ABSTRACT
The differences in West Africa between the military technologies of European nations, forest kingdoms, savannah states and the acephalous peoples were of major importance in determining the power relationships between them. In 1951 the District Commissioner at Bole in western Gonja, Tomlinson, records that when he rode to the 'fetish' village of Senyon he was asked to leave his horse outside 'because there is a tree which no horse may see and survive'. Horses are taboo at Senyon; so too are any close relationships with Europeans. There are many other instances of shrines under the custodianship of autochthones having taboos against horses. The association between shrines, autochthones and anti-horse taboos is a feature of what Fortes called the major cleavage among the Tallensi, between Namoos and Talis. In Africa south of the Sahara the horse was never used for agricultural work, since there was no plough to pull, no wheeled vehicles to draw.
