The arts of Sirigu

Architecture The design of the houses reflect the extended family structure of the people. The compounds are composed of a number of round and / or rectangular rooms made of loam. An enclosure wall chains the rooms together. Each adult person has her or his own room. Men are normally the heads of households that may include a number of his brothers and sons, with their wives and children. Every house is divided into sections for the animals and for humans. The kraal is used for the cattle, goats and poultry. The conicle graneries with their straw roofs are placed in the kraal. Interesting features of the houses are the flat roofs with staircases, the decorations, the round openings of the main rooms, the places of rest under shady trees nearby, family shrines, the rooms of the women with their pots and inner mural decorations and reliefs. Walldecoration The wall decorations are a very unique expression of the cultural identity of Sirigu. Women take pride in making the houses of the husbands beautiful. The designs are made of abstract geometrical and stylised animal figures. They can be painted on a flat surface or in relief. The colours used are black, red and white. Natural and local materials are used to make the paint. Wall decorations are also full of symbolic meanings. Some of the most common designs with their meanings are: Stylised animals: Cattle: the symbol of wealth. Python: totem symbol of clan and protection. Crocodile: totem symbol of saving life of a clan. Abstract geometrical forms: Broken calabash: the expression of ever useful. Male symbols: show the masculinity. Cows: symbols of prosperity Keeping up the old traditional forms, helps new generations of people to remember the animals, trees and stories which are part of this area. Sirigu women have painted a wall in the Golden Tulip hotel in Accra and the restaurant in Bolgatanga on the road to Navrongo. Painting The traditional art of wall design has recently been transformed into painting on canvass. Women are very gifted in using the traditional colors, symbols and shapes. Wall design is a group activity: during one day ten to fifteen women come together to paint a wall. Master artists are making the designs, and others provide labour, food and music. It is an activity of high socio-cultural value. Contrary, painting on canvass is an individual activity. But women do the painting on special days so as to benefit of the social atmosphere. Pottery Making pots is a traditional craft of Sirigu women. They are used for household activities such as containers for water, local beer (pito), food and as cooking pots. Each of these pot has its specific form. Pottery plays an important role in marriage and funeral celebrations. A very typical combination of pots is "Kemaninga". It is a combination of 5 pots of which the top one has a lid which is tied with a cord of kenafrope to store food for unexpected visitors and as a last resort of the household use. The mother whose daugher leaves the house to move in her husband's house, will give her this treasure to assure that she can store her food well. Pottery is also produced for the market and thus, provide additional cash income for the women. As to the colour and desings on the pots one can distinguish two types: The colours of the pots are black with a geometrical design. The colour is made by putting the hot pots in a mixture of milletgrass. These pots have round or flat bottoms and some have lids. The colour of the pot is earthen red with geometrical designs in black. Also in pottery design innovation takes place, including new types of pots and decorations. The baking process takes place in the open field. In the near future a kiln will be built to increase the quality of the pots. Baskets The women of Sirigu are also laborious and creative in making baskets. The typical Sirigu designs is the "pio", a conical shaped basket with a square base and round opening. The basket is considered a symbol of womanhood in the house. Proudly you will see the women carrying the baskets on their head on their way to the market or otherwise. The basket is used to keep or carry all kind of things like millet, cassava, groundnuts, fruit items, pots, personal belongings etc. The baskets are decorated with different geometrical designs. The natural colours used are again black, red and white. The local grasses are used for its production, but ecological deterioration makes the grasses scarce, and forces people to buy it from the southern part of the country. Music and dance As all ethnic groups in Northern Ghana, Sirigu has its own expression in music and dance. Important moments for the performance of dancers and music are harvest festivals, marriages and funerals. Each village and within the villages schools or womengroups may have their own dancing and musicgroups which also perform elsewhere in the region. Musicians are mostly men, dancers are women and men. The rhythm is the most obvious element in the music. There are many different rhythms according to the ceremony or part of the ceremony which is taking place. The rhythm is played on various drums, shakers and bells. This is enhanced by the local flutes and horns. Funerals: during the dry season you will hear more music than during rainy season. This is due to the fact that when a person dies during the rainy season he or she is buried informally, the funeral celebrations are generally postponed to the dry season, in order not to disturb the spirits that enhance crop growth. When the dead is an important person or of high status the funeral will take several days. Wardances: a different rhythm is used during the historic wardance. For this occasion men are dressed in a traditional smock with a colourful cap and holding bows and arrows with quivers as a symbol of bravery. Music instruments used are talking drum (gulgo, has a very heavy sound), big calabash drum (bimne), flute (wia), animal horn (dongo) and a small drum (lunga, has a high sound).