of ghosts and gods. The size of the grave is limited to placing the body on its side. The head of the body faces south, the feet face north, the face faces east, and the body leans to the right. Before burial, the mage must provide the last meal for the dead. After the sacrificial ceremony, the mage broke the offering together with the jar containing the offering and threw it into the grave. Finally, the blacksmith buried the body.

The funeral of the Gulu people in C? te d 'Ivoire was held in the village square. The deceased was lying on a straw mat on the ground. Several old people were doing plastic surgery on the deceased. A group of children took turns stepping on the body of the deceased with their feet and stamping it from time to time. It is said that this can promote the soul of the deceased to leave the body as soon as possible. The villagers held all kinds of drums around the dead, singing and dancing. After plastic surgery, the deceased was carried to the wilderness for burial. The young dead are buried during the day and the old dead are buried at night, but all the dead should have their heads facing east. On the second day after burying the deceased, the relatives of the deceased came to the cemetery with all the property of the deceased before his death to say goodbye to the deceased. After the farewell ceremony, the deceased's estate will be distributed to relatives. If the husband dies, the wife should shave her head and mourn for one year.