Indigenous categorisation of the Kãa musical heritage in Burkina Faso: a set of repertoires?

Abstract The Kãaba are one of the societies in Burkina Faso that still maintain some degree of their ancestral way of living. This article describes the musical heritage of the Kãaba according to their indigenous oral conceptions by highlighting the most pertinent traits of the music ‘classes’ within their related contexts. The long periods spent in fieldwork resulted in a strong bond developing between the researcher and this community, which led to cultural immersion and insight into their religious and social circumstances. Data were collected via observation, interviews and interactive experimentation with the custodians of this culture together with musical analysis. ‘Accredited’ representative groups within the community approved by the community validated analyses and conclusions. After presenting the research process implemented to define the Kãaba musical categories, idiosyncrasies are described to show that the notion of ‘repertoire’ proved ineffective in relation to Kãa music. The term’s relevance is consequently challenged, since it may well be just as unsuitable in describing other musical heritages. Instead, the term ‘categories’ and its derivative ‘categorisation’ are proposed to designate both the process and its outcome.