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Imani Simmons

Apollo English

Mr. Ward

September 3, 2021

The Fon Tribe and Where they are today

The Fon tribe, also the Fon nu or Dahomey, are an ethnic group in

Benin. These people can are in the western parts of Africa, mainly in

southwest Nigeria. The Fon people, before European colonization, had their

civilization, language, and folklore. Today, the Fon people live in Benin and

have a population of 3-4 million people. Benin having over 12 million in total

as of 2021 (World population review)

Like any other civilization in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Fon people

had their way of life. They were natural-born farmers and grew cassava, a

vegetable similar to potatoes and yams. When farming, the men prepared

the fields while the women harvested and tended to the crops. Pottery,

weaving, and making metal utensils were a big part of the culture as well.

In the Fon culture, religious practices were every day and had a role in

their culture. Their religion was called Vodoun. Vodoun is a polytheistic

religion that allows the belief of many gods and goddesses (Vodou

Britannica). By the 15th century, the Fon people had been kidnaped and
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made slaves by the Europeans to harvest sugarcane, cotton, palm oil, and

tobacco (Fon people)

The Fon people had a language called Fon, which is close to the language

ewe. Another popular language in West Africa, spoken in southeastern

Ghana. Fon is typically said and not written, with a low to high vowel voiced

consonant. The Fon alphabet is like the Latin alphabet, with added letters

being Ɖ/ɖ, Ɛ/ɛ, and Ɔ/ɔ (Omniglot). The Fon language is in Benin schools, tv

stations, religious services, business and newspapers, the radio, and TV

stations.

Something that did survive is the folklore and some of the Fon's beliefs.

The Fon people have their creation myth just like Christians have god and

Adam the Fon have Nana Buluku and Mawu(-Lisa). Nana Buluku is the

supreme god/goddess of all gods, giving life to other gods. In the creation

myth, one gives life to Mawu(-Lisa, the god(dess) of the sun and moon. In

multiple other versions of the Fon creation myth, Mawu-Lisa is both male and

female. Mawu is the goddess of the Sun, Lisa is the god of the moon. They

together make Mawu-Lisa but are referenced as just Mawu (Oxford

Reference). They give the earth the sun and moon. Another god in the story is

named Aido Hwedo. This god is a giant rainbow snake that worked with

Mawu(-Lisa) to make earth. Aido slithered around to make the mountains and

hills while Mawu(-Lisa) made everything else. As Mawu finished making all

the trees and animals, the earth was too heavy. The goddess asked for Aido to
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coil into a ball and rest in the world to balance it out (Fon Tribe Creation

Myth). Then to be protected, Aido rests in the seas with his tail in his mouth.

But whenever Aido moves or adjusts himself, he makes tidal waves or

earthquakes. For years, this myth is what the Fon believed about how the

earth came to be and why we have natural disasters.

From being deemed The Slave Coast, the Fon people of Benin are

thriving today. They believed in their Ancestors watching over them, but

today a majority practice Christianity. Many traditional rituals are abandoned,

like their traditional funerals. Unfortunately, all these traditions and folklore

have disappeared. Because of French colonization and slavery, The people of

the Fon tribe today have lost a lot of their culture, but lots of elements are still

here and practiced.

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Works Cited

“Fon (Fɔngbè).” Fon Language, Alphabet and Pronunciation,

omniglot.com/writing/fon.htm.

Guide, Africa. “Fon People.” Africa Guide,

www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/fon.htm.

“Mawu-Lisa.” Oxford Reference,

www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100141563.

“Vodou.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,

www.britannica.com/topic/Vodou.