Moribayassa in Guinea

From the Malinke people in Guinea, this dance is one by women who have overcome great adversity. The woman starts the dance wearing old ragged clothes. She is then accompanied by musicians, and then they circle the village multiple times, singing and dancing. Other women of the village follow her and sing too. The woman then changes her clothes and buries her old clothes in a special area.

This dance is also done by women who need help with something important such as getting pregnant or healing sickness. They ask the spirit of Moriba Yassa for help. The woman vows that when wish is granted, she will dance the Moribayassa.

This dance is also performed in other parts of West Africa such as Mali and Mauritania. Only woman perform the dance mainly after their wish is granted. Below are some videos with explanation of this dance and the dance itself.

Description: 


The dance: 

Ravenscroft Play at NDNU (Not related to Africa)

Hey guys,

This is just an invitation to attend Ravenscroft, a 'Deviously twisted murder mystery' presented by NDNU Department of Theatre and Dance. Admission is FREE to all! Performances are held this Thursday with a special late night showing beginning at 10:00 pm. The shows continue Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30pm. Drawings will be held at each performances to award audience members with gift certificates and merchandise donated by Bay Area merchants. The Friday night performance will feature a costume contest for audience members who dress in Steampunk, Victorian, or Goth themed constumes. The winner will receive two passed to the 2017 Dickens Christmas Fair. Please join in the fun beginning this Thursday night!

Thank you

Lip Plating in Remote Tribal Villages

A few indigenous tribes in Africa still practice this form of body modification to this day. This practice is mainly practiced in central and southern part of Africa. This is also practiced in the Amazon rain forest. The lip plate is made out of wood or clay and is also known as a lip disc or a lip plug. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of women with these lip plates from as far back as 8700 BC. They have not found when this custom started or how it came into being.

A theory is that it originated as a deliberate disfigured design to make women and young girls less attractive to slave traders. Other theories are that bigger the lip plate, the more their importance or wealth in the tribe. Another theory is that it is simply an ornamentation meant to symbolize a woman's strength and self-esteem. The practice is also described as being a sign of social maturity and reaching reproductive age, this indicating a girl's eligibility to become a wife.

This practice was also a huge controversy in US and Europe during late 1800s and early 1900s. African women wearing large lip plates were brought to Europe and North America for circus exhibits as sideshow freaks.

In reality, most tribes consider this practice as a traditional sign of beauty. However, it's a different story for tribal men. In some tribes, young men traditionally have their lips pierced as a rite of passage to indicate status and prestige. The lip-plating ritual varies from tribe to tribe. The Mursi in Ethiopia adorn their lower lips; some tribes insert lip plates in their upper lips, while others insert in both.

Traditional Religions Verge of Extinction?

In recent times, most of the sociologist, anthropologist, and others who are concerned with African culture have also started to take interest in the possibility of traditional African Religions were going extinct. Some of the main factors that might cause the extinction are civilization, technology, and influences of other religions such as Islam and Christianity. Some people now a days in Africa consider it shameful to be following their traditional religion. They describe it as "ungodly", words passed on by early missionaries who had very little knowledge about their religion. The early missionaries called it the "Dark Continent" because everything that came from there was dark, including its inhabitants.

The seven beliefs in African Religion include magic and medicine. It is the inclusion of this magic and medicine that individuals find offensive. They believe in ability of man to conquer its environment using divine powers. It is hoped that positive as well as negative changes can be impacted on man's environment for his own good, however, the use of magic and medicine is often considered more harmful. So now a days, that part of belief is slowly dying as well.

Even with all the beliefs that African culture is dying due to the world changing fast, African Traditional Religion will continue to exist as it has til now. The true culture of the people that follow it will continue to remain. They will still communicate in African languages which is a symbol of continued existence of their culture. When a person is sick, childless beyond the provisions of medical solutions, African herbs are quickly sought to do magic. A new child will be given an African name and a traditional naming ceremony will be held for him. Due to all these reasons, the traditional African religion will continue to exist for many coming years.

Spitting your blessings

     This is the case for the Maasai people, who live in Kenya and northern Tanzania. The Maasai spit in their palms before shaking hands. Spitting at each other is seen as a way of giving a blessing. In order to wish good luck and a long life to new born children, parents, friends and the family spit on it. When they greet, when they get married and even when a baby is born they spit on each other. Spitting in our culture, in America and most other countries are seen as something gross, but in some tribes in Africa, it's shown as respect. 

     This also brings up another issue, spread of disease throughout the tribe and more. Diseases such as Herpesvirus are very commonly spread through saliva. The Yale University organized a database of over 350,000 pages containing cultural and social life of different people who take part in this tradition that is only known in some tribes. This also makes me think of when people spit on their hands before making a bet or a deal, mostly in the southern part of US. 

Link: https://prezi.com/uehovmis-9kx/anthropolgy-and-the-maasai-tribe/