When I saw the photo that accompanied this article (by Ebrima Jammeh of The
Daily Observer) of young men and children fishing in a shallow pond using
different types of fishing gears, ranging from fishing baskets, spears,
various types of nets etc, I just couldn’t resist posting it on the net. It
reminds me so much of when I was going to school in Kuntaur as a young boy
and seeing the same scene between Kuntaur and Fulla Kunda. I hope some of
you would derive as much pleasure from it as I do.
Any typographical errors are mine and for that I sincerely apologise.
Have a good day, Gassa.
TRADIONAL INLAND FISHING IN THE CRD
(By Ebrima M Jammeh)
Inland fishing is conducted in the tributaries of the River Gambia. These
tributaries or bolongs stretch into ponds, which are later cut-off from the
streams during the dry season. It is during the rainy season that the
streams supply the ponds with water and fish. These ponds, which are later
cut-off from the main river, become sites of intensive fishing.
In most parts of the Upper River Division (CRD), these ponds belong to whole
villages or particular communities. Thus traditionally known proprietors
supervise the fishing activities. Usually fishing activities commence when
the water levels in these streams have ebbed.
(i) Fishing Ceremony/Festival
It is obligatory that the first fishing activity conducted in the ponds must
be preceded by a night of festivity before the fishing commences. The
festival is usually in the form of area wrestling contests. Wrestlers and
other fishermen converge in the village that hosts the fishing festival. The
wrestling contest lasts till dawn from where everybody would proceed to the
fishing pond. Each pond accommodates up to ten villages. All the villages
located in the locality where the fishing pond is found are usually informed
at least two weeks before the fishing day.
(ii) The actual fishing day
The actual fishing day is usually very exciting when children, men and some
middle-aged women all head for the pond directly from the wrestling contest
at dawn. The pond is sometimes several kilometres from the village. All the
villages concerned would reach for the relevant pond on horses and donkeys,
or carts drawn by same; others would go on bicycles whilst others would make
it on foot.
When all the people gather at the ponds in groups of villages, a headman at
each pond who announces the start of the fishing, will ask if all villages
of the locality are present by calling the village names one after the
other, to which they answer to their village names in unison. The headman
will then signal the start of fishing by shouting at the top of his voice
and plunging into the pond first with his fishing devices, and thereafter
all the villages from various sides of the pond would respond and shouting
in unison. Children and women who are usually scared of the situation are
the last to go into the pond.
Fishing devices used here include fishing nets, hooks, baskets, spears and a
commonly used fishing device called “Wusung” (netted pieces of sticks,
cylindrical in shape, with an open top) used to trap fish in the water at
low levels. One puts a hand through the opening at the top of the device to
pull out the fish trapped, which in some cases may in fact be a snake!
The fishing goes on for two to four hours at the end of which people return
to their various villages usually with large quantities of fish, and in the
case of big ponds crocodiles are caught and/or big snakes killed. Sometimes
people get hurt.
Wuli and Sandu are very well known for such traditional festivals and
fishing activities which create mutual understanding and respect between
peoples of the various villages. These fishing activities can be traced back
to over three hundred years.
Have a good day, Gassa.
There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve. -Mike- Levitt-
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