Page 8 - Exposition of Dagara Morality FNAL

he announces the course on the suspect. The sanction, if not adhered to within * Do not try to do too much at once. Learn to do one things at a time. Dop
stipulated time, is death by snake bite or through sudden acute diarrhea. A fine not set your aspirations so high, of not you may end up being unsuccessful to
of 20,000 cowries and a cow is further imposed on the family as a necessary carry out anything at all. It talks about opportunity cost.
condition for them to be allowed to dig the victim's grave.
4.b. Nyira mi tug ni o bog mani o menga. The ant digs its hole according to its
Furthermore, stealing is highly resented in the Dagara traditional society. More size.
often than not, thieves are killed. A thief will be tied to a standing log and the log I
allowed to fall in such a manner that the culprit will touch the ground first and the * We should desist from excessive ambition. We should accept our
log simply smash him to pulp. Thieves are not mourned and have no proper powers as they are and act within our limits. This will spare is from pains of
burials. Thus there is a proverb in Dagaare which says “nanyige pag kuor nyin” unfulfilled and unreliable aspirations which can lead us to frustration.
meaning, a thief has no funeral. The culprit's eyes can be gashed out or his ears
slashed off. In some cases, his fingers will be smashed to make “picking” 4.c. Nobir me yangni kuo mani o menga. The finger swells according to its
impossible. The punishment for children caught stealing is comparatively milder. size
They can be starved for one or two days. However, if a child steals something
edible, for instance an egg, it will be roasted and the hot egg will be put into the * The English equivalence of this is “cut your coat according to the size of
mouth of the child. This is to serve as constant reminder for him to abstain from your cloth”. We should not set our aspirations so high but live within our means.
stealing. Indeed, theft I considered a menace to the society and thieves are This is to say that we should not build castles in the air.
severely punished.
1. ANGER
Furthermore, adultery is also a great offence in the Dagara society. As Kuukure 5.a. Suur sob be nyier bin sori e. A hot-tempered person does not defecate on
notes, “adultery is a great offence in the first place against the ancestors and the road
requires heavy fines for sacrifices to propitiate them n order to avoid mystical
retribution”². Adultery is considered a sexual crime which can cause serious * If you shit on the road, anybody passing will see it and comment. If you
disasters such as death and dissolution of the marriage. Sexual intercourse are a hot-tempered person, you will be angry if you are present when such
outside a house or a human habitation is considered a serious crime and a taboo comments are made.
to the earth shrine. Sexual intercourse on the farm, for instance, is generally
resented by the Dagara. It is the belief that is sexual intercourse takes place on * If you are a hot-tempered person, do not do things or behave in a way
the farm the yield from that particular farm that year will be poor. So, victims of that will let people see and comment to infuriate you. Avoid the occasion of
such crimes are required to provide fowls for a sacrifice to be made to appease anger.
the earth shrine so that the far in question may regain its fertility. In addition, pre-
marital sex or fornication is prohibited in the traditional Dagara society. Albeit, 5.b. Suur be maale yel e. Anger does not solve problems.
children are taught certain moral values they are not taught about sexual
matters. They are supposed to be ignorant about sexual matters until they * Anger in itself is not bad. However, when we get angry over trivial issues,
become mature. In fact, if children are caught as victims of pre-marital sex, then we worsen cases. One may be rightfully angry, but in ager, passion takes
pepper is put into their sexual organs as a means of deterring them and others over and you are not objective anymore to reflect on all the consequences.
from such acts.

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