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This is not my area of expertise, but I remember when reading Congo by David Can Reybrouck that the construct if tribes was imposed by the Belgian authorities in the Congo, and that it ultimately took on a constitutive reality that led to the development of tribal identities. I don't know how this correlates to the experience of Ghana or Nigeria in the colonial or post colonial era.
I'm guessing from the post that the OP would use 'indigenous cosmologies' in place of tribe. Having said that, I would have been too ignorant to know check myself from the use of tribe.
deleted
jj72
Way over my head. I just know that during the 15 or so years I've co-owned businesses in West Africa, my friends and business partners often ask people they've just met which tribe they are from and use the word tribe extensively. People seem to be very proud to talk of their tribal ancestry.
Hadn't crossed my mind that it might not be acceptable to use that word. What is the correct word to use to describe a tribe now? Is it more that a white person shouldn't use tribe?