Granice etniczności w relacjach między Mossi i Kurumbami w Burkina Faso

The paper discusses the problem of borders existing in our times or only appearing between various ethnic groups of West Africa. It also deals with overcoming the borders and creating new identities because of their activation. The interactions are presented with the examples of mixed marriages, entered by the Mossi and the Kurumba people in the area of Pela Kingdom founded by the Kurumba in the area where today the Loroum Province in northern Burkina Faso is located. In late 15th century, the state of Yatenga was established by the Mossi. Its quick territorial expansion resulted in conflicts with autochtons, e.g. the Kurumba. The fights that were conducted left in the Kurumba collective memory an image of the Mossi as cruel enemies; as a consequence, getting married with the Mossi became forbidden, as well as using the Moore language in places and ceremonies important for the Kurumba. At the end of 19th century, as French armed forces entered the northern area of today's Burkina Faso, the period of wars and anxiety finished and the attitude of the Kurumba toward the Mossi became evolving. Because of the peaceful approach of the Kurumba, the Mossi started to settle in their villages. As the time passed, the ban on marriages with the Mossi was more and more frequently ignored; thus, nowadays there are many mixed marriages in the Kurrumba villages. Everyday life does not bring any problems with the coexistence of the two peoples. However, problems appear during important celebrations in which the country ruler participates, as according to the tradition, the Moore language must not be used then. In such situations there appears a question: when does a stranger start to be treated as a fellow countryman and in which situations may one's wife be treated as a stranger? It is difficult to answer explicitly, even the Kurumba themselves provide various interpretations. Nevertheless, they all focus on the opinion that a fellow is someone living in the same area and a stranger is someone living outside. In this situation, also the attitude to the Mossi as former enemies has changed. Upon the research, it may be concluded that in the future the processes happening in the Kurumba consciousness may lead either to complete assimilation with the Mossi or to creation of a new-quality consciousness that will be identified more with the idea of a Burkinabe - a citizen of Burkina Faso - than a subject to the traditional ruler. This also seems to confirm the thesis of B. Lugan - discussed in the paper God bless Africa - which claims that imposing a "democratic diktat" to the modern African countries makes the feeling of belonging to an ethnic group or a tribe disappear, while the feeling of belonging to a larger social group, e.g. a state, emerges.