Génies, ancêtres, voisins: Quelques aspects de la relation à la terre chez les Ciranba (Goin) du Burkina-Faso

Genii, ancestors, neighbours: aspects of the relation to earth among the Cirangba (Goin) (Burkina-Faso).- The Cirangba (French: "Goin") of south-west Burkina-Faso, 50,000 strong, are an acephalous group of agriculturalists with a bilineal kinship system. They are organized in autonomous villages with the priest of the agrarian cult as their highest authority. This priest is defined as a direct agnatic descendent of the first human settler, the one who drew a landright covenant with the first real occupant, that is the local genie. However, the actual institution is fully coincident with the asserted principle only insofar as the social equilibrium is maintained. The analysis of a succession crisis sheds light upon the Cirangba's relation to their land and upon their concept of headmanship as well as upon disturbing factors such as conditions of local group settlement, relationships between said groups, population pressure and soil fertility, and opportunities of new means of subsistence.