The notion of the moon in the calendar and religion of the Bulsa (Ghana)

The alternation of light and darkness, marked by sunrise and sunset, and the regular succession of dry and wet seasons with its impact on agricultural activities are the basis for many ceremonies among the Bulsa of Northern Ghana. The moon, however, does not play a major role in their religious and ritual life, nor in their notion of time and their calendar. This does not mean that Bulsa disregard the phases of the moon. They recognize the « birth of a new moon » and count its age in days. In..

Raids and Refuge: The Bulsa in Babatu’s Slave Wars

From the 18th century the Grunshi, a group of peoples in the north of modern Ghana, suffered from the slave raids of centralised states, their southern neighbours, especially the Dagomba. Under Babatu (d. 1807), the leader of Zabarima warriors, slave raiding reached its peak.This paper attempts to throw light on the defensive strategies of the Bulsa(Builsa), an ethnic group living southwest of Navrongo (U.E.R.), in battlesand also on their habit of retreating into caverns when attacked. An examination of these caverns proved that, at least in the Bulsa area, aparticular type is predominant. This consists of a secluded natural cavity,which can be entered only through a shaft and a horizontal tunnel.It could be demonstrated that several caverns of the Bulsa and the Koma,their immediate neighbours, are today either earth shrines themselves orclosely associated to such.RésuméDepuis le 18ième siècle, les Grunshi, une ethnie du nord de l’actuel Ghana, souffraient des chasses aux esclaves effectuées par des Etats centralisés, et tout particulièrement par les Dagomba, leurs voisins du Sud. Cette étude examine les stratégies des Bulsa, un groupe ethnique au sud-ouest de Navrongo (U.E.R.), aussi bien leurs batailles que leurs habitudes de se retirer dans des cavernes lors d’une attaque. Un examen de telles cavernes a eu pour résultat qu’un certain type de cavernes prédomine au moins dans la région des Bulsa. On ne peut entrer d l’extérieur dans ce type de cavernes naturelles que par un puit et un tunnel horizontal. On a pu démontrer que plusieurs cavernes des Bulsa et des Koma, leurs voisins directs, sont elles-mêmes soit des sanctuaires, soit des endroits étroitement liés à un sanctuaire

Sturgeons, sharks, and rays have multifocal crystalline lenses and similar lens suspension apparatuses.

Crystalline lenses with multiple focal lengths in monochromatic light (multifocal lenses) are present in many vertebrate groups. These lenses compensate for chromatic aberration and create well-focused color images. Stabilization of the lens within the eye and the ability to adjust focus are further requirements for vision in high detail. We investigated the occurrence of multifocal lenses by photorefractometry and lens suspension structures by light and electron microscopy in sturgeons (Acipenseriformes, Chondrostei) as well as sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii, Chondrichthyes). Multifocal lenses were found in two more major vertebrate groups, the Chondrostei represented by Acipenseriformes and Chondrichthyes represented by Elasmobranchii. The lens suspension structures of sturgeons, sharks, and rays are more complex than described previously. The lens is suspended by many delicate suspensory fibers in association with a ventral papilla in all groups studied. The arrangements of the suspensory fibers are most similar between sturgeons and sharks. In rays, the lens is suspended by a smaller ventral papilla and the suspensory fibers are arranged more concentrically to the lens. J. Morphol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc