No General Descriptions provided.
| inferred absent | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| absent | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| unknown | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| present | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| unknown | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| absent | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| unknown | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| absent | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| unknown | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| absent | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| unknown | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| absent | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| unknown | 1100 CE 1750 CE |
| inferred present | 1751 CE 1897 CE |
| Year Range | Mossi (bf_mossi_k_1) was in: |
|---|
"The inhabitants of a Mossi state are not and were never all ‘true’ Mossi. Strictly speaking, this name applies only to the nobility (nakombse; snakombga) and to state officials and their descendants." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 156) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
"[T]here are several Mossi kingdoms linked by a common ancestry. Primus inter pares, the Ouagadougou kingdom eclipsed all others. Yet Ouagadougou should not be regarded as the capital of an alleged Mossi ’empire’, as there was considerable autonomy, and even infighting, among the different kingdoms and principalities." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 11) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
"This book follows French anthropologist Michel Izard’s dating of the beginning of Mossi history around the fifteenth century, but this choice is by no means beyond debate." [1] "According to western historians, some time between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries a Dagomba king called Nedega, who ruled at Gambaga, appeared on the Volta political scene (Delafosse, 1912: 306-12; Tauxier, 1917: 667-77 and 1924: 16-24). Nedega’s only daughter Yennenga married Riale, a Mandingo hunter. Ouidiraogo, a son of this union, became the founder of the Mossi dynasty, which was to proliferate in all directions during the ensuing centuries. He himself founded the first kingdom at Tenkodogo in the south. One of his sons, Rawa, established the kingdom of Zandoma in the north, which later, under his classificatory great-grandson Yadega, became the state of Yatenga. In the east Rawa’s brother Diaba founded Fada n ’Gourma, while a nephew Oubri founded Ouagadougou in the west. Within five generations, according to these traditions, the Mossi kingdoms and principalities attained the form they possess today, and since that distant epoch interconnexions have been maintained among them and are still recognized in terms of kinship (see diagram on p. 155).//"The colonial régime, dating from 1897, recognized the different Mossi kingdoms and principalities, but with little concern for any ties which existed between them." [2]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 10) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
[2]: (Zahan 1967: 152-154) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
"This book follows French anthropologist Michel Izard’s dating of the beginning of Mossi history around the fifteenth century, but this choice is by no means beyond debate." [1] "According to western historians, some time between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries a Dagomba king called Nedega, who ruled at Gambaga, appeared on the Volta political scene (Delafosse, 1912: 306-12; Tauxier, 1917: 667-77 and 1924: 16-24). Nedega’s only daughter Yennenga married Riale, a Mandingo hunter. Ouidiraogo, a son of this union, became the founder of the Mossi dynasty, which was to proliferate in all directions during the ensuing centuries. He himself founded the first kingdom at Tenkodogo in the south. One of his sons, Rawa, established the kingdom of Zandoma in the north, which later, under his classificatory great-grandson Yadega, became the state of Yatenga. In the east Rawa’s brother Diaba founded Fada n ’Gourma, while a nephew Oubri founded Ouagadougou in the west. Within five generations, according to these traditions, the Mossi kingdoms and principalities attained the form they possess today, and since that distant epoch interconnexions have been maintained among them and are still recognized in terms of kinship (see diagram on p. 155).//"The colonial régime, dating from 1897, recognized the different Mossi kingdoms and principalities, but with little concern for any ties which existed between them." [2]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 10) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
[2]: (Zahan 1967: 152-154) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
"In addition to illustrating the penetration of the Mossi from the Dagomba kingdom of northern Ghana upstream along the White Volta all the way to Ouahigouya, this account serves as an ideological foundation of the Mossi state system and its blend of conquest and assimilation, where marriages with autochthonous people play a crucial role and where power is transmitted from father to son. Yet the story is idyllic in its portrayal of indigenous populations. [...] [N]ot all gladly married or warmly welcomed Mossi warriors." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 11) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
"In addition to illustrating the penetration of the Mossi from the Dagomba kingdom of northern Ghana upstream along the White Volta all the way to Ouahigouya, this account serves as an ideological foundation of the Mossi state system and its blend of conquest and assimilation, where marriages with autochthonous people play a crucial role and where power is transmitted from father to son. Yet the story is idyllic in its portrayal of indigenous populations. [...] [N]ot all gladly married or warmly welcomed Mossi warriors." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 11) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
"[T]here are several Mossi kingdoms linked by a common ancestry. Primus inter pares, the Ouagadougou kingdom eclipsed all others. Yet Ouagadougou should not be regarded as the capital of an alleged Mossi ’empire’, as there was considerable autonomy, and even infighting, among the different kingdoms and principalities." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 11) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
"Ancestor veneration is at the core of Mossi religious behavior. The recent ancestors are notified, through sacrifices, of the important events in the lives of their descendants, and they are expected to aid in solving everyday problems. The ancestors also invoke their sanctions against antisocial behavior among their descendants. Once a year the Mossi people, in concert with the Moro Nabas, appeal to their individual and collective ancestors for good crops, large families, and for the preservation of the dynasty. Often associated with the ancestors as propitiatory agents are local deities called Tengkougas (sing. Tenkougre) or earth shrines, visibly manifested by clumps of trees, mountains, rocks, or rivers. [...] The earth itself, Tenga, is one of the principal deities of the Mossi. Tenga is considered the wife of a male deity called Winnam, Wind&, or Naba Zidiwind6. The true nature of Winnam is not clear. The Mossi say: “Winnam is the sun, and Winnam is God”; he is considered a sun god as well as a supreme deity. Winnam is venerated but he is not feared, because it is the dead ancestors who chastise evil-doers by afliction or death. When wicked people die they face the wrath of the ancestors in Keemsbtenga, or land of the ancestors." [1]
[1]: (Skinner 1958: 1103-1104) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/FXVG26H7/collection.
People. "It is very difficult to estimate the populations of the three kingdoms in the nineteenth century, although it is certain that Ouagadougou contained the largest, and Fadan’Gourma the smallest." [1] If it is difficult to estimate the population of this quasipolity in the 19th century, it seems reasonable to infer that this is also true for preceding centuries.
[1]: (Zahan 1960: 154) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
levels. 1. Tapsoba and Widi-Naba :"The army consisted of two divisions: the infantry under the Tapsoba (master of the bow) and the cavalry under the Widi-Naba." [1] :2. Tapsobanamba "The tapsoba of Oula became commander-in-chief of the entire army in the field and was assisted by three other tapsobanamba." [2] :2. Adjutant to the Widi-Naba ::"The cavalry under the Widi-Naba and his adjutant, the chief of the royal stables, was placed on the two wings of the infantry." [2] ::3. Samade-naba "In action the infantry were placed in the centre of the combined forces under the Samade-Naba." [2] :::4. Section chiefs ::::"In Yatenga there were eleven sections: the gunbearers’ section was commanded by the Bugure-Naba (chief of the powder) ; the ten other sections were commanded by the two Kom-Naba (chiefs of young men), the two Soba-Naba (chiefs of Bobo), the Kom-Naba and the Samade-Naba of Ziga, the Kom-Naba and Samade-Naba of Binsigay, and the Kom-Naba and Samade-Naba of Sissimba. The se last three towns were former capitals of the kingdom." [2] ::::5. Soldiers
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 171) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[2]: (Zahan 1967: 172) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
levels. 1. Tapsoba and Widi-Naba :"The army consisted of two divisions: the infantry under the Tapsoba (master of the bow) and the cavalry under the Widi-Naba." [1] :2. Tapsobanamba "The tapsoba of Oula became commander-in-chief of the entire army in the field and was assisted by three other tapsobanamba." [2] :2. Adjutant to the Widi-Naba ::"The cavalry under the Widi-Naba and his adjutant, the chief of the royal stables, was placed on the two wings of the infantry." [2] ::3. Samade-naba "In action the infantry were placed in the centre of the combined forces under the Samade-Naba." [2] :::4. Section chiefs ::::"In Yatenga there were eleven sections: the gunbearers’ section was commanded by the Bugure-Naba (chief of the powder) ; the ten other sections were commanded by the two Kom-Naba (chiefs of young men), the two Soba-Naba (chiefs of Bobo), the Kom-Naba and the Samade-Naba of Ziga, the Kom-Naba and Samade-Naba of Binsigay, and the Kom-Naba and Samade-Naba of Sissimba. The se last three towns were former capitals of the kingdom." [2] ::::5. Soldiers
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 171) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[2]: (Zahan 1967: 172) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
levels. "[W]e know very little about the history of Mossi institutions, which can be outlined only from the end of the eighteenth century for Yatenga and the beginning of the nineteenth for the kingdom of Wagadugu. In fact, the wealth of information available concerning the organization of the Mossi kingdoms, which began to be collected in 1907, makes it possible to describe how the public institutions functioned, but only at the very end of the pre-colonial period." [1] 1. King :"Although the king was the hub, of the political system, the Mossi state was a decentralized one, and the country was, for the most part, administered without any direct intervention on his part." [2] :2. Ministers ::"The ‘minister’ was the mainspring of the Mossi state system: his function was to integrate individual lineages into the global society. He had to be not only ‘good, honest, and just’, but to possess a profound working knowledge of inter-lineage relationships. Ministers were not chosen from nakombse lineages. The king appointed whomsoever he wished, and the office was not hereditary. In Yatenga the four ministers were the Widi-Naba, the Baloum-Naba, the Togo-Naba, and the Rassam-Naba. They had well-defined roles at court and also acted as intermediaries between the king and his subjects. They were said to ‘command’ certain lineages." [3] ::3. Kombere-naba "The kombere-naba was, then, a chief of an aggregation of lineages grouped into a ‘canton’ or principality. [...] In the political hierarchy of a Mossi kingdom the ‘canton’ chief ranked below the minister; in reality he was more important, since he was a veritable king (rima) in his own ‘canton’ and was often the descendant of a former ruler of the state. The minister, on the other hand, exercised little positive authority and acted rather as a liaison officer between the king and his subjects." [4] :::4. Canton officials ::::5. Village chiefs :::::"The village chief (tenganaba) and his retinue faithfully reflected the image of the king and his court. He had his ‘ministers’ and his pages, although in the Yatenga kingdom there was no Rassam-Naba (treasurer). He had his own tribunal and settled civil disputes within the village." [5] :::::6. Village officials ::::::7. Ward chiefs :::::::8. Ward officials ::::::::"In administrative practice, authority spread from the kingdom to the province, the canton, the village, and the ward, each level virtually reproducing the same power structure." [6]
[1]: (Izard 1984: 230) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9SV6G65P/collection.
[2]: (Zahan 1960: 157) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[3]: (Zahan 1960: 163) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[4]: (Zahan 1960: 162-165) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[5]: (Zahan 1960: 162) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[6]: (Englebert 2018: 14) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
levels. "[W]e know very little about the history of Mossi institutions, which can be outlined only from the end of the eighteenth century for Yatenga and the beginning of the nineteenth for the kingdom of Wagadugu. In fact, the wealth of information available concerning the organization of the Mossi kingdoms, which began to be collected in 1907, makes it possible to describe how the public institutions functioned, but only at the very end of the pre-colonial period." [1] 1. King :"Although the king was the hub, of the political system, the Mossi state was a decentralized one, and the country was, for the most part, administered without any direct intervention on his part." [2] :2. Ministers ::"The ‘minister’ was the mainspring of the Mossi state system: his function was to integrate individual lineages into the global society. He had to be not only ‘good, honest, and just’, but to possess a profound working knowledge of inter-lineage relationships. Ministers were not chosen from nakombse lineages. The king appointed whomsoever he wished, and the office was not hereditary. In Yatenga the four ministers were the Widi-Naba, the Baloum-Naba, the Togo-Naba, and the Rassam-Naba. They had well-defined roles at court and also acted as intermediaries between the king and his subjects. They were said to ‘command’ certain lineages." [3] ::3. Kombere-naba "The kombere-naba was, then, a chief of an aggregation of lineages grouped into a ‘canton’ or principality. [...] In the political hierarchy of a Mossi kingdom the ‘canton’ chief ranked below the minister; in reality he was more important, since he was a veritable king (rima) in his own ‘canton’ and was often the descendant of a former ruler of the state. The minister, on the other hand, exercised little positive authority and acted rather as a liaison officer between the king and his subjects." [4] :::4. Canton officials ::::5. Village chiefs :::::"The village chief (tenganaba) and his retinue faithfully reflected the image of the king and his court. He had his ‘ministers’ and his pages, although in the Yatenga kingdom there was no Rassam-Naba (treasurer). He had his own tribunal and settled civil disputes within the village." [5] :::::6. Village officials ::::::7. Ward chiefs :::::::8. Ward officials ::::::::"In administrative practice, authority spread from the kingdom to the province, the canton, the village, and the ward, each level virtually reproducing the same power structure." [6]
[1]: (Izard 1984: 230) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/9SV6G65P/collection.
[2]: (Zahan 1960: 157) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[3]: (Zahan 1960: 163) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[4]: (Zahan 1960: 162-165) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[5]: (Zahan 1960: 162) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
[6]: (Englebert 2018: 14) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
"There was never a regular Mossi army, although there were, of course, permanent military chiefs. All adult men were liable for military service and were mobilized in times of war. A small body of regular soldiers at the king’s court acted as his armed bodyguard (kambose), maintained order in the palace but never went to war." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 171) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
Inferred from the following quote, which refers to "permanent" military chiefs. "There was never a regular Mossi army, although there were, of course, permanent military chiefs." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 171) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
No distinction between executive and judicial branch (though the following information applies to the 19th centuries, it seems reasonable to infer continuity with previous centuries). "Tribunals were graded according to the political divisions within the kingdom. The lowest court was that of the ward head, who dealt with all cases concerning the lineage segment under his authority. The village head, with his ‘ministers’ and ward heads, constituted the next grade and also heard appeals from the courts of ward heads. The court of the ‘canton’ chief dealt with intervillage disputes. The court of a ‘provincial’ chief (palace minister) was concerned with disputes between the Fulbe, Yarse, Dioula, and others (see p. 160), and between these and the Mossi proper. He also examined appeals from the lower courts. Supreme judicial authority was vested in the king, although in practice he only gave judgement in criminal cases, such as homicide, and cases which proved too difficult for subordinate tribunals. He also constituted the only court qualified to try nakombse.//"These five types of tribunals were constituted on the same hierarchical pattern as the administration of the kingdom, with no distinction between the judiciary and the executive." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1960: 170-171) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
No distinction between executive and judicial branch (though the following information applies to the 19th centuries, it seems reasonable to infer continuity with previous centuries). "Tribunals were graded according to the political divisions within the kingdom. The lowest court was that of the ward head, who dealt with all cases concerning the lineage segment under his authority. The village head, with his ‘ministers’ and ward heads, constituted the next grade and also heard appeals from the courts of ward heads. The court of the ‘canton’ chief dealt with intervillage disputes. The court of a ‘provincial’ chief (palace minister) was concerned with disputes between the Fulbe, Yarse, Dioula, and others (see p. 160), and between these and the Mossi proper. He also examined appeals from the lower courts. Supreme judicial authority was vested in the king, although in practice he only gave judgement in criminal cases, such as homicide, and cases which proved too difficult for subordinate tribunals. He also constituted the only court qualified to try nakombse.//"These five types of tribunals were constituted on the same hierarchical pattern as the administration of the kingdom, with no distinction between the judiciary and the executive." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1960: 170-171) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
"Village markets, occurring every three days, assured the circulation of goods outside the domestic economy (Zahan, 1954). Markets were unde r the aegis of both political and priest chiefs. It was the naba who authorized the establishment of a new market, but it was tengasoba who sacralized the place by pouring libations on the market shrine. A market chief policed the market and collected dues on the naba’s behalf. This was not a tax, but rather a countergift to him for the benefit conferred by the market." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 158) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
The following quote implies some sort of state control over trade routes. "Traders, whether Dioula, Yarse, Maranse, or even Mossi, must also be included among the king’s ‘clients’. Their security along the trading routes depended on protection, and the king accordingly levied a toll on all goods in transit through his country." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 159) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.
The following information strictly applies to the period immediately preceding colonisation. "Cowries and cotton bands were used as currency." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
The following information strictly applies to the period immediately preceding colonisation. "Cowries and cotton bands were used as currency." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
The following information strictly applies to the period immediately preceding colonisation--however, given global trends in the history of currency, it seems very unlikely for paper currency to have existed in this region prior to the 18th century. "Cowries and cotton bands were used as currency." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
The following information strictly applies to the period immediately preceding colonisation--however, given global trends in the history of currency, it seems very unlikely for paper currency to have existed in this region prior to the 18th century. "Cowries and cotton bands were used as currency." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
The following information strictly applies to the period immediately preceding colonisation. "Cowries and cotton bands were used as currency." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
The following information strictly applies to the period immediately preceding colonisation. "Cowries and cotton bands were used as currency." [1]
[1]: (Englebert 2018: 15) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/52JWRCUI/collection.
"The pastoral Fulbe constituted another category of royal ‘clients’. Dues were paid in cattle and given to the king during the traditional ceremonies." [1]
[1]: (Zahan 1967: 159) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/collections/GWWIKDDM/items/TVIRPGXD/collection.