User:Marie As.T

ORIGINS
The Mossi are the greatest ethnic group in Burkina Faso. They are 40% of the global population which counts 14 million people. The other 80% are composed of more than 60 ethnic groups including Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, and Fulani, the major groups.

The legend of Yennenga and Rialé
Yennenga was a warrior princess, Daughter of the Dagomba king, in upper east Ghana. While exploring her kingdom, riding a horse, she lost her way and was rescued by Rialé, a solitary hunter from the Mandé. They got married and gave birth to the first authentic Mossi: Ouedraogo who is recognised as the father of Mossi people. That popular legend raises relevant facts: historically, they originate from the Ashanti group, a Ghanaian entity composed of many subgroups. Mossi precisely come from the Dagomba people. Nowadays they leave in Upper East Ghana with capital Tamale.

The historical facts:
The Mossi people memory is kept by oral tradition, so, we cannot give precise dates for the period before colonization. But historians give the 15th century as the date of their reign beginning. They could conquer a great territory thanks to their mastering of the horse. They settled a prosperous empire and kept peace around the area until the beginning of colonialism. This expansion was stopped in the 19th century with the intensive colonisation process initiated by the French.

The Mossi Empire and colonialism:
The colonialism has been devastating for most African people; the imposed frontiers modifications affected the interrelationships between tribes, leading to political and social unrest throughout Africa when it ceased. This domination affected the Mossi society and weakened the power of the Mossi emperor the Mogho Naaba. Anyway, he still has authority on his people. He is still consulted for crucial decisions especially those affecting the destiny of the society. Two great events have marked the history of the Mogho Naaba during colonisation: first during the initial vague of occidental invasion, he retired to the Dagomba kingdom with which the Mossi have always kept brotherhood relations. Finally in 1896, the Mogho accepted the French protectorate. Not enough recognised is the help Mossi constituted during World War Two. They were superior in number in the corps of what constituted the military troupes of French Occidental Africa, known in French as the “Tirailleurs Sénégalais”. Despite the historical jolts, Mossi managed to keep their strong identity and their social Structure

ORGANIZATION OF MOSSI SOCIETY
The Mossi people have organised their society in an original hierarchic process in which family and state are the key elements.

The Mogho Naaba and the nobles, (Nakomse)
-On top of the Mossi is the Emperor. He owns the executive power. His role is to rule all population and to protect the kingdom. Nowadays, he lives in Ouagadougou, historical and actual capital of Burkina Faso. The political shape of the country has changed but the Mogho Naaba is still recognised by his people and has great authority. - Just after the emperor come the nobles [Nakomse]. All of them should be issued from the Mogho Naaba family. Brothers, cousins … In fact, all dignitaries come from the Emperor family. Nakomse are often assigned territories in the kingdom and rule in name of the Mogho Naba. In the past as well as today, the emperor needs the support of the natives to fully settle his power. Those are the people who lived in the region before the Mossi. They are commonly known as the [Nyon-nyonse].

The natives [gnon-gnon-sse] or Nyon-nyonse,
They are the people who lived in the Volta region before the raise of the Mossi Empire. They are depositors of the religious and spiritual domain. Their role gives its essential legitimacy to the authority of the emperor. Natives have the mystical powers and keep the links with the ancestors. They also are owners of the land (Tengsob ramba). They are often feared by common people, and most of the time, live in a “closed” circle, like in the cast system. Beside these two basic entities are the common people.

The craftsmen and ordinary citizens.
They constitute the great part of the population and are all subjects of the emperor. These two groups are generally fused but have internal subdivisions, each one having a ruling family. They show off for ceremonies and important events. Mossi people often identify to groups. Hence at all levels there is a hierarchy. In the every day life, it is mostly the family that is implemented. And family is often associated with the notion of hierarchy.

THE LANGUAGE AND SIGNIFICANT VALUES IN MOSSI CULTURE
Any group identity and values are always carried by the language.

Mossi language is More.
As explained on Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, the more is part of a sub group of language identified as the MoreDagbani. It is spoken in Ghana and Burkina. This language is common to a larger group, Gur languages belonging to the Niger-Congo languages. The More has regional specificities, the one spoken in the Yatenga (Ouahigouya), the northern region, is different from the one spoken in Koupela,  south east,  which is also different from  Tenkodogo  same region. Anyway, they understand one another.

Significant values to Mossi are mainly:
According to the explanations of Mrs Tapsoba Marie, former Cultural Counsellor at Burkina Embassy in Senegal and also Mossi herself, we can state four main values that are relevant to that ethnical group

The Ancestors
They are believed to have reached a better world from which they can influence the life on earth. They can help, or punish, depending on your behaviour. Also they will be the judges that will allow the entrance to the pantheon of the ancestors or forbid it, condemning the souls of the disavowed ones to run at random eternally. Mossi swear by the ancestors or the land. When they do so, (in extreme situation) it is more than symbolic; it is a call to immanent justice.

The land
Land is related to the ancestors. It is the way to the ancestors. Even today, this notion gives a particular value of the land as conceived by the Mossi. It is more than simple dust, it involves a spiritual dimension. His life depends on it. Obviously, land is essential for the family settlement.

The family
Family is also an essential element of the Mossi. Individualism does not exist; one’s acts and behaviours are always taken to be characteristics of his family. They are expected to act in name of their family. In this way, family is the smallest entity in the Mossi society. Heritage goes from the father to its sons. Women will heir from their husbands, sometimes from their father when there is no son.

The respect of hierarchy.
Hierarchy is a fundamental concept for Mossi culture. Hence, the family is organised like the kingdom with - its king; the husband and father, - his advisor; the wife, - and the people, here the children. At the larger scale, there are the aunts and uncles who help to the education of the children.

TRADITIONAL AND CULTURAL EVENTS
Ceremonials and celebrations rhythm the life of Mossi people each with its specificity. Through them the community expresses joy, suffering or simply fulfil duties to the memory of the ancestors.

The Friday ceremonial at the Mogho Naaba Court.
This ceremony comes from the struggles experimented because of the emergence of the first colonial invaders. The first threat led the king to travel to the Dagomba kingdom for help seeking. A second threat from the colonial invaders led the Mogho Naaba to start leaving his court a second time. But before he could leave the threat happened to be a false one. Even today, the ceremonial of the Friday is played every Friday of the week at the Emperor court, in memory of that event.

The Masks
They are very important in Mossi culture and are often considered holly. Until very soon, it was forbidden to take photographs and film them, especially for ceremonies. But nowadays we can see the richness of our culture through festivals such: -SIAO, Salon international de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou -Week of the Culture and -The Atypical Nights of Koudougou (Les Nuits Atypiques de Koudougou). The religious masks are still protected by the natives each family having his. They are believed to hold mystical powers and represent the link with the ancestors.

Art and Cinema
Burkina is full of interesting places to discover, in terms of culture, art and creativity. One incontestable place in Ouagadougou is the Popular Theatre where all social and cultural events happen. The FESPACO the Pan-African film and television Festival of [Ouagadougou] is already known world wide A famous place in Burkina where art and cultural expression is implemented is the site of Laongo, an area of exposed granites where artists from the entire world are invited to sculpt on the rock.

Conclusion
The Mossi have a great culture and as we can see have yet started charring it with the rest of the world. Their art, their beliefs, their everyday life are interesting to discover. From their legendary origins to their contemporaneous life, Mossi have always managed to keep their strong identity and the sense of belonging to a community, which is almost always, expressed where ever they go. However as for all minor cultures in the world scale, modernisation and "uniformization" endanger its survival. Hence, this study tells you about how much Burkina has to contribute to the world and how much still is to be discovered about the Mossi.