Approches de parentés sénufo, première partie.

Abstract

SUMMARY The first part of this study of a Senufo kinship system describes the descent system, the roules of incorporation and residence, names and behaviour of three subgroups, fodombèlè, sénabèlè and fono : bèlè, who cohabit a restricted geographic area (Ivory Coast Republic, sub-prefecture of Dikodougou). It reconstitutes for these groups, with a social system in the process of changing, the " traditional " kinship system, as can be seen in aged generations from the rural milieu. It is done through statistical and genealogical surveys, and interviews, but favours spontaneous expression, where there has not been a direct intervention of that poser of questions the researcher often is. Hence the important place given to extracts of songs, biographies and other recordings done as circumstances permitted. The section dealing with alliances, which will appear later, is indissociable from it. Real social engineers, these Senufo sub-groups are equipped with a set of rules closely linked in an integrated system allowing a village type society to produce and reproduce a social fabric of an exceptional cohesion. .