The Samogho are primarily farmers. Millet, corn, and peanuts are their staple crop while cotton, ginger, and other vegetables are grown as supplementary crops. About 85% of the income is based on agriculture. Families also raise chickens, goats, sheep, and cows.
Among the Samogho, the villages vary in sizes from a few hundred to several thousand. Houses are small rectangular mud brick buildings with flat roofs. They store crops in round mud structures until the crops are sold, eaten or planted.
If you asked the Samogho what they believe they will say they are Muslim. Those who are Muslim will pray five times a day affirming and saying each time, “there is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.” They will pray facing Mecca, give alms generously, fast during Ramadan the month that they believe Mohammed was visited by an angel and given the Koran their holy book and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. All these are done to show their loyalty to their beliefs.
There is also a large part of them who practice African Traditional Religion. They Sacrifice animals in the belief it will increase rains, crops, child birth, and health.
January is the wedding month. This is the only month the Duun people get married. The celebrations usually start on Thursday ending on Monday. This gives everyone time to walk to the next village for the next weekend wedding. Some, if not most of the weddings, are pre-arranged with the boys family. They start making the brides payments when the girls are 8 years old, in hopes to have them paid for by the time they are 14. This payment is a full wardobe for the mother and to the father is colonuts, working in the his field and money the amount decided on by the father. Most girls are married by the time they are 14/15 years old unless they are attending school.
February is time to repair and build houses and granaries. Remember these buidlings are made of mud and are damaged during the rainy season. There is not much work in the fields during this time.
March is finishing up the repairs and buildings. We also start going out to the fields periodically to begin preparing them for planting.
April is the beginning of mango season. The mangos are eaten mainly but some are gathered and sold. It may rain off and on which helps in preparing the fields for planting.
May is the HOTTEST season with temperatures reaching 120/125F. There are different kinds of mangos. The largest ones are ripe and ready during this month. The rains continue and some planting begins.
June is the greatest time for planting and field work. The rains come more during this month. The villages are mostly empty except for very young children and old people who are unable to walk to the fields.
July is the official rainy season. People are in the fields all day, planting and weeding.
August is mainly spent taking care of the crops by weeding and hoeing.
September is spent in crop maintenance. The rains are slowing down a lot.
October and November are months of harvest.
December is finishing up the harvest and preparing for the wedding month
by making bamboo beds and baskets to sell and give as wedding presents.
