Shea Butter Processing(Kpakahali)

As part of our drive towards projecting values and traits that depict us northerners as a peace-loving and productive force, our efforts have led us to probe further and as well scrutinize the various local enterprises that we have. Shea butter processing is one the most authentically northern enterprises we have come to know. As the saying goes, the early bird gets the bigger worms, which is the principle applied by the hardworking yet often uneducated women in the rural areas of the three northern regions.
“This is my tree! This is my tree!” They chant excitedly as they ran helter-skelter among the bushes of the Savannah grasslands, pitching themselves under the shades of the shea trees. The shea trees are very common in the three northern regions especially in the northern region itself and it is locally referred to as “Taantihi” for many trees and “Taantia” for a single tree among the Dagombas. They sometimes set off as early as 4:00am; they set out to scavenge for the fruits of the shea tree which is locally referred to as “Tama”. It is a green fruit, just a little smaller than the table tennis ball, has a soft outer layer and a rather hard seed cover.
The women collect these fruits from under the Shea trees into pans. The ripe fruits are healthy and eaten as a delicacy. It is imperative to state that it has a very sweet taste and is enjoyed by all and sundry. When the Shea fruits are brought to the house, it is parboiled and spread out to dry for a week. It is later cracked to rid it of its hard cover leaving the seeds, “Kpihi” and a single seed is called “Kpia”. The seeds are later crushed into bits using a small wooden pestle-like tool called “Kpijerigu” and fried. After the crushed seeds are fried, it is taken to the grinding mill and grinded thoroughly. They grind it into paste. The paste is then poured into pans and beaten to soften it the more; the beating is called “Gmebu” in the local dialect. The beating is done using the hand. Hot water is occasionally added to the paste whiles it is being beaten. The beating is done by stirring the paste in a fast anticlockwise motion. This is continued until the paste doesn’t stick to the back of the hand any longer and then cold water is added to the paste and stirred. The stirring of the paste aids the suspension of the oil on the top of the paste. The paste is then poured into a pot and left to settle. The oil, after it has accumulated on the top of the mixture, is then collected into a separate container. The chaff left under the water is then poured away. It is called “Kpaburugu” in Dagbani.
The oil that is collected in the container is left to cool overnight. The oil is brought out to a cool place preferably under a tree and stirred until it becomes thick. When it becomes thick, it turns yellow in color and sometimes white. The end product is the common product, shea butter “Kpakahali”. It is usually filled into calabashes and sold but of late it is molded into small balls using spoons and taken to be marketed and sold. It is sometimes transported to the bigger market centers in the bigger towns and cities in both the north and the south.
The benefits of shea butter are numerous. It contains fatty acids and natural vitamins that nourishes and moisturizes the skin. It protects the natural oils in the skin and a remedy to dry skin leaving it beautifully glowing especially during the dry harmattan season. Besides its numerous use in the cosmetic industry, it is also used as cooking oil in some numerous traditional communities. Next time, you happen to stop by up north, don’t forget to explore another interesting northern enterprise.