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Basic 8 · Religious and Moral Education · Puberty Rites

Puberty Rites in Traditional Ghanaian Societies

In this topic you will describe how puberty rites are performed in traditional Ghanaian societies, explain why they matter and discuss how they are changing today.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

  • Explain the purposes of puberty rites
  • Describe Bragoro among the Akan
  • Describe Dipo among the Krobo and discuss changes today

What you already know

  • Physical and emotional changes at puberty

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Lesson 1

Strand
Religious Practices
Sub-strand
Puberty Rites
Indicator
B8.2.1.1.3 – Describe how puberty rites are performed in traditional Ghanaian societies

Introduction

In traditional Ghanaian society, reaching puberty was a public event. The family would celebrate that a child had become ready for adult life.

1. Why Puberty Rites Were Held

Puberty rites mark the change from childhood to adulthood. They have several purposes. They teach the young person about adult duties, marriage and family life. They show the community that the young person has reached a new stage. They also encourage chastity, because in the past a girl was expected to remain a virgin until after the rite. Finally, they thank the Supreme Being and the ancestors for the child's healthy growth. In the past, there were no schools to teach these things, so the rites served as a kind of school for life.

2. Stages of Bragoro

  1. When a girl has her first period, her mother informs the family and the queen mother.
  2. The news is announced in the community, often by beating a gong or by songs of joy.
  3. The girl is bathed and dressed in fine cloth and beads.
  4. She is seated on a stool to receive gifts and blessings.
  5. Elderly women teach her about hygiene, marriage and motherhood.
  6. Certain foods are given to her, and a boiled egg is often swallowed without being bitten.
  7. Feasting follows, and she is declared a woman.

The ceremony is usually led by older women, and it may take a few days. Details differ from one Akan area to another, as is true of many traditional rites.

3. Meaning of the Symbols

Symbols in Bragoro
SymbolMeaning
bathcleansing and a new beginning
white cloth or claypurity and joy
beadsbeauty and womanhood
eggfertility and self-control
stoolhonour and status
Strings of colourful Ghanaian beads
Figure 1: Ghanaian beads Explain two symbols used in Bragoro.

4. Why Bragoro Has Declined

Today few Akan girls go through full Bragoro. Christianity, formal education and city life have all changed family customs. Many girls now reach puberty while in primary or junior high school, long before they are ready to marry. For that reason, some families hold a small celebration, while others replace the rite with counselling from a mother, an aunt or a church women's group. The aim of teaching young people responsibility remains valuable, even when the ceremony itself has changed.

New words

Bragoro
The Akan puberty rite for girls.
chastity
Abstaining from sexual relations before marriage.
queen mother
A senior woman leader in Akan society.
symbol
Something that stands for an idea.

Summary

  • Puberty rites teach adult duties and mark a new status.
  • Bragoro is the Akan girls' rite, led by older women.
  • The rite has declined, but its teaching purpose still has value.

Class activity: Symbol Matching

  1. Write the symbols of Bragoro on cards.
  2. Match each to its meaning.
  3. Discuss which meanings are still useful today.

You need: Bragoro bead sample, Kente cloth sample, Printed photographs of Ghanaian puberty rites

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

  1. 1. Bragoro is a puberty rite of the…

    • A. Akan
    • B. Ewe
    • C. Hausa
    • D. Dagomba
    Show answer
    Answer: AkanAkan girls.

  2. 2. A boiled egg in Bragoro stands for…

    • A. fertility and self-control
    • B. wealth
    • C. war
    • D. death
    Show answer
    Answer: fertility and self-controlSymbol.

  3. 3. Puberty rites teach adult responsibilities.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueLife school.

  4. 4. Abstaining from sexual relations before marriage is ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: chastityValue.

  5. 5. Give two purposes of puberty rites.

    Show answer
    Answer: To teach adult duties and to mark the change to adulthood.Any two.

  6. 6. Why has Bragoro declined?

    Show answer
    Answer: Christianity, formal education and city life have changed customs, and girls now reach puberty while still in school.Social change.

Lesson 2

Strand
Religious Practices
Sub-strand
Puberty Rites
Indicator
B8.2.1.1.3 – Describe how puberty rites are performed in traditional Ghanaian societies

Introduction

Every year, in the Krobo towns of the Eastern Region, the Dipo rite attracts great interest. It is one of the most famous puberty rites in Ghana.

1. Dipo

Dipo is the puberty rite for Krobo girls, usually held around March to May, in towns such as Odumase and Somanya. Traditional priestesses and older women lead it. In the Krobo tradition, a girl must complete Dipo to be accepted as a true woman of the community, who is ready for marriage. The Krobo are also known for glass beads, which feature strongly in the ceremony.

2. Stages of Dipo

  1. Families bring their daughters and pay the necessary fees.
  2. The girls' heads are shaved, and they are given ritual baths.
  3. They are dressed in simple cloth and strings of beads.
  4. A sacrifice is offered to ask for blessing.
  5. The girls spend days in seclusion, learning about cooking, home care and marriage.
  6. They are taken to a sacred stone to show they have kept themselves pure.
  7. They are brought out, dressed in fine cloth and beads, and the community celebrates with dancing.
Handmade Krobo glass beads
Figure 2: Krobo beads Compare Dipo and Bragoro in a table.

3. Rites for Boys

Some Ghanaian societies also have rites for boys, although these are less widely known. These may involve training in hunting or farming, tests of courage and teaching by men. In many places today, boys' teaching happens informally through fathers and uncles. In some communities, circumcision is performed on male babies or boys, as is common in Islam. In some Christian churches, confirmation marks a young person's decision to accept adult faith. In Islam, a young person who reaches puberty, called bulugh, becomes responsible for all religious duties.

4. Changing Attitudes and the Law

Views of puberty rites today
BenefitConcern
teaches adult dutiesmay conflict with schooling
preserves culture and identitysome practices may harm health
brings families togethersome religious groups object
encourages chastitymay suggest readiness for marriage too early

Ghana's laws protect children. The minimum age of marriage is 18, whatever customs may say, and female genital mutilation is a crime. Any practice that harms a young person's body, health or schooling should be rejected. Many communities have adapted their rites by holding them during school holidays and by adding health education. This shows that culture can be preserved while the rights of young people are protected.

New words

Dipo
The Krobo puberty rite for girls.
seclusion
Being kept apart from others.
bulugh
Reaching maturity in Islam.
confirmation
A church rite accepting adult faith.

Summary

  • Dipo is the Krobo rite in which girls are taught and accepted as women.
  • Boys' teaching and religious rites also mark growing up.
  • Rites should change where they harm health or rights.

Class activity: Debate

  1. Debate whether puberty rites should continue today.
  2. Each side gives three points.
  3. Vote and summarise the main arguments.

You need: Bragoro bead sample, Kente cloth sample, Printed photographs of Ghanaian puberty rites

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

  1. 1. Dipo is a rite of the…

    • A. Krobo
    • B. Ashanti
    • C. Fante
    • D. Nzema
    Show answer
    Answer: KroboEastern Region.

  2. 2. Being kept apart for teaching is called…

    • A. seclusion
    • B. libation
    • C. aqiqah
    • D. baptism
    Show answer
    Answer: seclusionApart.

  3. 3. The minimum legal age of marriage in Ghana is 18.

    • A. True
    • B. False
    Show answer
    Answer: TrueThe law protects children.

  4. 4. In Islam, reaching maturity is called ______.

    Show answer
    Answer: bulughMaturity.

  5. 5. State two stages of Dipo.

    Show answer
    Answer: Shaving of the head and ritual bath, and seclusion for teaching.Any two.

  6. 6. How can communities keep puberty rites while protecting young people?

    Show answer
    Answer: By removing harmful practices, using school holidays and adding health education.Adaptation.

Homework

  1. Write a paragraph on one puberty rite and one way it could be improved.
Puberty Rites in Traditional Ghanaian Societies – Basic 8 Religious and Moral Education Notes | sirbus