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05.12.2020 Regional News

U/E/R: Humanity against natural habitats: the untold story

By Akayeti Emmenuel || Contributor
Moving closer to do the sacrifices to their failing ancestor Akamugmah Tamarine TreeMoving closer to do the sacrifices to their failing ancestor Akamugmah (Tamarine Tree)
05.12.2020 LISTEN

Culture, they say is a way of life and for the people of Kembisi Clan of Bolga -Sirigu community and its surrounding villages of the Upper East Region, performing a funeral ceremony of a tree defines the identity and re-ignite and resonate with their ancestors.

In the scientific world, trees serve so many purposes including medicine, erosion, mitigating the climate, removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Subsequently, they store large quantities of carbon in their tissues. Trees and forest provide a habitat for many species of animals and plants. They equally provide shades and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and fruit for food. Due to their long life and usefulness, trees including that of the Temarandus are sometimes revered and are sacred groves in various cultures. Within the Kembisi community for instance the history and traditional significance of the Pusika Tia also known as Temarandus can be traced to the migration of two brothers Akea-mah and Aka-mugma. These two brothers migrated from Youwa in the southern part of Burkina Faso about four hundred (400) years ago amidst famine. They settled in Pogmulgu-Sirigu in the Kassena Nankana Municipality. Consequently, the two moved again to Sumbrungu and finally settled at Kembisi. Akamugma died about 100 years ago but his descendant’s forms majority of the Kembisi community.

According to a soothsayer upon consultation, the Temarandus tree symbolically represent the dead Aka-mugma. Unfortunately, the tree died in November, 2016. The funeral rites of the tree started at the family house of the Tindana amid drumming and dancing performed by war dancers. The community members and chief mourners finally moved to the former house where Aka-mugma lived, died and was laid to rest.

These kind of houses are locally called (Daboo). The aim of moving into the Daboo was to perform all the relevant sacrifices to bid their father, the Pusiga Tia, fare well. It will interest readers to know that the fruit of this same Temarandus tree is a major ingredient for sour water, used to stir T. Z and a local beverage called sobolo. However, the Tindana of the area Atindanbila Ayika explained that, the tree was revered and according to tradition and culture of the people, it is forbidden to use the branch as a fire wood. The Senior Programmes Officer of the Environment Protection Agency, Mr. Hamid Abdulai, explained that, they are mindful of the secret grooves and Shrines when it comes to environmental impact assessment.

Apart from their traditional belief system attached to these shrines and grooves, the rules governing these places are very crucial in protecting the environment. EPA therefore see such traditional practices very important. Meanwhile, the Paramount Chief of Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Leemyarum, has urged his colleagues and other traditional rulers not to allow modernization to overshadow the need for sacred groves and trees to be protected. Naba Leemyarum indicated that even before the advent of the EPA laws regarding environmental Protection, chiefs were very much concerned about shrines and grooves with strict laws. Persons found invading such sacred areas were cited and sanctioned for violating the laws. Therefore, in the wake of fierce war against environmental degradation, those cultural and traditional practices that promote the preservation of the environment should be encouraged. There are several grooves and shrines across the Upper East Region with similar practices. Unfortunately, due to poverty, such grooves and shrines are gradually threatened as they are often sold out to investors, for infrastructural development to the detriment of the environment.

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