More than wisdom : A field study of the old in an African village

This paper presents and interprets empirical findings from field studies in a Bambara village in the Republic of Mali in order to place the traditional position of the elderly in cultural context. The significance of a seniority principle underlying the social structure of African society is emphasized. Thus attitude and behavioral changes which affect the status of the elderly have wider ramifications for the society as a whole. Attention centers on the role of age sets, myth and ritual, ancestor worship and socialization practices as elements of a total cultural system in which the rules of seniority provide an organizing force. In the last section, the ways in which social change threatens the viability of a social system governed by the seniority principle are reviewed. Signs of breaks in the solidarity of the traditional community are noted. Finally, two strategies for improving the position of the elderly in the African countryside as the traditional system disintegrates are proposed.