When in Doubt, Sacrifice a Chicken!

Who knew. But when you're in the 'royal' family--the chief's family---its natural to turn to animal sacrifice, as this is the family responsible for carrying the culture and traditions of their village, which is rooted in animism. The Toussian people in particular are known for their sacrifices, to bless the fields for a good harvest, to bless those who have already passed, and to bless the sick.

As rainy season teases us with its brief winds and rains during a sweltering heat, I have seen many a sacrifice (oftentimes, it is because the sacrifice will HAVE to take place on a specific rock that sits right outside my house). In case you want to do this at home, here's how it goes:

The chicken is always a white chicken, and always alive, and the men who do it always seem to be shirtless. Some water and ash is thrown on the rock. Then, the chicken's neck is cut several times to draw a lot of blood. The head is NOT severed, this is important. Once the neck is cut, the man conducting the sacrifice lets go of the chicken and the chicken proceeds to sporadically jump off the ground multiple times, its wings flapping in its last attempt to escape death. Once it lands for good, its last breaths upon him, man determines whether the chicken's distance from the rock where it was originally cut is large enough, as that is what determines whether the sacrifice will work. The chicken, still barely alive, is then taken and stripped of its feathers which are placed (with the blood) on the rock where the sacrifice was done. The chicken is then eaten and the family gets some much needed protein in their diets. As an overactive animal lover, you can imagine the facial expressions I am unable to hide during these sacrifices...

In other news, I'm working on a similar mural project in Takaledougou that is going very well, though it is very tiring work when there's no shade 6 out of the 8 hours I'm outside painting. The community has been incredible encouraging and supportive, and I've even had some help this time! Expect pictures during my next (hopefully timely) entry.

I never really got a chance to talk about my trip to Senegal. Since it looks like I will be transferring there next year, I'll hold back on what I have to say about Senegal, other than it was glorious. Here are some photos that hopefully exude some of its splendor.




Also, here are some pictures from a mask festival I attended shortly after my trip to Senegal. It is THE mask festival of Burkina, held only 2 years, and features masks and dances from all over West Africa. Props to Leslie for taking some wonderful pictures!