Sacrifice and Social Structure among the Kuranko

Abstract

Sacrifice and DivinationThe Kuranko term for sacrifice issarake(from the Arabicsadaqa). Any gift, offering or material object over which invocations to spirits are made is a sacrifice.Sarakethus includes offerings made to the three major categories of spirit: (1)AlaorAltala(God), (2)BəmbanuorFɔl' mɔryonu(‘Ancestors’ and ‘First/original people’ respectively), (3)Njεnnenu(Spirits of the wild or djinn). Sacrifice also includes material objects (medicines and fetishes) which are prayed over.