Bozo
The crew on our Pinasse were real Bozo Fisherman people.
The Bozo are known as fishermen and boatmen; their annual catch constitutes one of Mali's principal
exports. They also engage in some agriculture, with rice and millet as the staple crops. Corn, peanuts, onions, okra, and peppers
are also grown. Market gardens produce a variety of fruits and vegetables for sale.
Fishing is the responsibility of the Bozo men and boys. The women raise vegetables and tobacco, which they sell in the markets.
Other agricultural work, however, is done by the men. Each Bozo village also has at least one professional hunter, who hunts
hippopotamus, crocodile, and manatee.
Bozo society is patriarchal (male dominated). Unmarried men live in special bachelor huts in the villages, and married couples
live with the husband's family. Bozo marriages are arranged by extended family heads through male intermediaries. The
prospective groom gives gifts to the bride's parents and performs a bride-service. He must also pay a bride-price, but sometimes,
instead of a bride-price, the two families exchange women. Polygyny (having more than one wife) is generally practiced, but only
to the Muslim limit of four.
The Bozo live in small, compact villages on the banks of streams. Several different types of dwellings may be found among them.
Temporary fishing camps are composed of straw huts. In the flood plains, dwellings built on artificial mounds are used. The most
common type of village, however, is composed of rectangular houses with sun-dried brick walls. The roofs of these houses are
flat and made of beaten dirt that is supported on logs. Bozo land is owned by the community as a whole and is administered by
the community's headman, who lives in an interior court in the center of the village. The headman handles the affairs of the
village community and is also considered the "clan chief."
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Fisherman village near Lac Debu
Ships, loaded with wood for cooking, are passing by...
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