TRADITIONAL PROTECTION

Throughout Ghana many people celebrate their culture by holding closely to oral history and traditional stories that are passed through the generations.  These stories may speak of ancestral spirits and may include taboos that restrict the exploitation or celebrate their culture by holding closely to oral history and traditional stories that are passed through the generations.  These stories may speak of ancestral spirits and may include taboos that restrict access or utilization of certain areas.  For example, access to sacred groves are restricted by traditional priests who are appointed custodian to the groves.  Community members observe these taboos because of the fear of the curses of gods or fines imposed by the priest.  Two such taboos are observed by the Adali people of the Old Ningo – Ada Foah area in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. 

The first taboo is that Tuesday is the day of the sea-god and on this day the sea-god, and sea, should be respected by not fishing.  Thus, fishermen do not set their nets on Tuesday but instead spend the day mending holes in their net that developed from the previous weeks fishing efforts.

The second taboo provides traditional protection to marine turtles.  The Adali people revere sea turtles as a god and therefore do not touch, kill, or eat marine turtles.  At least two different stories are used to explain this traditional practice.  One

 story speaks of a great storm that suddenly approached a group of fishermen at sea.  During their struggle to survive the storm they lost their way and could not find there way home.  Then a group of sea turtles approached and guided the fishermen back to shore, back to their home.  Many fishermen in Ada Foah talk of the sea turtle as an animal that saved their ancestors by leading them home during a storm.

The second story we were told is much more elaborate and speaks of the war between the Ashanti and Adali people.  As the Adala were retreating back toward the Volta to escape the approaching Ashanti, they became trapped at the river’s edge.  A juju man began chanting and crocodiles lined up across the river to form a ‘bridge’ for the Adali to cross the river.  The juju man continued chanting and sea turtles swam in to help the elderly and children across the river.  Some individuals in the area speak of the power of juju and have great respect for the sea turtle because the sea turtles helped their ancestors escape the Ashanti tribe.

AK Armah and others (GA Darpahh, G Wiafe, J Adomako, SQ Quartey, CE Abotchie, F Ansah, S Fiagbedzi) of University of Ghana and REDO published a paper (1998, Biodiversity Conservation) to assess the implementation of conservation programs throughout Ghana.  The authors found that in the absence of traditional beliefs, education alone will not result in enhanced sea turtle conservation; but that some incentive would have to be given.  The requested incentive is typically in the form of compensation for the entire community since they would be ‘losing a source of income’.  Education is much more effective in areas where the traditional stories already offer protection to the sea turtles.

The presence of this traditional story was one of several reasons why Ada Foah became the central point for our work in Ghana.  Because of the traditional protection, we hope that with education and increased ecotourism development, that neighboring villages will quickly learn the benefits of not killing sea turtles.