Kpelle a of west africa
(Tribe) Social life
Presented To:
Sir Waheed
Presented by:
Laraib Arshad
Political Antropology
Department of Antropology
Quaid e Azam University Islamabad
KPELLE
Kpelle means hardworking and very humble people.it is the tribe of Liberia. There are over 1
million people in Liberia and nearly 600,000 Kpelle people in Guniea. Guniea is the neighbour
of Liberia . Kpelle also called Guerze, people occupinng much of central Liberia and extending
into Guinea. In Liberia 20% people live in Kpelle and 15% people are urban dweller and the rest
are rural. Its population density is 10 to 40 per sq km. Its located around swamps, hills and
lowland areas rivers. Its average temperatue is 36 degree Celsius. In October rainy season starts
and its annual rainfall is from 180 to 300cm.The Kpelle people are mostly farmers. The typical
household consists of a man his wife and their childrens.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF KPELLE
Settlements
The traditional Kpelle house is a round one- room, wattle-and-daub hut with a conical thatched
roof. More common is the square house with three rooms and an porch, or a rectangular house
with two rooms and a very wide open porch. Zinc roofs are gradually replacing thatch, especially
where cash employment is common.
Kpelle villages generally accommodate between 50 and 600 persons living in 10 to 150 huts;
these numbers may be considerably higher if the village is an important one or is located on a
motor road. Villages are often surrounded by considerably smaller farm hamlets; in addition,
some families or even individuals live alone, away from a village or hamlet. Larger villages
called “towns”.
Marriage and Family
The only significant kin group is the patrilineage, which is weak in function and shallow in
depth, extending only three or four generations. Obligations, debts, personality and food taboos,
among another things are inherited patrilineally. Although monogamy has become more
common in the late twentieth century polygyny. A man authority, property and younger wives
are inherited either by his older surviving brother or his oldest son.
The 1980 book entitled women and marriage in kpelle socity reports that amongst the Kpelle a
woman and her children remains the property of the lineage that paid bride wealth even if the
husband dies
Especially in patrilineal socitieties such as Kpelle rule ensure that a woman and her children
remain the property of the lineage that paid bride wealth. Though there practiced the Kpelle
levirate legally transfer a widow to one of her husband brothers or other male lineage males as
his wife. A widow may even be transferred to one of her husband sons by another marriage,
usually if she is of the same age or younger, calling a marriage between a man and his mother.
All of ones father wives are called mother.
Religious
Whereas 10 to 25 percent of the Kpelle are nominal Christians in those areas where missionaries
are very active, and whereas a handful embrace Islam, the vast majority hold traditional animistic
beliefs. Kpelle religion is rather start, focused vaguely on God ancestors, and forest spirits and
more sharply on the secret medicine societies and the masked spirits who operate within those
societies. The Kpelle recognize a High God who created the world and then retired. They believe
in a variety of lesser spirits or genii, including Witchcraft and sorcery figure prominently in the
belief system
Ceremonies
The events they celebrate are Christmas day, new year, decoration day, Independence day that is
26 july, marriage ceremony, decoration day, a special day for rice cultivation.
Arts
The Kpelle design various musical instruments, weave homespun cloth jewellery and several
types of mat, weaving and carve crude sculptures. Their most beautiful and refined artistic
creations are the elegant and awesome spirit masks associated with the secret societies.
Medicine
The Kpelle deal with disease and with spirits through magic and medicine, both of which are
implied by the word sale Kpelle has no general term for poison but several kinds of poison are
knowns there is a special term which might be translated as black magic .undoubtedly the secrets
of these medicines are very rarely sold and that at a very high price.an example of black magic is
berry like fruits are used in fishing when thrown in the water they are said to paralyze the fish
which are then picked up from the surface of the water with no trouble. This does not seem to
affect the flesh for food purposes.
Language
Kpelle is a member of the Mande branch of the Western Sudanic subgroup of the Niger Congo
languages. Kpelle is spoken throughout Liberia and in the southeastern part of the neighboring
Republic of Gunea, where it is generally known as Guerze. In Liberia there ar almost 800,000
speakers who use K pelle as their first language about a third of the population. There are
approximately 300,000 spealers of Kpelle in Guinea. Although English is the official language of
Liberia and French of Guinea.
Some examples of common Kpelle words are:
Cake kéé
No kpaa
Poor kolo
Right lá mijée
Salt kpolo
Water já
Death
Death is a passing into a spiritual realm the coexists with the material realm. The deceased
become ancestors, who seem to become increasingly vague and to move further away from
villages and into the bush as their memory becomes less distinct in the minds of their living
relatives.
Bibliography
http//book google.com/book/women an marriage in kpelle society
http;//www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/facukty/fiske/135b/kpelle
Gibbs, James L., Jr. (1965). “The Kpelle of Liberia.” In Peoples of Africa, edited by James L.
Gibbs, Jr., 197-240. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Journal article secret medicines magic and rites of the kpelle tribe in Liberia.
