The City of Clay | Habitats of the World: Burkina Faso | Free Documentary

The City of Clay | Habitats of the World: Burkina Faso | Free Documentary

The Royal Court of the Cassa Ethnic Group in Tibili, Burkina Faso

The royal court of the Cassa ethnic group, located in the village of Tibili, Burkina Faso, has been a center of political and religious power since the 16th century. The court is home to the crown princes and their families, who play a crucial role in arbitrating disputes and ensuring that traditions are respected. The unique architecture of the court features mud huts with colorful decorations, covering an area of 1.5 hectares, and is rich in symbolic meaning, serving as a link between generations of Cassenna people.

Organization and Architecture of the Royal Court

The royal court is reserved for notables, princes, and chiefs, and is organized into concessions with multiple households. Each household contains several houses that accommodate extended family members, including grandparents, women, children, and relatives. The traditional huts vary in shape, with round huts indicating bachelors, rectangular houses for married couples and children, and figure-eight shaped houses for grandmothers, which serve as guardians of family treasures and fetishes.

  • Round huts: indicate bachelors
  • Rectangular houses: for married couples and children
  • Figure-eight shaped houses: for grandmothers, guardians of family treasures and fetishes

Traditional Dwellings and Protection

Traditional dwellings have a single, low entrance that requires visitors to crawl on all fours, serving as a means of protection. The design allows the head of the household to defend against enemies, who must expose themselves to attack when entering. The structure also features loadbearing walls and a sequence of entrances that make it difficult for intruders to enter, with arrows from outside being deflected by the walls.

Construction Techniques and Materials

Ancient houses were built using kneaded mud balls, with beams and struts holding planks and a roof terrace made of earth. The construction techniques used by the Cassenna people involve local and recycled materials, such as earth mixed with straw, which is poured with water to rot and then used for building. The materials are often sourced from old collapsed houses, showcasing the community’s resourceful and sustainable approach to construction.

A traditional building technique involves cutting and layering mud balls on top of each other to form a wall, with a wider base that gets slimmer as it goes up, and a pyramid-like shape to support a roof made from tree trunks. The process involves three stages and three drying times, and is typically done by specialists, but also requires participation from other men in the community as a group project.

Community Involvement and Solidarity

Building a house is a communal effort in Burkina Faso, where tasks are shared based on type, with men doing the construction and women handling the decoration. A solidarity project involves collective labor, where a family and community come together to build a house, allowing children to learn construction skills by observing and participating in the process, which is a valued tradition in Cassenna culture, known as family solidarity.

Decoration and Painting of Walls

Women play a significant role in decorating the houses, including painting murals that serve as a protective coating against the rain. The preparation and painting of walls must be done in one day, involving scraping, dampening, and applying coatings. Women work together to learn painting techniques and help each other, with some coming from schools and even Europe to participate. The activity not only transmits knowledge but also creates a social link, allowing women to discuss their daily life problems and share experiences, making the paintings a part of their identity as Cassenna women.

Cultural Identity and Symbolism

The Cassenna people use symbols and motifs to represent and remember important aspects of their life, such as morning, conflicts, and protection. These symbols serve as a checklist to remind them of their identity and key aspects of their culture, and are passed down through generations to preserve their memory and heritage. The women play a significant role in transmitting this cultural identity and memory through their traditions and daily activities.

Men gather around the fire to listen to stories, passing on their culture and values to younger generations. Cassenna architecture is not just about buildings, but about the act of building, which forms social bonds and unity through shared techniques, materials, and songs.


Key Vocabulary

Term Definition Example Usage
Cassa Ethnic Group An ethnic group located in the village of Tibili, Burkina Faso, with a rich cultural heritage and traditional practices. The Cassa ethnic group has a unique royal court that serves as a center of political and religious power.
Royal Court A center of political and religious power, home to the crown princes and their families, responsible for arbitrating disputes and preserving traditions. The royal court of the Cassa ethnic group is a symbol of their rich cultural heritage and traditional practices.
Concessions Areas within the royal court reserved for notables, princes, and chiefs, organized into multiple households. The royal court is divided into concessions, each containing several households with extended family members.
Traditional Dwellings Houses built using traditional techniques and materials, such as mud huts with colorful decorations, serving as a means of protection and preservation of cultural heritage. The traditional dwellings of the Cassa ethnic group are designed to provide protection and preserve their cultural heritage.
Loadbearing Walls Walls designed to support the weight of a building, often made from local and recycled materials, such as earth mixed with straw. The traditional houses of the Cassa ethnic group feature loadbearing walls made from local and recycled materials.
Family Solidarity A valued tradition in Cassenna culture, where family and community come together to build a house, promoting collective labor and social bonds. The Cassa ethnic group practices family solidarity, where community members come together to build a house and promote social bonds.
Symbolism The use of symbols and motifs to represent and remember important aspects of life, such as morning, conflicts, and protection, serving as a checklist to remind the Cassenna people of their identity and key aspects of their culture. The Cassenna people use symbolism to represent and remember important aspects of their life, preserving their cultural heritage and identity.
Cultural Identity The preservation and transmission of cultural heritage, values, and traditions, often through storytelling, songs, and daily activities. The Cassa ethnic group preserves their cultural identity through storytelling, songs, and daily activities, passing down their heritage to younger generations.
Community Involvement The participation of community members in collective labor, such as building a house, promoting social bonds and unity. The Cassa ethnic group promotes community involvement, where members come together to build a house and strengthen social bonds.
Decoration and Painting The act of decorating and painting houses, often done by women, serving as a means of artistic expression and preservation of cultural heritage. The women of the Cassa ethnic group play a significant role in decorating and painting houses, preserving their cultural heritage and artistic expression.

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The City of Clay | Habitats of the World: Burkina Faso | Free Documentary

Vocabulary Quiz

1. Which type of house in the Cassa ethnic group’s royal court is reserved for grandmothers, serving as guardians of family treasures and fetishes?

A) Round huts
B) Rectangular houses
C) Figure-eight shaped houses
D) Pyramid-shaped houses

2. What is the primary purpose of the single, low entrance in traditional Cassenna dwellings?

A) To allow for more natural light
B) To serve as a means of protection
C) To provide better ventilation
D) To create a grand entrance

3. What materials are often used by the Cassenna people for building, showcasing their resourceful and sustainable approach to construction?

A) Imported wood and steel
B) Local and recycled materials, such as earth mixed with straw
C) Mud and thatch
D) Stone and concrete

4. Who plays a significant role in decorating the houses in the Cassenna community, including painting murals that serve as a protective coating against the rain?

A) Men
B) Children
C) Women
D) Elders

5. What is the term used to describe the valued tradition in Cassenna culture where a family and community come together to build a house, allowing children to learn construction skills?

A) Community labor
B) Family solidarity
C) Collective effort
D) Traditional building

Answer Key:

1. C
2. B
3. B
4. C
5. B


Grammar Focus

Grammar Focus: The Use of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that started in the past and continues up to the present moment. It is formed using the present tense of the auxiliary verb “have” + “been” + the present participle of the main verb (e.g., “have been building”). In the context of the royal court of the Cassa ethnic group, this tense can be used to describe ongoing traditions and activities, such as “The Cassenna people have been building their houses using traditional techniques for centuries” or “The women have been passing down their cultural identity and memory through their traditions and daily activities.” This tense is suitable for CEFR C1 level learners as it requires an understanding of complex verb forms and their application in context.

Grammar Quiz:

1. The Cassenna people ________ their houses using mud balls and beams for generations.

  • A) build
  • B) have built
  • C) are building
  • D) have been building

2. By the time the men ________ the framework of the house, the women ________ the decorations.

  • A) have finished, have started
  • B) finish, start
  • C) had finished, had started
  • D) have been finishing, have been starting

3. The traditional dwellings ________ a single, low entrance that requires visitors to crawl on all fours for centuries.

  • A) have
  • B) has
  • C) have had
  • D) have been having

4. The women ________ murals on the walls of their houses to serve as a protective coating against the rain.

  • A) paint
  • B) have painted
  • C) are painting
  • D) have been painting

5. The Cassenna people ________ their cultural identity and memory through their traditions and daily activities for generations.

  • A) transmit
  • B) have transmitted
  • C) are transmitting
  • D) have been transmitting

Answer Key:

1. D) have been building

2. C) had finished, had started

3. C) have had

4. D) have been painting

5. D) have been transmitting