Guru‐fattening sessions among the Massa

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Abstract
Among the Massa of Northern Cameroon and Chad, men 15 to 35 years of age undergo two types of fattening sessions, one individual, the other collective. Ethnographic and anthropometric data on both were gathered between 1976 and 1985, and quantitative food consumption surveys were carried out in 1976 and 1980. The individual sessions result in one of the highest caloric intakes recorded in a non‐experimental situation. The collective ones provide the male part of the population with a diet above normal requirements. Symbolic as well as biological aspects have to be taken into account in assessing the results. Besides its nutritional and possible physiological impact on the participants, the contribution of this institution towards the biological fitness of the Massa as a whole may be questioned. While it may partially deprive specific groups of access to food it can be credited with genetic, social, cultural and psychological benefits at the level of the population.