child, once the reincarnated ancestor has been iden-
tified, will receive the name of that ancestor.
As in many other African communities, life is
regarded as marked by four critical moments:
birth, puberty, marriage, and death. Thus, boys
and girls are initiated at the time of puberty
within the context of rites of passage consid-
ered essential. This is the time when male ado-
lescents will be circumcised. Circumcision
marks the passage from childhood to adulthood
and the time of a greater awareness of the spiri-
tual nature of the world. After undergoing
circumcision, the young men are secluded for a
month in total isolation. This is the time when
they are encouraged to reflect on life and the
new meaning that it has for them as they
undergo initiation.
When seclusion is over, the initiates are rein-
corporated into their community in the midst of
much rejoicing and festivities. They are presented
with many gifts, such as poultry, beer, arrows, and
so on. Now that they have been circumcised and
their initiation is over, the young men are consid-
ered to be adults and may enjoy the prerogatives
and duties associated with adulthood, such as
marriage, procreation, and initiation into different
socioreligious organizations.
Given the central role of farming in Gola life,
it is no surprise that many of the most signifi-
cant Gola ceremonies and rituals are devoted to
agriculture. For instance, at the time of harvest,
and because this is common in many other
agrarian African societies, a thanksgiving ritual
is observed, with the first grain being offered
to the spirits. Only when this rite has been
performed can people eat from the new grain.
Every year, the Gola organize yam and ground-
nut harvest festivals. As farmers, the Gola
people are particularly concerned about propi-
tiating their rain god Da, to whom they will
offer a special prayer in times of drought. The
request will be presented by an elder, who,
holding a human skull in his hand, will beg Da
to send rain to ensure the prosperity of the Gola
people. A sacrifice to Da, usually that of a
chicken whose blood will be poured on the
skull, is likely to follow.
Ama MazamaSee alsoCircumcision; Harvest; Offering; Rain; Rites of
Passage; SacrificeFurther Readings
Blakely, T. D., van Beek, W. E. A., & Thomson, D. L.
(Eds.). (1994).Religion in Africa:Experience and
Expression. With the assistance of Linda Hunter
Adams and Merril E. Oates. London: James Currey.
Clifford, M.-L. (1971).The Land and People of Liberia.
Philadelphia: Lippincott.
Moore, B. (1979).Liberian Culture at a Glance:A
Review of the Culture and Customs of the Different
Ethnic Groups in the Republic of Liberia. Monrovia,
Liberia: Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs,
and Tourism.
Olukoju, A. (2006).Culture and Customs of Liberia.
Westport, CT: Greenwood.GOVI
A govi is a jar or bottle usually made of red clay.
It is a sacred ritualistic item in Vodu in Haiti,
where it plays a significant role in reclamation
ceremonies at the time of death. The wordgoviis
of Fon origin. This should come as no surprise
because Vodu originated among the Fon people of
West Africa. Many have noticed that the Fon
engage in rituals of reclamation similar to those
one may observe in Haiti.
According to Vodu ontology, the human being
is made up of three parts: In addition to the most
obvious one, that is, the physical body, it also has
a bipartite spiritual component, the tibonanj
(one’s personality, conscience), and the gwobo-
nanj, which is the immortal spirit, of divine origin.
At the time of death, Voduists believe that the
gwobonanj, thanks to carefully followed and exe-
cuted funerary rituals, will join the abyssal waters
of the ancestral world, Ginen. However, the
gowbonanj must be reclaimed from Ginen 1 year
and 1 day after death has occurred. Failure to do so
could have dire consequences for the relatives of the
deceased. This reclamation happens through an
elaborate ritual known asWete mò anba dlo(liter-
ally, “removing the dead from under the water”).
The ceremony that accompanies the ritual will last296 Govi