Adongo P B, Phillips J F, Binka F N
Navrongo Health Research Centre, Upper East Region, Ghana.
Stud Fam Plann. 1998 Mar;29(1):23-40.
This article presents findings from a study of the influence of traditional religion on reproductive preferences of Kassena-Nankana lineage heads in northern Ghana. Seven reproductive preference questions were administered to nine lineage heads who are primary practitioners of the cult of soothsaying. With the assistance of soothsayers, interviews were repeated in conjunction with the invocation of religious rites in order to determine the views of ancestral spirits on the seven questions. Pairs of lineage head and ancestral interviews are compared to determine the role of traditional religion in shaping male reproductive preferences. Interview pairs reflect a shared preference for sons, large compounds, and a growing lineage. Findings nonetheless show that some ancestral spirits want small families, some even wanting fewer children than corresponding lineage heads. Spiritual consultations are nondogmatic and open to external ideas and influences, suggesting that family planning introduction will not encounter systematic religious opposition among the Kassena-Nankana.
本文介绍了一项关于传统宗教对加纳北部卡塞纳-南卡纳族系族长生育偏好影响的研究结果。对九位主要从事占卜崇拜的族系族长进行了七个关于生育偏好的问题调查。在占卜师的协助下，结合宗教仪式的祈求，重复进行访谈，以确定祖先灵魂对这七个问题的看法。比较族系族长和祖先访谈的成对结果，以确定传统宗教在塑造男性生育偏好方面的作用。访谈对显示出对儿子、大家庭和族系壮大的共同偏好。然而，研究结果表明，一些祖先灵魂希望家庭规模小，有些甚至希望孩子数量比相应的族系族长更少。精神咨询不教条，对外部观念和影响持开放态度，这表明在卡塞纳-南卡纳人中引入计划生育不会遇到系统性的宗教反对。
