The Wara live in six villages among the hills that form the southwestern border between Burkina Faso and Mali. To an outsider, the region is quite striking in the ruggedness of its landscape and its relative lushness, resulting from a fairly large annual rainfall. Concerning Wara lifestyle, their chief occupation is subsistence farming. Any cash they earn comes from the sale of surplus crops of corn, and rice.
The Wara have closely-knit extended families. The eldest male of a clan acts as the family chief, his wife, children and grandchildren must submit to his authority. While the Wara seem to value their isolation, that isolation keeps away any benefits from development. There are no modern health care facilities in any Wara village, therefore malnutrition and health care problems brought about by contaminated water go untreated. Furthermore, only two Wara villages have schools - the rate of attendance among the Wara children is less than 30%.
It is in large part because of their isolation that the Wara have a dubious distinction: they are generally regarded as the last of Burkina Faso's peoples to wear clothing - a fact taught to many Burkinabe school children. In a region of the country that has seen much religious and social change, the Wara cling to their traditions. This includes the religious domain.
Unlike various neighbors who have succumbed to Islam, the Wara continue to follow the traditional religion. According to this worldview, spirits control health and nature; sacrifices are the means to keeping peace with the spirits. At the present moment, the only Christian presence is a Catholic church in one Wara village.
Scripture Prayers for the Wara in Burkina Faso.
Profile Source: Anonymous |
People Name General | Wara |
People Name in Country | Wara |
Alternate Names | Sama |
Population this Country | 11,000 |
Population all Countries | 11,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 2 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 15862 |
ROP3 Code | 110684 |
Country | Burkina Faso | ||
Region | Africa, West and Central | ||
Continent | Africa | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 23 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | Cascades region: Leraba province west of Banfora, Sindou town area. Main village is Néguéni. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Burkina Faso |
Region | Africa, West and Central |
Continent | Africa |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 23 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | Cascades region: Leraba province west of Banfora, Sindou town area. Main village is Néguéni.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
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Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.60 %) |
7.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
70.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
23.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Wara | |||
Language Code | wbf Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Unknown | |||
Total Languages | 2 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Wara |
Language Code | wbf Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 2 |
Secondary Languages | |
Wara | |
People Groups | Speaking Wara |
Primary Language: Wara
Bible Translation Status: Translation Started
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Photo Source | Go to Nations |
Profile Source | Anonymous |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |