The House,the Hearth and the Granary—Symbols of Fertility among the West African Kasena

Abstract

The numerous parallels that can be observed within a process of gendering objects in West African cultures prompt the question of the extent to which a universal character can be ascribed to anthropomorphic symbols. This article addresses this question through examining the significance of such symbolism in the context of neighbouring ethnic groups settled in the Inner Niger basin. It argues that only through an ethnological approach that uses contextual analysis can differences that exist among groups which otherwise possess closely related forms of socio-religious organisation be adequately explained. Such a frame of enquiry would also address the issue of technological transfers and cultural changes within anthropomorphic representations, as well as their ultimate disappearance, also a product of historical processes.