ABSTRACT
Land tenure, the way people are connected to the land, has in all its aspects (physical, social and legal) always interested ethnological researchers. The reasons for this interest are two-fold. First, there is an idea stemming from the early western explorers that social organization in Africa is based on a kind of mystical alliance between man and the land. The origin of this alliance was believed to lie in a form of African communism encompassing all aspects of society, and this association explained the ‘non-venal’ character of the land. On first sight, it is tempting to view African communities (families, villages, clans etc.) not only as mystical but also as ceremonial communities since they do not consist purely and simply of the living but also of the dead, the group’s ancestors. This off-stage role played by ancestors means that all power and responsibility for the sale and final disposal of land devolves on the living members of society. Land thus becomes an important dimension of the community, its value based on kinship and not solely on its intrinsic worth. These man-land links, however do allow the production of commodities meant to meet the needs of the group. Labour and the other factors of production are not organized with the aim of expanding the economy but with a view to the maintenance of the unity and the equilibrium of the group. These latter considerations prevent the commercialization of the land, which remains a source of spiritual existence before being a source of livelihood or wealth. It follows from this the impossibility of researching into its material aspects: hence, to use modern expressions, to research into the reasons which would force traditional land owners to restrict themselves, in their links with the land, to its productive exploitation.
