Much of the world, as we know it today, can lend its influences to ancient tribes that settled their respective regions thousands of years ago. In this case, what is now Burkina Faso was strongly influenced by the Gurma or Gourmantche people. Their influences can be found throughout history, in their daily life and culture as a whole. In order to fully understand the Gurma culture, one must first know of how and where they existed.
The Gurma, a Voltaic ethnic group was originally centered around the town of Fada Ngourma in eastern Burkina Faso, although some have been found to inhabit northern Togo. It is widely believed that the Gurma migrated from present-day northeastern Ghana. The Gurma live in wooded savanna that becomes much drier and grassier to the north. Their housing consists of round mud-brick units arranged in circular compounds, that are surrounded by woven straw fences.
Within their compounds, the Gurma depend on cultivation and harvesting during the wet season, herding of animals during the dry. While the men work the fields the women remain at the village to tend to the children, prepare the meals, and repair and build the family housing units. The Gurma/ Gurma-Fulani were not known as hard working people, for it was a sign of stature to have people work for you. This explains why much of the labor was passed on to the sons and daughters until they reached fifteen years of age. Their language consisted of Fulfulde Gourmantche, a language from the West-Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family as well as the Gurma language.
Not much is known about how the Gurma came to be, but the fact that they are a lighter skinned people lends to the belief that they have some link to Caucasian origin. Along with their lighter skin they also have straighter hair and thinner lips than most African groups. The Gurma have always performed daily life under a chiefdom system, answering both to the chief and the Burkina Faso government.
The Gurma-Fulani are also known for their refusal to show fear in public, and that losing one’s mind comes from overwhelming terror. Village life is very conservative. They adhere to very strict rules, though their time in the bush is their own and they do as they wish. They are constantly interacting as a group. Although the interaction of love can only be expressed through song. The Gurma represent 3.3% of the Burkina Faso population, 95% being Muslim, both in the country and the tribes. The 3.3% only represents a total Gurma population of about 400.
A lasting image of the Gurma people is their unmistakable village formations. Throughout the years, the Gurma have worked to create a very distinctive, circular setup for their housing, encompassed by straw fences. This type of construction sets them apart from many African tribes. Though the Gurma represent a very small fraction of the Burkina Faso and African tribes, they, with the interaction of other tribes have worked to form the face of Africa as we know it.
“Gurma.” Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9038565
“The Gurma Fulani of Burkina Faso.” The Unreached Prayer Profiles. (1997) http://www.bethany.com/profiles/p_code3/1363.html
“Glossary.” http://www.almanach.be/glossary/exe_g.html
Written by Katie Fish