The Sara (Kameeni) are an amalgamation of ancient Sun-worshiping, fishery together with sedentary agriculturalist Bongo-Bargimi-speaking people of Nilo-Saharan origins residing inwards southern Republic of Chad together with Central African Republic. Most Sara are now, together with pick out been for centuries, located betwixt Lake Iro inwards the eastward together with the Logone River inwards the west.
Sara women of Chad
The Sara are the largest ethnic grouping inwards Republic of Chad amongst a population of over 4 1000000 people constituting approximately 32 per centum of the full population. In Central African Republic the Sara people brand upward 10 per cent of the population, making it the 4th largest ethnic grouping inwards the country.
The Sara has several sub-tribes, Each tribe is a distinct geographic, political, together with endogamous entity. Major tribes are the Kaba, Sar, Nar, Gulay, Ngambay, together with Mbay (Mbai). The Ngambay (Ngambai) are the largest subgroup, followed past times the Gulay, together with the Sara Majingai-Ngama or Sar.
The Sara Ngambai alive inwards Bebedjia, Gore, Pala, together with likewise are centered about Moundou inwards the Logone, Mayo-Kebbi, together with Logone Oriental prefectures. They talk a linguistic communication called Ngambay together with are portion of the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster. The Sara Majingai-Ngama or Sar people talk a linguistic communication called Sar. They alive about Sarh, Koumra, together with Moissala inwards the Moyen-Chari Prefecture. They belong to the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster. The Sara Mbai people alive about Moissala inwards the Moyen-Chari Prefecture. They talk a linguistic communication called Mbay together with are portion of the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster.
Sara fertility is higher than that of to a greater extent than northerly Muslim peoples, together with the surface area inwards which they reside is considerably smaller. This way that, inwards places, previously depression population densities pick out begun to increase.
They brand upward 27.7% of Chad's full population (year 1993 Census).
In Chad, the Sara (kameeni) delineate their ancestry to the pre-colonial Sao civilization that flourished inwards Middle Africa from the 6th century BCE to equally belatedly equally the sixteenth century CE. They are a mostly non-Muslim people — most a 6th of the ethnic grouping is estimated to live Christian, amongst most practicing traditional faiths i.e. worshiping the Sun.
According to historians the holler "Sara" (Sa-Ra) appears to pick out been derived from Arabic, pregnant the Sons of Ra, the ancient Egyptian Sun-God. The Sara lived inwards the north-east along the Nile River earlier they sought refuge inwards the S against northern Arab slave raids. They were located inwards the south, especially inwards the Moyen-Chari, Logone Oriental, Logone Occidental, together with parts of the Tandjile regions, they are Nilotic people who are believed to pick out migrated westwards to the Republic of Chad during the sixteenth century because of a constant threat from Muslims.
During the French colonial period, they became targets for forced task together with armed forces recruitment. In fact, they were the largest grouping of Africans to struggle inwards World War II. The French oft romanticized their tall, physically powerful presence together with referred to them equally "La Belle Race" (The beautiful race)
In the past, women would acquire to elaborate lengths to brand themselves unappealing to slavers. They would insert circular plates inwards their lips inwards monastic tell to elongate their mouths. This cultural do is no longer equally common.
The Sara people enthusiastically grasped the meagre educational together with religious opportunities offered past times the French. Educated Sara people are fluent inwards French equally a instant linguistic communication today. In the 1970s, François Tombalbaye, the start President of Republic of Chad together with from Sara origins, introduced an Africanization aim: the yondo initiation rites of the Sara for all those who wanted to obtain positions inwards the civil service together with the army, rites that were seen equally anti-Christian. Other notable Sara people are Noël Milarew Odingar, Chadian officeholder who overthrew Tombalbaye during the 1975 coup together with briefly served equally caput of province together with was later ane of the ix members of the Supreme Military Council, the armed forces junta that ruled Republic of Chad betwixt 1975 together with 1978 and Fidèle Moungar, Prime government minister of Republic of Chad inwards 1993, president of Action for Unity together with Socialism.
Language
The sara talk Bongo-Bagirmi languages which belongs to the larger Nilo-Saharan languages.
The Sara languages incorporate over a dozen Bongo–Bagirmi languages spoken mainly inwards southern Chad; a few are likewise spoken inwards the N of the Central African Republic. They are members of the Central Sudanic linguistic communication family. Greenberg (1966) treats all varieties equally dialects of a Sara language, whereas Tucker together with Bryan (1966) consider the Sara to live a dialect cluster of several languages. Most members of the unlike Sara languages/dialects consider their spoken communication shape distinct languages, but in that location is currently insufficient linguistic communication data to create upward one's heed which spoken communication varieties demand to live considered distinct languages, together with which are dialects of other languages.
The most populous multifariousness of Sara proper is Ngambay (Sara Ngambay), a major merchandise linguistic communication of southern Chad, amongst most a 1000000 speakers, though Sar (Sara Madjingay) is the glossa franca of Sarh.
The term "Sara Languages", sometimes called "Sara Proper Languages", is distinct from the so-called "Sara Kaba Languages". The latter include Sara Dunjo, Kaba Deme together with Kaba Na. The term Sara itself is confusing, equally inside this household unit of measurement in that location exists a linguistic communication named Sar, whose uppercase is Sarh. The term Kaba is likewise confusing. Kaba of Gore is non a Sara Kaba language, but rather a Sara language. Further, the Sara Kaba grouping includes a linguistic communication named Sara Kaba
The Sara languages are:
#West Sara
Ngambay, Laka, Kabba of Gore
#Central Sara (Doba)
Bedjond, Bebote, Mango, Gor
#East Sara
Sar, Nar, Mbay, Ngam, Dagba, Gulay, Horo
The inclusion of Gulay amongst the Eastern Sara Languages is based on lexical comparison. Phonologically together with morphologically Gulay behaves to a greater extent than similar a Central Sara Language.
History
The Sara people are thought to pick out originally migrated from the Nile River Valley centuries agone equally they sought to escape the mounting raids past times neighboring Arab peoples. Their real holler Sara may pick out meant ―sons of Ra.
Sao civilisation: The Sao civilization flourished inwards Middle Africa from ca. the 6th century BCE to equally belatedly equally the sixteenth century CE. The Sao lived past times the Chari River S of Lake Republic of Chad inwards territory that later became portion of Republic of Cameroon together with Chad. They are the earliest people to pick out left clear traces of their presence inwards the territory of modern Cameroon. Sometime about the 16th century, conversion to Islam changed the cultural identity of the quondam Sao. Today, several ethnic groups of northern Republic of Cameroon together with southern Republic of Chad but peculiarly the Sara, Kotoko claim descent from the civilization of the Sao.
Sara Chadian soldier
Origins together with decline: The Sao civilization may pick out begun equally early on equally the 6th century BCE, together with past times the terminate of the start millennium BCE, their presence was good established S of Lake Republic of Chad together with nigh the Chari River. The metropolis states of the Sao reached their apex sometime betwixt the 9th together with fifteenth centuries CE.
The Sao's demise may pick out come upward most due to conquest, Islamization, or both. Traditional tales say that the Sao westward of Lake Republic of Chad brutal to "Yemenites" from the east. These invaders made several unsuccessful attempts to conquer the Sao earlier finally succeeding past times resorting to trickery. If true, the newcomers may pick out been Arab Bedouin or Sayfuwa raiders coming from the eastward who moved into the part inwards the fourteenth century. Although some scholars approximate that the Sao civilization S of Lake Republic of Chad lasted until the fourteenth or fifteenth century, the bulk persuasion is that it ceased to be equally a separate civilization sometime inwards the 16th century afterwards to the expansion of the Bornu Empire. The Kotoko are the inheritors of the quondam metropolis states of the Sao.
Little is known most the Sao's civilization or political organisation: They left no written records together with are known alone through archaeological finds together with the oral history of their successors inwards their territory. Sao artifacts demo that they were skilled workers inwards bronze, copper, together with iron. Finds include bronze sculptures together with terracotta statues of human together with brute figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewelry, highly decorated pottery, together with spears. The largest Sao archaeological finds pick out been made S of Lake Chad.
Sara Tribeswoman Eyes a Photo of a Woman With a Lip Plate inwards a National Geographic Magazine Held past times Staff Artist Walter Weber, Kyabe, Chad, circa 1950
Ethnic groups inwards the Lake Republic of Chad basin, such equally the Buduma, Gamergu, Kanembu, Kotoko, together with Musgum claim descent from the Sao. Lebeuf supports this connective together with has traced symbolism from Sao fine art inwards plant past times the Guti together with Tukuri subgroups of the Logone-Birni people. Oral histories add together farther details most the people: The Sao were made upward of several patrilineal clans who were united into a unmarried polity amongst ane language, race, together with religion. In these narratives, the Sao are presented equally giants together with mighty warriors who fought together with conquered their neighbors
ancient Sara kaba people. Circa 1888
Settlements
Most Sara who are Nar (hereafter reference volition live to the Nar unless otherwise mentioned) reside inwards small-scale villages located nigh streams or along roads. In precolonial times, inwards principle, a hamlet (gir live ) was a distinct surface area inwards which members of a patrician (gir ka ) lived amongst their wives, children, other kin, together with followers. Villages (gir begi [the gi suffix is a plural marker]) were divided into a pose out of such tracts of unlike clans. Households inwards these villages tended to live dispersed, amongst their circular thatched huts standing inwards the midst of household unit of measurement members' fields, but colonial together with postcolonial officials pick out obliged the relocation together with concentration of households along to a greater extent than easily administered roads. In the 1970s most villages had 200 to 300 inhabitants.
Economy
Subsistence together with Commercial Activities. The Sara, who alive inwards a moderately well-watered Sudano-Guinean ecological zone, specialize inwards the slash-and-burn tillage of cereals, especially sorghums together with millets. They fish together with heighten chickens, dwarf goats, together with a few horses. Plow oxen, introduced during the 1960s together with soundless rare, are the alone cattle kept, owing to a high incidence of sleeping sickness. The French, inwards search of a stable furnish of cotton fiber fiber for their textile industry, introduced cotton fiber equally a cash crop inwards 1928. Postindependence governments pick out continued to emphasize the crop because its sale has brought lxxx per centum of the country's unusual exchange. Because of cotton's importance, its production has been mandatory throughout the colonial together with immediate postcolonial periods. Most cotton fiber is produced past times the Sara, who pick out added this run to their normal subsistence activities. Raising cotton fiber is to a greater extent than task intensive than growing nutrient crops. Its farm-gate cost has ordinarily been kept low. It has a style to exhaust soils.
Increasingly, manioc is substituted for cereals inwards areas where cotton fiber production is high. Manioc requires less task than do cereals but has less nutritional value. One argue for its popularity may live that it allows task that would pick out been allocated to the growth of cereals to live directed instead to the maintenance or expansion of cotton fiber cultivation. Studies advise that areas of considerable manioc production are those amongst lower nutritional levels.
Industrial Arts. Precolonial crafts included metalworking, pottery, fabric together with handbasket weaving, calabash carving, together with unlike forms of woodworking. All of these are inwards spend upward equally their products are increasingly beingness replaced past times manufactured imports.
Trade. There do non appear to pick out been indigenous markets amidst the precolonial Sara. Merchants from Bagirmi, together with to a lesser extent from other Muslim states, circulated inwards the area, ordinarily exchanging sumptuary goods for slaves. Lack of commercial sense has meant that many small-scale stores together with other enterprises inwards Sara towns are owned past times members of northern ethnic groups.
Division of Labor. Little is known of the precolonial partition of labor. The contemporary ideal, however, is that a married adult woman should run for her married adult man inwards farming together with domestic activities. In exchange, he should provide her together with her children amongst nutrient together with other necessities. In principle, the married adult man owns the fields together with their harvest, which he doles out. As women grow older, however, they clear together with flora their ain fields, together with thus they ain these fields' crops together with tin ship away dispose of them equally they run across fit. Both men together with women derive task for their fields from kin, especially children. Gender lonely does non seem to confer payoff inwards securing labor. Rather, what counts is the powerfulness to live generous amongst grain, alcohol, together with cooked food. Women, it appears, tin ship away live exactly equally generous equally men. Thus, men together with women effectively possess the same access to terra firma together with labor. This partition of task was reported for a Sara grouping amongst abundant land. It is possible that such abundance allows for a to a greater extent than egalitarian access to agricultural resources.
Land Tenure. Perhaps the most of import appear of past times together with nowadays Sara terra firma tenure, at to the lowest degree inwards regions of depression population density, is the absence of cultural notions producing differential access to land. In the past times each clan had its surface area that it farmed to the exclusion of all other clans. The primary dominion regulating access was that clan members could acquire terra firma past times farming it. Those who were non members of clans could acquire fields exactly past times bespeak whatever clan fellow member for permission to farm. Land inheritance was of petty importance. Most fields were on virgin bush or long fallows over which no ane exercised rights. The French were convinced that all Sara had chefs de terre who, past times virtue of supernatural association amongst land, powerfulness at to the lowest degree partially regulate access to it. Although in that location may pick out been some Sara amongst chefs de terre inwards this sense, they were rare. The founders of villages, together with their descendants, called kwa begi, were sometimes said to "own" the land. Such persons had alone a hazy, moral prestige, however, almost indistinct from that resulting from age, which was irrelevant to terra firma apportionment. Today in that location is a person, known equally the chef de carré, who, next consultation amongst members of his carré (lit., "plot") selects where its cotton fiber fields volition live located.
Sara adult woman performing a folkloric dance
Kinship
Kin Groups together with Descent. The Sara combine a cognatic, ancestor-focused, scheme of kinship amongst patricians. The term "gir ka" can, depending on the context, hateful either "ancestor" or "patrician." Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 gir ka is whatever ancestor from which a somebody is descended inwards whatever way. Descendants of a person's ancestors are that person's cognates. Cultural notions specify that such kin should bring together inwards each other's run groups, part food, welcome each other equally members of their residential group, together with inwards full general provide mutual support. Persons who stipulate that they part agnatic descent from an ancestor belong to a "gir ka," amongst the term hither used inwards the sense of a patrician that has its house of residence, its gir be. Clans were inwards regulation exogamous. Clan members should participate inwards its funeral ceremonies together with other clan affairs, such equally the taking of vengeance together with sacrifices to the spirit (besi ; pl. besigi ) associated amongst the clan. There was absolutely no belief that the unlike clans inwards a hamlet were portion of a mutual scheme based upon agnatic descent. Similarly, neither the hamlet itself, nor other villages, were conceived of equally descent groups saltation inwards a single, pyramidal structure, equally was found amidst the Nuer.
Marriage together with Family
Marriage. The Sara verb tar way "to love," but the notion of "tar" carries amongst it an additional connotation of "giving things." The thought that "giving" is intrinsically linked to "deep affection" is a ground of Sara marriage, which tends to live ideally viewed equally a reciprocal human relationship inwards which a married adult man gives grain together with a married adult woman provides services inwards exchange. It was believed that kin, especially mother's brother's offspring, were to a greater extent than probable than others to honey each other. Payment of bride-wealth was a status for creating marriages; it gave men rights to their wives' sexuality together with children. Polygyny together with widow inheritance were practiced. Divorce was possible, although wives, rather than going through the bother of divorce, exactly opened their ain fields, thereby gaining considerable independence.
Domestic Unit. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 married homo ideally builds his married adult woman or wives houses next to those of his father's household together with thus resides patrilocally amongst his extended family. In fact, such households appear to occur inwards less than one-half the cases studied.
Inheritance. Traditionally, in that location was rarely much to live inherited. Although in that location were rules guiding inheritance of fields, these were rarely applied because terra firma was abundant. In general, movable holding went to younger agnates of the deceased. Some supernatural property—such equally noesis of how to turn into an animal, how to perform sorcery, together with how to command besi spirits—was inherited from manlike somebody parent to boy or woman parent to daughter. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 alter has occurred amongst honor to the inheritance of surely novel forms of movable holding that require prior investment, such equally plows or carts. These tend to live inherited past times children rather than siblings.
Socialization. Child-rearing practices tended to live exacting. Children were expected to acquire to behave. They were punished if they did not. The manlike somebody initiation ceremony was of import for inculcating gender roles (see "Ceremonies"). Today formal teaching is real much appreciated.
Sociopolitical Organization
Social Organization. There was no differential access to the major productive resource, land. Recruitment to the few ritual positions that conferred distinction was restricted to those satisfying the rules of their inheritance. There was no ranking, fifty-fifty inside descent groups. Hence, precolonial Sara gild appears to pick out been rather egalitarian, amongst some ranking. Cultural notions pertaining to age, gender, together with kinship influenced most social activities. The Sara lacked the historic flow grades together with sets found inwards Nilotic populations. Nevertheless, they strongly believed that juniors should defer to elders. They likewise mostly felt that women involved inwards social relations amongst men should defer to the men, although the capacity of this mental attitude to bear upon activity may pick out been restrained past times attitudes pertaining to appropriate kin behavior. All kin—especially unopen agnates—owed each other assistance. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 married adult man powerfulness thus refrain from exercising excessive say-so over his married adult woman for fearfulness of losing back upward from her relatives.
Political Organization
Most precolonial Sara tribes were highly acephalous; however, incessant raiding past times the to a greater extent than northerly states had transformed nineteenth-century Sara lands into a laboratory of incipient centralization. Chiefdoms had begun to emerge amidst surely Sar, Nar, together with Gulay. The most highly elaborated of these, organized about a somebody called the mbang (the Barma postindependence term for "sovereign"), was that of the Sar nigh the town of Bedaya.
The Sara pick out been extremely of import inwards postindependence Chad. The start president, François Tombalbaye, was a Sar, together with he together with other Sara completely dominated the government, a reality that non-Sara—especially northerners—bitterly resented. Civil state of war began inwards 1966. In 1973 an increasingly hard-pressed together with authoritarian Tombalbaye, inwards a bid to strengthen his legitimacy past times reinstating certain, "traditional" Sara institutions, created the Mouvement National pour la Révolution Culturelle et Sociale. For example, officials were supposed to participate inwards manlike somebody initiation. Tombalbaye was assassinated inwards 1975 inwards a southern coup. By 1978, powerfulness had passed from the S to the north. The 1980s were a fourth dimension of difficulty for the Sara: famine was exacerbated past times oppression.
Social Control
No courts existed amidst precolonial Sara at whatever level. Family disputes were non settled past times elders, or the hamlet "owners" (kwa begi). In fact, in that location appear to pick out been no peaceable conflict-resolution mechanisms inwards either the clan hamlet or tribe. Disputes tended to live settled past times some shape of self-help. Divination may live performed at the expiry of a somebody to discovery the cause. Should the divination dot that a particular private was responsible for the death, so a vengeance party—largely composed of the deceased's agnates—might live formed.
Conflict
Two major types of extrasocietal conflict dominate Sara history. Both pick out north-south dimensions. Precolonial wars were fought betwixt Muslim emirates together with the Sara equally the quondam sought slaves amidst the latter. Since Chadian independence, the Sara together with to a greater extent than northerly peoples pick out contested for command over the fundamental government. An of import shape of contemporary intrasocietal conflict pits authorities officials against traditional religious specialists inwards local communities.
Religious Belief
Pre-colonial faith was based on notions that unlike religious specialists could, past times functioning of appropriate ritual, influence unlike supernaturals to restore or hold natural together with social well-being. Many Sara inwards contemporary times pick out converted to Christianity, oft opting for some shape of Protestantism.
There appear to pick out been 3 major forms of the supernatural. Nuba was a form of otiose god who had created the world. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 besi was a form of "spirit" that was immanent in, symbolized by, together with named after natural objects—especially trees—or social activities, such equally initiation. Besigi interfere inwards peoples' lives past times bringing misfortune. Some besigi were non powerful; others had the powerfulness to influence entire clans or villages. Badigi (sing. badi ), the dead conceived of inwards their afterlife, were the 3rd shape of the supernatural. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 badi, ordinarily a deceased manlike somebody parent or mother, tin ship away assail people and, similar a besi, pick out misfortune.
Religious Practitioners. There appear to pick out been iv primary varieties of religious specialists inwards precolonial times: those who owned a besi; those who presided over initiations, who were called mohgi ; those inwards accuse of harvest festivals; together with rainmakers. In general, practitioners were non organized into a hierarchical priesthood, except about the mbang at Bedaya.
Ceremonies. Much ceremonial activity was ritual to propitiate besigi or badigi, thereby creating or restoring beneficent natural together with social worlds. The most of import ceremonies were initiations, funerals, together with those next the harvest. Initiations were of import for a pose out of reasons, ane of which was that they helped define gender relations. Men became initiated (ndo ), whereas women together with immature boys remained uninitiated (koy ). As a result, men were thought to pick out learned how to act, a noesis denied to women.
Arts. Singing together with dancing pick out been together with rest an of import portion of Sara life. Visual arts such equally sculpture were petty developed.
Medicine. In precolonial times, together with soundless largely today, affliction was believed to live the resultant of supernatural actions—either those of a besi, a badi, or a practitioner of sorcery (kuma ). Divination was performed to seat the attacking supernatural together with to advise a style of diagnosis.
Death together with Afterlife
Many Sara conceived of expiry non so much equally a biological lawsuit equally a modification inwards social status. Each somebody was believed to pick out something similar a soul (ndil ). At death, this separated from the body. Provided the proper rituals were performed, however, the deceased did non perish but became a badi. Participation inwards mortuary ceremonies was of import equally a way of validating a person's membership inwards a clan.
source:http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sara.aspx
http://worldmap.org/maps/other/profiles/chad/Chad%20Profile.pdf
Sara women of Chad
The Sara are the largest ethnic grouping inwards Republic of Chad amongst a population of over 4 1000000 people constituting approximately 32 per centum of the full population. In Central African Republic the Sara people brand upward 10 per cent of the population, making it the 4th largest ethnic grouping inwards the country.
The Sara has several sub-tribes, Each tribe is a distinct geographic, political, together with endogamous entity. Major tribes are the Kaba, Sar, Nar, Gulay, Ngambay, together with Mbay (Mbai). The Ngambay (Ngambai) are the largest subgroup, followed past times the Gulay, together with the Sara Majingai-Ngama or Sar.
The Sara Ngambai alive inwards Bebedjia, Gore, Pala, together with likewise are centered about Moundou inwards the Logone, Mayo-Kebbi, together with Logone Oriental prefectures. They talk a linguistic communication called Ngambay together with are portion of the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster. The Sara Majingai-Ngama or Sar people talk a linguistic communication called Sar. They alive about Sarh, Koumra, together with Moissala inwards the Moyen-Chari Prefecture. They belong to the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster. The Sara Mbai people alive about Moissala inwards the Moyen-Chari Prefecture. They talk a linguistic communication called Mbay together with are portion of the Sara-Bagirmi people cluster.
Sara fertility is higher than that of to a greater extent than northerly Muslim peoples, together with the surface area inwards which they reside is considerably smaller. This way that, inwards places, previously depression population densities pick out begun to increase.
Sara people
They brand upward 27.7% of Chad's full population (year 1993 Census).
In Chad, the Sara (kameeni) delineate their ancestry to the pre-colonial Sao civilization that flourished inwards Middle Africa from the 6th century BCE to equally belatedly equally the sixteenth century CE. They are a mostly non-Muslim people — most a 6th of the ethnic grouping is estimated to live Christian, amongst most practicing traditional faiths i.e. worshiping the Sun.
According to historians the holler "Sara" (Sa-Ra) appears to pick out been derived from Arabic, pregnant the Sons of Ra, the ancient Egyptian Sun-God. The Sara lived inwards the north-east along the Nile River earlier they sought refuge inwards the S against northern Arab slave raids. They were located inwards the south, especially inwards the Moyen-Chari, Logone Oriental, Logone Occidental, together with parts of the Tandjile regions, they are Nilotic people who are believed to pick out migrated westwards to the Republic of Chad during the sixteenth century because of a constant threat from Muslims.
During the French colonial period, they became targets for forced task together with armed forces recruitment. In fact, they were the largest grouping of Africans to struggle inwards World War II. The French oft romanticized their tall, physically powerful presence together with referred to them equally "La Belle Race" (The beautiful race)
In the past, women would acquire to elaborate lengths to brand themselves unappealing to slavers. They would insert circular plates inwards their lips inwards monastic tell to elongate their mouths. This cultural do is no longer equally common.
The Sara people enthusiastically grasped the meagre educational together with religious opportunities offered past times the French. Educated Sara people are fluent inwards French equally a instant linguistic communication today. In the 1970s, François Tombalbaye, the start President of Republic of Chad together with from Sara origins, introduced an Africanization aim: the yondo initiation rites of the Sara for all those who wanted to obtain positions inwards the civil service together with the army, rites that were seen equally anti-Christian. Other notable Sara people are Noël Milarew Odingar, Chadian officeholder who overthrew Tombalbaye during the 1975 coup together with briefly served equally caput of province together with was later ane of the ix members of the Supreme Military Council, the armed forces junta that ruled Republic of Chad betwixt 1975 together with 1978 and Fidèle Moungar, Prime government minister of Republic of Chad inwards 1993, president of Action for Unity together with Socialism.
François Tombalbaye, the start President of Republic of Chad together with from Sara origins
Language
The sara talk Bongo-Bagirmi languages which belongs to the larger Nilo-Saharan languages.
The Sara languages incorporate over a dozen Bongo–Bagirmi languages spoken mainly inwards southern Chad; a few are likewise spoken inwards the N of the Central African Republic. They are members of the Central Sudanic linguistic communication family. Greenberg (1966) treats all varieties equally dialects of a Sara language, whereas Tucker together with Bryan (1966) consider the Sara to live a dialect cluster of several languages. Most members of the unlike Sara languages/dialects consider their spoken communication shape distinct languages, but in that location is currently insufficient linguistic communication data to create upward one's heed which spoken communication varieties demand to live considered distinct languages, together with which are dialects of other languages.
The most populous multifariousness of Sara proper is Ngambay (Sara Ngambay), a major merchandise linguistic communication of southern Chad, amongst most a 1000000 speakers, though Sar (Sara Madjingay) is the glossa franca of Sarh.
The term "Sara Languages", sometimes called "Sara Proper Languages", is distinct from the so-called "Sara Kaba Languages". The latter include Sara Dunjo, Kaba Deme together with Kaba Na. The term Sara itself is confusing, equally inside this household unit of measurement in that location exists a linguistic communication named Sar, whose uppercase is Sarh. The term Kaba is likewise confusing. Kaba of Gore is non a Sara Kaba language, but rather a Sara language. Further, the Sara Kaba grouping includes a linguistic communication named Sara Kaba
The Sara languages are:
#West Sara
Ngambay, Laka, Kabba of Gore
#Central Sara (Doba)
Bedjond, Bebote, Mango, Gor
#East Sara
Sar, Nar, Mbay, Ngam, Dagba, Gulay, Horo
The inclusion of Gulay amongst the Eastern Sara Languages is based on lexical comparison. Phonologically together with morphologically Gulay behaves to a greater extent than similar a Central Sara Language.
History
The Sara people are thought to pick out originally migrated from the Nile River Valley centuries agone equally they sought to escape the mounting raids past times neighboring Arab peoples. Their real holler Sara may pick out meant ―sons of Ra.
Sao civilisation: The Sao civilization flourished inwards Middle Africa from ca. the 6th century BCE to equally belatedly equally the sixteenth century CE. The Sao lived past times the Chari River S of Lake Republic of Chad inwards territory that later became portion of Republic of Cameroon together with Chad. They are the earliest people to pick out left clear traces of their presence inwards the territory of modern Cameroon. Sometime about the 16th century, conversion to Islam changed the cultural identity of the quondam Sao. Today, several ethnic groups of northern Republic of Cameroon together with southern Republic of Chad but peculiarly the Sara, Kotoko claim descent from the civilization of the Sao.
Sara Chadian soldier
Origins together with decline: The Sao civilization may pick out begun equally early on equally the 6th century BCE, together with past times the terminate of the start millennium BCE, their presence was good established S of Lake Republic of Chad together with nigh the Chari River. The metropolis states of the Sao reached their apex sometime betwixt the 9th together with fifteenth centuries CE.
The Sao's demise may pick out come upward most due to conquest, Islamization, or both. Traditional tales say that the Sao westward of Lake Republic of Chad brutal to "Yemenites" from the east. These invaders made several unsuccessful attempts to conquer the Sao earlier finally succeeding past times resorting to trickery. If true, the newcomers may pick out been Arab Bedouin or Sayfuwa raiders coming from the eastward who moved into the part inwards the fourteenth century. Although some scholars approximate that the Sao civilization S of Lake Republic of Chad lasted until the fourteenth or fifteenth century, the bulk persuasion is that it ceased to be equally a separate civilization sometime inwards the 16th century afterwards to the expansion of the Bornu Empire. The Kotoko are the inheritors of the quondam metropolis states of the Sao.
Sara adult woman amongst a lip plate
Little is known most the Sao's civilization or political organisation: They left no written records together with are known alone through archaeological finds together with the oral history of their successors inwards their territory. Sao artifacts demo that they were skilled workers inwards bronze, copper, together with iron. Finds include bronze sculptures together with terracotta statues of human together with brute figures, coins, funerary urns, household utensils, jewelry, highly decorated pottery, together with spears. The largest Sao archaeological finds pick out been made S of Lake Chad.
Sara Tribeswoman Eyes a Photo of a Woman With a Lip Plate inwards a National Geographic Magazine Held past times Staff Artist Walter Weber, Kyabe, Chad, circa 1950
Ethnic groups inwards the Lake Republic of Chad basin, such equally the Buduma, Gamergu, Kanembu, Kotoko, together with Musgum claim descent from the Sao. Lebeuf supports this connective together with has traced symbolism from Sao fine art inwards plant past times the Guti together with Tukuri subgroups of the Logone-Birni people. Oral histories add together farther details most the people: The Sao were made upward of several patrilineal clans who were united into a unmarried polity amongst ane language, race, together with religion. In these narratives, the Sao are presented equally giants together with mighty warriors who fought together with conquered their neighbors
ancient Sara kaba people. Circa 1888
Settlements
Most Sara who are Nar (hereafter reference volition live to the Nar unless otherwise mentioned) reside inwards small-scale villages located nigh streams or along roads. In precolonial times, inwards principle, a hamlet (gir live ) was a distinct surface area inwards which members of a patrician (gir ka ) lived amongst their wives, children, other kin, together with followers. Villages (gir begi [the gi suffix is a plural marker]) were divided into a pose out of such tracts of unlike clans. Households inwards these villages tended to live dispersed, amongst their circular thatched huts standing inwards the midst of household unit of measurement members' fields, but colonial together with postcolonial officials pick out obliged the relocation together with concentration of households along to a greater extent than easily administered roads. In the 1970s most villages had 200 to 300 inhabitants.
Economy
Subsistence together with Commercial Activities. The Sara, who alive inwards a moderately well-watered Sudano-Guinean ecological zone, specialize inwards the slash-and-burn tillage of cereals, especially sorghums together with millets. They fish together with heighten chickens, dwarf goats, together with a few horses. Plow oxen, introduced during the 1960s together with soundless rare, are the alone cattle kept, owing to a high incidence of sleeping sickness. The French, inwards search of a stable furnish of cotton fiber fiber for their textile industry, introduced cotton fiber equally a cash crop inwards 1928. Postindependence governments pick out continued to emphasize the crop because its sale has brought lxxx per centum of the country's unusual exchange. Because of cotton's importance, its production has been mandatory throughout the colonial together with immediate postcolonial periods. Most cotton fiber is produced past times the Sara, who pick out added this run to their normal subsistence activities. Raising cotton fiber is to a greater extent than task intensive than growing nutrient crops. Its farm-gate cost has ordinarily been kept low. It has a style to exhaust soils.
Increasingly, manioc is substituted for cereals inwards areas where cotton fiber production is high. Manioc requires less task than do cereals but has less nutritional value. One argue for its popularity may live that it allows task that would pick out been allocated to the growth of cereals to live directed instead to the maintenance or expansion of cotton fiber cultivation. Studies advise that areas of considerable manioc production are those amongst lower nutritional levels.
Industrial Arts. Precolonial crafts included metalworking, pottery, fabric together with handbasket weaving, calabash carving, together with unlike forms of woodworking. All of these are inwards spend upward equally their products are increasingly beingness replaced past times manufactured imports.
Trade. There do non appear to pick out been indigenous markets amidst the precolonial Sara. Merchants from Bagirmi, together with to a lesser extent from other Muslim states, circulated inwards the area, ordinarily exchanging sumptuary goods for slaves. Lack of commercial sense has meant that many small-scale stores together with other enterprises inwards Sara towns are owned past times members of northern ethnic groups.
Sara adult woman together with a man child showing their elaborate facial marks
Division of Labor. Little is known of the precolonial partition of labor. The contemporary ideal, however, is that a married adult woman should run for her married adult man inwards farming together with domestic activities. In exchange, he should provide her together with her children amongst nutrient together with other necessities. In principle, the married adult man owns the fields together with their harvest, which he doles out. As women grow older, however, they clear together with flora their ain fields, together with thus they ain these fields' crops together with tin ship away dispose of them equally they run across fit. Both men together with women derive task for their fields from kin, especially children. Gender lonely does non seem to confer payoff inwards securing labor. Rather, what counts is the powerfulness to live generous amongst grain, alcohol, together with cooked food. Women, it appears, tin ship away live exactly equally generous equally men. Thus, men together with women effectively possess the same access to terra firma together with labor. This partition of task was reported for a Sara grouping amongst abundant land. It is possible that such abundance allows for a to a greater extent than egalitarian access to agricultural resources.
Sara homo amongst facial tribal marks from Chad
Land Tenure. Perhaps the most of import appear of past times together with nowadays Sara terra firma tenure, at to the lowest degree inwards regions of depression population density, is the absence of cultural notions producing differential access to land. In the past times each clan had its surface area that it farmed to the exclusion of all other clans. The primary dominion regulating access was that clan members could acquire terra firma past times farming it. Those who were non members of clans could acquire fields exactly past times bespeak whatever clan fellow member for permission to farm. Land inheritance was of petty importance. Most fields were on virgin bush or long fallows over which no ane exercised rights. The French were convinced that all Sara had chefs de terre who, past times virtue of supernatural association amongst land, powerfulness at to the lowest degree partially regulate access to it. Although in that location may pick out been some Sara amongst chefs de terre inwards this sense, they were rare. The founders of villages, together with their descendants, called kwa begi, were sometimes said to "own" the land. Such persons had alone a hazy, moral prestige, however, almost indistinct from that resulting from age, which was irrelevant to terra firma apportionment. Today in that location is a person, known equally the chef de carré, who, next consultation amongst members of his carré (lit., "plot") selects where its cotton fiber fields volition live located.
Sara adult woman performing a folkloric dance
Kinship
Kin Groups together with Descent. The Sara combine a cognatic, ancestor-focused, scheme of kinship amongst patricians. The term "gir ka" can, depending on the context, hateful either "ancestor" or "patrician." Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 gir ka is whatever ancestor from which a somebody is descended inwards whatever way. Descendants of a person's ancestors are that person's cognates. Cultural notions specify that such kin should bring together inwards each other's run groups, part food, welcome each other equally members of their residential group, together with inwards full general provide mutual support. Persons who stipulate that they part agnatic descent from an ancestor belong to a "gir ka," amongst the term hither used inwards the sense of a patrician that has its house of residence, its gir be. Clans were inwards regulation exogamous. Clan members should participate inwards its funeral ceremonies together with other clan affairs, such equally the taking of vengeance together with sacrifices to the spirit (besi ; pl. besigi ) associated amongst the clan. There was absolutely no belief that the unlike clans inwards a hamlet were portion of a mutual scheme based upon agnatic descent. Similarly, neither the hamlet itself, nor other villages, were conceived of equally descent groups saltation inwards a single, pyramidal structure, equally was found amidst the Nuer.
Marriage together with Family
Marriage. The Sara verb tar way "to love," but the notion of "tar" carries amongst it an additional connotation of "giving things." The thought that "giving" is intrinsically linked to "deep affection" is a ground of Sara marriage, which tends to live ideally viewed equally a reciprocal human relationship inwards which a married adult man gives grain together with a married adult woman provides services inwards exchange. It was believed that kin, especially mother's brother's offspring, were to a greater extent than probable than others to honey each other. Payment of bride-wealth was a status for creating marriages; it gave men rights to their wives' sexuality together with children. Polygyny together with widow inheritance were practiced. Divorce was possible, although wives, rather than going through the bother of divorce, exactly opened their ain fields, thereby gaining considerable independence.
Domestic Unit. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 married homo ideally builds his married adult woman or wives houses next to those of his father's household together with thus resides patrilocally amongst his extended family. In fact, such households appear to occur inwards less than one-half the cases studied.
Inheritance. Traditionally, in that location was rarely much to live inherited. Although in that location were rules guiding inheritance of fields, these were rarely applied because terra firma was abundant. In general, movable holding went to younger agnates of the deceased. Some supernatural property—such equally noesis of how to turn into an animal, how to perform sorcery, together with how to command besi spirits—was inherited from manlike somebody parent to boy or woman parent to daughter. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 alter has occurred amongst honor to the inheritance of surely novel forms of movable holding that require prior investment, such equally plows or carts. These tend to live inherited past times children rather than siblings.
Socialization. Child-rearing practices tended to live exacting. Children were expected to acquire to behave. They were punished if they did not. The manlike somebody initiation ceremony was of import for inculcating gender roles (see "Ceremonies"). Today formal teaching is real much appreciated.
Sociopolitical Organization
Social Organization. There was no differential access to the major productive resource, land. Recruitment to the few ritual positions that conferred distinction was restricted to those satisfying the rules of their inheritance. There was no ranking, fifty-fifty inside descent groups. Hence, precolonial Sara gild appears to pick out been rather egalitarian, amongst some ranking. Cultural notions pertaining to age, gender, together with kinship influenced most social activities. The Sara lacked the historic flow grades together with sets found inwards Nilotic populations. Nevertheless, they strongly believed that juniors should defer to elders. They likewise mostly felt that women involved inwards social relations amongst men should defer to the men, although the capacity of this mental attitude to bear upon activity may pick out been restrained past times attitudes pertaining to appropriate kin behavior. All kin—especially unopen agnates—owed each other assistance. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 married adult man powerfulness thus refrain from exercising excessive say-so over his married adult woman for fearfulness of losing back upward from her relatives.
Political Organization
Most precolonial Sara tribes were highly acephalous; however, incessant raiding past times the to a greater extent than northerly states had transformed nineteenth-century Sara lands into a laboratory of incipient centralization. Chiefdoms had begun to emerge amidst surely Sar, Nar, together with Gulay. The most highly elaborated of these, organized about a somebody called the mbang (the Barma postindependence term for "sovereign"), was that of the Sar nigh the town of Bedaya.
The Sara pick out been extremely of import inwards postindependence Chad. The start president, François Tombalbaye, was a Sar, together with he together with other Sara completely dominated the government, a reality that non-Sara—especially northerners—bitterly resented. Civil state of war began inwards 1966. In 1973 an increasingly hard-pressed together with authoritarian Tombalbaye, inwards a bid to strengthen his legitimacy past times reinstating certain, "traditional" Sara institutions, created the Mouvement National pour la Révolution Culturelle et Sociale. For example, officials were supposed to participate inwards manlike somebody initiation. Tombalbaye was assassinated inwards 1975 inwards a southern coup. By 1978, powerfulness had passed from the S to the north. The 1980s were a fourth dimension of difficulty for the Sara: famine was exacerbated past times oppression.
Social Control
No courts existed amidst precolonial Sara at whatever level. Family disputes were non settled past times elders, or the hamlet "owners" (kwa begi). In fact, in that location appear to pick out been no peaceable conflict-resolution mechanisms inwards either the clan hamlet or tribe. Disputes tended to live settled past times some shape of self-help. Divination may live performed at the expiry of a somebody to discovery the cause. Should the divination dot that a particular private was responsible for the death, so a vengeance party—largely composed of the deceased's agnates—might live formed.
Conflict
Two major types of extrasocietal conflict dominate Sara history. Both pick out north-south dimensions. Precolonial wars were fought betwixt Muslim emirates together with the Sara equally the quondam sought slaves amidst the latter. Since Chadian independence, the Sara together with to a greater extent than northerly peoples pick out contested for command over the fundamental government. An of import shape of contemporary intrasocietal conflict pits authorities officials against traditional religious specialists inwards local communities.
Religious Belief
Pre-colonial faith was based on notions that unlike religious specialists could, past times functioning of appropriate ritual, influence unlike supernaturals to restore or hold natural together with social well-being. Many Sara inwards contemporary times pick out converted to Christianity, oft opting for some shape of Protestantism.
There appear to pick out been 3 major forms of the supernatural. Nuba was a form of otiose god who had created the world. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 besi was a form of "spirit" that was immanent in, symbolized by, together with named after natural objects—especially trees—or social activities, such equally initiation. Besigi interfere inwards peoples' lives past times bringing misfortune. Some besigi were non powerful; others had the powerfulness to influence entire clans or villages. Badigi (sing. badi ), the dead conceived of inwards their afterlife, were the 3rd shape of the supernatural. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 badi, ordinarily a deceased manlike somebody parent or mother, tin ship away assail people and, similar a besi, pick out misfortune.
Religious Practitioners. There appear to pick out been iv primary varieties of religious specialists inwards precolonial times: those who owned a besi; those who presided over initiations, who were called mohgi ; those inwards accuse of harvest festivals; together with rainmakers. In general, practitioners were non organized into a hierarchical priesthood, except about the mbang at Bedaya.
Ceremonies. Much ceremonial activity was ritual to propitiate besigi or badigi, thereby creating or restoring beneficent natural together with social worlds. The most of import ceremonies were initiations, funerals, together with those next the harvest. Initiations were of import for a pose out of reasons, ane of which was that they helped define gender relations. Men became initiated (ndo ), whereas women together with immature boys remained uninitiated (koy ). As a result, men were thought to pick out learned how to act, a noesis denied to women.
Arts. Singing together with dancing pick out been together with rest an of import portion of Sara life. Visual arts such equally sculpture were petty developed.
Medicine. In precolonial times, together with soundless largely today, affliction was believed to live the resultant of supernatural actions—either those of a besi, a badi, or a practitioner of sorcery (kuma ). Divination was performed to seat the attacking supernatural together with to advise a style of diagnosis.
Death together with Afterlife
Many Sara conceived of expiry non so much equally a biological lawsuit equally a modification inwards social status. Each somebody was believed to pick out something similar a soul (ndil ). At death, this separated from the body. Provided the proper rituals were performed, however, the deceased did non perish but became a badi. Participation inwards mortuary ceremonies was of import equally a way of validating a person's membership inwards a clan.
source:http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Sara.aspx
http://worldmap.org/maps/other/profiles/chad/Chad%20Profile.pdf
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