College of Education

School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

SOCI 223

Traditional Ghanaian

Social Institutions

Session 10 – Traditional

Politics 1

Lecturer: Dr. Rosemond Hiadzi, Sociology Contact Information: rhiadzi@ug.edu.gh

Session Overview

• At the end of the session, the student will

• Identify the two kinds of political systems existing in traditional societies

• Explain the non-centralized political system

• Understand the role of the lineage head in traditional societies

• Appreciate why the lineage system is effective

Slide 2

Session Outline

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

• Topic One – Defining politics

• Topic Two – Types of political systems

• Topic Three - The lineage system

• Topic Four – Functions of the lineage head

• Topic Five – The Tallensi lineage system

Slide 3

Reading List

• Abotchie, C. (2011) Structure of Traditional Ghanaian Societies. Hans Publications Ltd. Accra

• Assimeng, J. M. (1981) Social Structure of Ghana. Chapter one

• Nukunya, G. K. (2002) Tradition and Change. An Introduction to Sociology. Chapters one and two

Slide 4

DEFINING POLITICS Topic One

Slide 5

What is politics?

• The process of discussions and maneuverings which goes on before a decision is taken – Mair (1957)

• That part of the total organization of a society that is concerned with the maintenance or establishment of social order within a territorial framework through the use or the possibility of the use of physical force Radcliffe-Brown (1975)

Slide 6

TYPES OF POLITICAL SYSTEMS Topic two

Slide 7

Types of political systems

• Non – centralized (acephalous)

– Power is distributed amongst various people in the community eg. The lineage system

• Centralized

– Power is concentrated in the hands of one ruler eg. The chief

Slide 8

THE LINEAGE SYSTEM Topic three

Slide 9

The non centralized political system

– The Lineage system • A lineage is a collection of families recruited by

patrilineal or matrilineal descent • The political administration of the lineage is the

responsibility of the most senior surviving male member • The Akans call him abusua panyin, the Ewes call him

ametsitsia, the Gas call him wetse • He is usually assisted by a female counterpart who sees

to issues affecting the female members of the community.

• She is referred to as obaa panyin amongst the Akans, mama amongst the Ewes and weku nye amongst the Gas

Slide 10

FUNCTIONS OF THE LINEAGE HEAD Topic four

Slide 11

Functions of the lineage head

• The functions of the lineage head is not only restricted to political functions. In fact, he performs social structural functions as well. For that matter, the lineage system can be likened to a miniature society.

Slide 12

Political functions

• The maintenance of law and order within the group

• Arbitration and settlement of disputes amongst members

• Presides over a traditional moral code which prescribes the do’s and don’ts as well as the norms of the group

• Ensures reconciliation (after disputes) between members and also with the gods and ancestors

• Sanctions members to ensure conformity amongst members. The sanctions are in the form of rewards for good behavior and punishments for wrong doing

• Sanctions can also be secular and sacred

Slide 13

Political functions

• Secular sanctions involve exclusion from day to day activities eg. Economic rights such as loss of rights to access land, imposition of fines, ostracism, lack of financial support in times of need etc

• Sacred sanctions involve those related to the deities and religion in general eg. Loss of protection by the ancestors, loss of the right to re-incarnation, loss of one’s place and rights in the ancestoral cult

• Traditional society based on these sanctions is said to operate a penal pharmacy. This means, just as every illness is treated with the appropriate medicine and in the right dosage, punishments are also meted out according to the severity of the crime or offense

Slide 14

Religious functions

• Mediator between the people and the ancestors

• Performs religious functions on behalf of the people such as the pouring of libation, invocation of the gods and spirits etc

• These functions are performed on a daily basis and also during special occasions such as festival time

Slide 15

Economic functions

• Sharing of lineage assets such as land, cattle, water bodies

• Access of lineage members to such assets is based on whether one belongs to a matrilineal system or the patrilineal system

• Other economic functions include the financial assistance to relieve a debt or to start a trade

Slide 16

Marriage functions

• In arranged marriages, the lineage head gives the final approval of a potential partner before the marriage can be contracted

• In preferential marriages, the lineage head makes sure that all necessary investigations into the background of the potential spouse are conducted before approval is given

• The investigations are conducted to look out for the following – The ethnic origin of the potential partner

– The absence of such behavioral traits as quarrelsomeness, hot temperaments

– Genetically transmitted diseases

– Witchcraft

– infertility

Slide 17

Educational functions

• Oversees the socialization of the young members of the lineage

• Presides over the traditional rites of passage which serve as a traditional means of socializing the younger members of the society

Slide 18

Health functions

• Responsible for the health needs of the lineage members

• He takes the decisions concerning diagnosis and treatment when a member of the lineage falls sick

• Thus he presides over investigations into the cause of the sickness whether germ caused or as a result of disruption in social relationships

• He performs the necessary rituals to pacify the gods and ancestors and the offended party in the event that the disease is as a result of a disruption in social relationship

Slide 19

THE TALLENSI LINEAGE SYSTEM Topic Five

Slide 20

The Tallensi – An example of an Acephalous society

• Two groups of the Tallensi namely

– The Real Talis (the indigenes)

– The Namoos (migrants from Mamprusi)

• Their lineage system is segmentary in nature

• Segmentation refers to “the situation whereby a group which sees itself as a unit in one context will in other contexts break into other units of the same kind or unite with others of the same kind to form bigger units” (Nukunya, 1992:72)

Slide 21

The Tallensi

• Four levels of segmentation

• The maximal lineage – trace their descent to a known ancestor who lived 9 to 10 generations ago

• The major lineage - trace their descent to a known ancestor who lived 8 generations ago

• The minor lineage - trace their descent to a known ancestor who lived 5 to 7 generations ago

• The minimal lineage - trace their descent to a known ancestor who lived 4 to 6 generations ago – NB: Other societies with similar systems include the Kokomba,

Lowiili and LoDagaba

Slide 22

Efficacy of the lineage polity

• Collective responsibility of the entire lineage – when someone commits an offense, any member of the lineage can be punished for the wrong doing

• Lineage head is also accountable to the supernatural entities and thus his behavior is also regulated

Slide 23