Gola Lifestyle
Many of the Gola people are farmers. Agriculture is the main source of income for most of these people. The primary crop for the Gola and many Liberians is rice. The war in Liberia was partially due to economic turmoil and the fluctuation in the market of many crops, specifically rice. In Liberia, there are areas that specialize in the cultivation of highland rice and swamp rice. The Gola people typically are known for their use and distribution of swamp grass. This is likely because of the nature of their habitat. Many Gola lived in and on the border of the Gola forest before heavy development and “clearing” occurred. This forced them to live and farm in the swampy areas here.
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In history, the Gola people would move from place to place and setup farms in areas according to climate and water. As time went on they developed farming systems with assisted farming. There was initially no domestication. A family would first select a plot, and then underbrushing would occur to clear the land. This involved chopping trees down and clearing brush. Crops were then planted which included rice, corn, ocra, and yams. The Gola had all of their crops together and carried out no individual planting. There was a distinction, however, between lowland rice which was thrown into swamp to grow alone, and highlang rice which required more attention. Excess seed was planted to account for birds removing it. Many times, the men carried out the clearing and preparation for fields and the women were responsible for the planting and yielding of crops.
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