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36-588: Jama'at Islamique Ahmadiyya Benin built its central mosque (Mosquée Moubarqiue) here in 2010, which has a tall 18-meter minaret, just outside the city on the main road towards Parakou . Jama'at Islamique Ahmadiyya Benin also built a French/English bilingual primary school here, called Ecole Primaire Publique Ahmadiyya. The indigenous population of Dassa are the Idaasha . They migrated from the Egba subgroup of western Yoruba in present-day Nigeria to settle here. The city

72-401: A masculine (south) orientation and a feminine (north) orientation. Models of takyentas differ from village to village. The storied construction with its solid walls acts as a protective fortress to keep out invaders and repel fatal spear attacks on its inhabitants. It also serves as protection against leopards who, according to the village elders, roam freely in the overgrown bush. Building

108-410: A block. This market has a large covered hall overlapping onto the streets with stalls, with 500 and 1000 vendors. The market sells an enormous range of goods from items of pottery including vases and bowls, to cotton textiles, cassettes and CD's of local and international artists, local spices, fruits, gasaru/wagasi (cow's milk cheese) and kitchen utensils. Another market, located several blocks north,

144-517: A close connection to the land where rituals are practised. The underground region is the domain of dead spirits to whom the Batammariba owe their very existence with nature and the ability to generate. The Batammariba do not consider themselves landowners, but caretakers. Their settlement could not have happened without the intercession of the Babietiba , (first settlers), who belonged to

180-649: A corporeal form known as Kuiye, and a soul, known as Liye. Kuiye, the corporeal form of the deity, is thought to live in the "sun village" in the west, above the sky, while Liye travels the sky each day in the form of a disc of light. Butan, the goddess of the Earth and the Underworld, is Kuiye's complement as either Kuiye's wife or twin. Butan is the ruler of everything within the Earth or on its surface, including vegetal growth and agriculture, game proliferation, cemeteries , etc. Her corporeal form, invisible to humans,

216-485: A highly culturally evolved group of foragers , then introduced them to the “true owners of the region”: underground forces incarnated into a source such as a rock or a tree. These ancestors of the Batammaribas concluded an alliance with the forces, swearing to respect some agricultural rules and the pieces of land that belonged to the forces. In exchange, the forces allowed the ancestors to build houses and to harvest

252-468: A large initiation house for the youth, and the head serpent sanctuary. The clans share and recognize certain family bonds as they all descend from the same founding fathers. Another important pillar of the Batammariba is an exceptionally well-preserved system of funeral rites and initiation ceremonies. Those responsible for the rituals are imbued with authority and are chosen following rigorous ethics, notably discretion and self-mastery as, for example, if one

288-479: A large mix of African ethnicities, including Fula , Dendi , Somba , Fon , Mina , Bariba , Djerma , Yoruba (of the Nago tribe), Hausa , Kabrais , Warma , and Tuareg . In 1979 the city was reported as having 60,915 people and according to the official census of 1992, Parakou had a population of 103,577. In the last 15–20 years the population of Parakou has nearly doubled with 149,819 recorded in 2002 and with

324-405: A strictly age-based hierarchy between elders and younger residents, like all African societies, but oppose any form of centralized power, and reject hereditary chieftains . Two, four or six clans can form a "village" or, to be more precise, a "territorial groupement" centered around the rituals upheld by each clan. A ritual center is the foundation of the village and is organized around a cemetery,

360-475: Is a strong common link and despite disparities in ceremonial practices, all Tammari affirm allegiance as "Serpent Children". They believe they are the offspring of a grand, invisible, underground "Serpent Mother" who bore the first eggs of their ancestors. Today, Tammari are especially found in towns such as Nikki and Kandi that were once Bariba kingdoms and in Parakou in mid-eastern Benin. However, there

396-569: Is also a significant population of them in northwest Benin in the Atacora region in cities such as Natitingou and a number of villages. Many in the northwest have migrated to the east. The name Batammariba (or Batammaliba) means "those who are the real architects of the earth". After years (or maybe centuries) of wandering, the Batammariba settled in the valleys , a way of existence they preferred to their former history of conflict with law-imposing warlords and chieftains . Their name implies

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432-549: Is called the "Marché Kobo Kobo", which lies across the street from the French Cultural Centre. Marché Kobo Kobo is known for its clothing retailing, primarily second hand goods, and in another section livestock. The Marché Depot is located near Parakou Railway Station around numerous hotels and sells mostly food but also calabashes and baskets. There is also the Marché Guema, located next to Guema Church on

468-583: Is home to one university, the University of Parakou, founded in 2001. Among the places of worship , most predominant are Muslim mosques. There are also several Christian denominations represented: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Parakou ( Catholic Church ), Protestant Methodist Church in Benin ( World Methodist Council ), Union of Baptist Churches of Benin ( Baptist World Alliance ), Living Faith Church Worldwide , Redeemed Christian Church of God and

504-460: Is in the Gur family. The Batammariba are agronomic herdsmen who inhabit the hills and valleys. Being clannish by nature, they oppose any form of domination and servitude. Historical research has traced their migration from diverse regions, settling in small groups, while preserving their societal practices of origin. The Batammariba tribe doesn't form a homogeneous society, but Batammariba language

540-657: Is known as a place of pilgrimage ; the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in the Grotte Notre-Dame d'Arigbo , around which a basilica has since been built containing several shrines . The city is also known for its surrounding forests and hills, many of which contain Orisa shrines. Dassa is also home to a Yoruba constituent monarchy . The founders of the city of Dassa came from Igba in Nigeria around

576-471: Is said to resemble a mudfish , an animal that is thought to vomit up an infinite amount of water. Because of this, her main shrine is a village spring. Her complementary soul is called Bupe, and is visible as the surface of the Earth. The third major Batammariba deity is Oyinkakwata, "the Rich Man Above", who is the god of the sky, of thunder, lightning and storms . His soul is visible to humans in

612-511: Is threatened with a knife, prefers to be killed than to kill. Nowadays the Batammariba accord the same importance to their rituals. The youngest amongst them, whether schooled or not, whether they leave or stay in the village, will only very rarely not keep the cycle of initiation tradition. Fidelity to tradition, like caring for and respecting the land on which their survival depends, their natural pride, warrior traditions, and hunting skills are intensely revived with ceremony. This has permitted

648-642: The Assemblies of God . Parakou Railway Station is the last railway station on the Parakou- Cotonou railway, however at present it is not open to passenger transportation. Both the national highways RNIE 2 and RNIE 6 pass through Parakou. The city is also served by Parakou Airport . The government has proposed extending the railway to Dosso in Niger. The main football clubs are Dynamo Unacob FC de Parakou and Buffles du Borgou FC which play in

684-731: The Benin Premier League , the highest division of Beninese football. 9°21′N 2°37′E  /  9.350°N 2.617°E  / 9.350; 2.617 Somba (ethnic group) The Tammari people , also known as Batammariba , Tamberma , Somba , Otamari or Ottamari , are an Oti–Volta -speaking people of the Atakora Department of Benin where they are also known as Somba and neighboring areas of Togo , where they are officially known as Ta(m)berma. They are famous for their two-story fortified houses, known as Tata Somba ("Somba house"), in which

720-544: The third-largest city in the country, with an estimated population of around 206,667 people, and capital of the Borgou Department . Administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin's 77 communes. Since 2015, its mayor is Souradjou Adamou Karimou. The city was founded in the 16th century by traders. Among traders there is a first occupant of the Old City, a hunter named sina kpebiegi. This hunter

756-412: The 12th century. The kingdom of Dassa was created around 1600 and put under a French protectorate in 1889. 07°45′N 02°11′E  /  7.750°N 2.183°E  / 7.750; 2.183 This Collines Department location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Parakou Parakou [pa.ʁa.ku] is the largest city in northern Benin , and

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792-659: The Batammariba to resist outside influences that negate their determination to maintain the millenary heritage that makes their culture so remarkable. From 19 to 24 October 2018, UNESCO organized an emergency mission to assess the damage allegedly caused by the August 2018 rains in Koutammakou on habitat and on the intangible heritage. The report was prepared by three international experts: Ishanlosen Odiaua, Dominique Sewane and Franck Ogou. The Tammari people are known for their traditional body scarring rituals, starting between

828-545: The Somba people have become an attraction in the fledgling tourist industry of Benin and Togo. The traditional religion of the Batammariba centers around one Supreme Deity , Kuiye , the sun god and creator of both gods and humans. Kuiye is believed to resemble a human in appearance, but is also considered both male and female, so that the deity is often referred to as "The Sun, Our Father and Our Mother". Like all living beings, according to Batammariba thought, Kuiye possesses

864-405: The ancestors reside in the earthen cone-shaped altars. Strangers cannot enter the temple area without permission from the head of the home. On the exterior south side of the fortress are the altars containing spirits of animals that were formerly hunted and killed. The altar can also contain underground spirits with whom those ancestors who possessed the gift of "sight" had made a pact. Therefore,

900-483: The centre of Parakou, close to the railway. It gives the Backbone Project a strategic position for imports and exports to neighbouring countries, notably Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Togo. The name, Parakou, is derived from a Dendi word meaning "the city of everyone", named for the city's diversity of ethnicities. As a market town attracting many people as a trading and stop-off point, Parakou has

936-408: The connection between the dwellings and the sacred altars of the village is extremely strong. The uniqueness and sophistication of this architecture has been recognized since 2004 by UNESCO as a world heritage site, with the statement, "Koutammakou is an outstanding example of territorial occupation by a people in constant search of harmony between man and the surrounding nature". The residences of

972-481: The form of lightning, but his invisible body is said to be filled with air. But the Batammariba world is filled with many more deities who are quite different than the three cosmological gods described above: initiation deities who select their worshippers according to various factors such as gender, martial prowess, ability for clairvoyance, etc. They include the Fawafa, the python deity of men's initiations, Fakuntifa,

1008-433: The fortress takes several months and requires much skilled labor. The upper floor is a living space and a safe haven. Up until 2000, parents and their children slept in elevated box structures placed on the sides and center areas of the terrasse. These boxes were also designed to protect the inhabitants and their guests from the midday heat. Nowadays the fortresses are reserved for ancestral devotional ceremonies. The souls of

1044-441: The ground floor houses livestock at night, internal alcoves are used for cooking, and the upper floor contains a rooftop courtyard that is used for drying grain, as well as containing sleeping quarters and granaries . These evolved by adding an enclosing roof to the clusters of huts , joined by a connecting wall that is typical of Gur -speaking areas of West Africa . The Tammari are mostly animists . The Tammari language

1080-453: The lizard deity of women's initiations, Fayenfe, the god of war and death, Litakon, the god of twins and fertility, and Kupon, the deity of divination, etc. These deities are better considered families of deities, or deity types, rather than unique deities: male and female Fawafa deities, for example, are believed to produce offspring of their deity type. The Batammariba may acquire these deities by inheriting them, hunting and capturing them in

1116-1102: The most recent census in 2013, the population was 255,478. The city has a museum, the Musée en Plein Air de Parakou . Parakou is one of the 77 official communes of Benin . The mayor of the commune and city as of 2008 is Samou Seidou Adambi . The commune of Parakou contains the following villages: Amawihon , Bakaga , Bakounkparou , Bakounourou , Baperou , Bereyadou , Borarou , Darou Kourarou , Debregourou , Dokparou , Douerou , Forane Kparou , Gagbebou , Ganou , Ga Yakabou , Gommboko , Gorobani , Gouforou , Goutere , Guema , Guererou , Guinrerou , Kaborokpo , Kabro , Karobouarou , Kipare , Konkoma , Koumerou , Kperou Guera , Moundouro , Nekinparo , Nikikperou , Ouroungourou , Pepekino , Pepepeterou , Sanro , Senouorou , Sokoumeno , Sokouno , Sonoumo , Sourou , Suinrou , Tabayorourou , Tankaro , Tankaro Ga , Teougourou Gando , Tian , Tinekonparou , Tora , Tourou , Wansirou , Weria , Wore , Worora , Yakassirou Parakou

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1152-548: The northern road to Malanville in the Albarika quarter of the city. The market was founded by the Somba people of the Atacora , and takes place every Sunday at 10 am. The market consists of a collection of grass huts, and specialises in beef and pork and local millet beer known as choukachou or simply "chouk". Parakou is the site of a proposed inland port . The dry port is a multi-modal platform located 3 km from

1188-590: The region across the Sahara and the Mediterranean to Europe. Parakou later became well known in the slave trade . Later traders concentrated on cotton and Parakou remains the hub of the Beninese cotton trade to this day, with considerable interest from Europe. There are several markets trading, notably the largest, Grand Marché Arzeke which one of the largest in Benin, an international market spanning over

1224-455: The soil. Initiations or rituals are meetings with underground forces. This link to the underground forces demanded bravery, self-mastery, and discretion, essential qualities by which the Batammaribas are formed from a young age. The Takyenta (also spelled Takienta) traditional dwelling, including the famous Tata Somba , is typically built of mud and surrounded by towers that support garrets , evoking medieval citadels . The dwellings each have

1260-459: The wild, or by buying and selling them to and from their neighbors. The matriarch , and presumably most powerful, of each deity type is believed to reside in Linaba, the mythological first village where Kuiye first created humans and deities. This connection is a cosmic expression of Batammariba spirituality and they have shown themselves to be intractable concerning their foundation. They maintain

1296-468: Was from baatonou community. Even the traditional leaders are living from slaves trade the population are living from fishing and agriculture. Parakou lies on the main north-south highway RNIE 2 and at the end of a railway to Cotonou . This has made it an important market town , with major industries including cotton and textiles, peanut oil manufacture and brewing. The town grew initially from revenue generated from passing merchants that took goods from

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