The Mande people, hailing from sub-Saharan West Africa, Guinea, and Mali, have a collective identity through the sharing of orally based tales; they all share a connection despite having varying languages and differing particulars within each subgroup. These tales are spread from one generation to the next by a special caste of individuals known as jeliw. As the Norton Anthology of World Literature points out, "jeliw are known to their people as guardians of 'The Word'"(Puchner 1514). Jeliw pass on the oral histories and legends of their ancestors and culture, applying their own individual styles and unique talents, in order for their collective identity to persevere. The epic tale of Sunjata highlights a unique function of such oral traditions; the ability to relate the conception of a tradition to its use in more contemporary times. The particular tradition being addressed is the development of the bride-escorting song into contemporary times.
The bride escorting song takes place between 49 lines of prose and shows the inception of a cultural tradition. Within the work the mother of Sunjata, a great warrior/hunter and eventual king of the Mande people, lacks any modicum of physical beauty and suffers from physical handicaps. Although her name is Sogolon Wulen Conde she has been given other, more malevolent names. The Sunjata texts states, “some call her Humpbacked Sogolon. Some call her Ugly Sogolon. Everybody used to call her whatever they felt like” (Sunjata lines 356-358). The text also mentions “her bald head, A hump on her back” and that her “feet are twisted” and furthermore that “she is knock-kneed” (Sunjata lns. 328-329, 339, 340). All of this was caused by a powerful and magical character within the Mande community. And although Sogolon is physically deficient she does possess a massive amount of dalilu (magic).
With the back knowledge established we can now begin to ascertain how the Mande tradition was established. Sogolon is taken to marry a Mande king (fulfilling a prophecy forecasting the birth of Sunjata). Upon arriving at the town she must first wait for the king to prepare to greet her (for he knows of her magic and must prepare to prove his value to her). When the moment arrives for her to begin her walk into town, “she could not walk without raising dust” causing her sister-in-laws to be covered in a fine coat of dust (Sunjata ln. 752). The sister-in-laws sang the following song in response:
Walk well,
Bride of my brother,
Walk well.
Do not put us in the dust (Sunjata lns. 759-762)
Deciding the dust was bothersome the sister-in-laws decided that carrying her was a better option. The text then states,
That is how carrying the bride originated.
If you see that when the bride arrives at the outskirts of the town,
The women pick her up and run with her,
That was done because of the condition of Sogolon Conde’s feet (Sunjata lns.767-771)
The inclusion of the beginnings of a cultural traditions are an important facet of orally transmitted cultures. They allow members of the culture, who may not have tangible access to this knowledge otherwise, to know how and where the tradition began and why traditions are carried out in particular ways. It also helps the younger generations realize that they too are part of the cohesive element keeping a culture together; everything is connected, regardless of how much time has passed since the dawn of a given culture.
Such traditions exist in every corner of the map, many of which have ancient roots which branch into the modern world. Some traditions could be particularly peculiar when viewed from an American standpoint. For instance in Sweden both the bride and groom will be kissed by guests at their wedding. If the bride leaves a room, single females will line up to kiss the groom, the same goes for the bride if the groom leaves the room (Khan/Wikipedia). Another example can be found in the Massai Nation in Kenya. During these wedding ceremonies, “The father of the bride blesses his daughter by spitting on her head and breasts. Spitting is a symbol of disgrace usually but in Massai nation it is thought to bring good luck and fortune” (Khan). These traditions, if viewed from a singular American lens would at first appear to blatantly obtuse. Though if enough time has passed, or the origin of such traditions are explored, they will seem no more or less obtuse than wearing a white dress, kissing the bride/groom, or having rice thrown at the new couple.
These traditions are all similar in their need to bring a community of people together to carry out the rituals. They are all a form of bonding and a sign of change in the lives of those being married, and those who watch their children be married off.
They do all differ considerably in their methods of action. Spitting on anyone during their wedding day would be a grave offence in many countries, kissing in public could be offensive in other, but with the knowledge of the meaning behind such actions one can overlook the seemingly gross or bizarre nature of the rituals. Regardless the great human custom of marriage will continue to be declared and celebrated in wondrous, bizarre, and traditional ways.
Works Cited
Khan, Ejaz. "10 Bizarre Wedding Rituals in Various Cultures." WondersList. 2013. Web. 02 June 2016.
Puchner, Martin. “Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 1514-1517. Print.
Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 1517-1576. Print.
"Wedding Customs by Country." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 04 June 2016.
The bride escorting song takes place between 49 lines of prose and shows the inception of a cultural tradition. Within the work the mother of Sunjata, a great warrior/hunter and eventual king of the Mande people, lacks any modicum of physical beauty and suffers from physical handicaps. Although her name is Sogolon Wulen Conde she has been given other, more malevolent names. The Sunjata texts states, “some call her Humpbacked Sogolon. Some call her Ugly Sogolon. Everybody used to call her whatever they felt like” (Sunjata lines 356-358). The text also mentions “her bald head, A hump on her back” and that her “feet are twisted” and furthermore that “she is knock-kneed” (Sunjata lns. 328-329, 339, 340). All of this was caused by a powerful and magical character within the Mande community. And although Sogolon is physically deficient she does possess a massive amount of dalilu (magic).
With the back knowledge established we can now begin to ascertain how the Mande tradition was established. Sogolon is taken to marry a Mande king (fulfilling a prophecy forecasting the birth of Sunjata). Upon arriving at the town she must first wait for the king to prepare to greet her (for he knows of her magic and must prepare to prove his value to her). When the moment arrives for her to begin her walk into town, “she could not walk without raising dust” causing her sister-in-laws to be covered in a fine coat of dust (Sunjata ln. 752). The sister-in-laws sang the following song in response:
Walk well,
Bride of my brother,
Walk well.
Do not put us in the dust (Sunjata lns. 759-762)
Deciding the dust was bothersome the sister-in-laws decided that carrying her was a better option. The text then states,
That is how carrying the bride originated.
If you see that when the bride arrives at the outskirts of the town,
The women pick her up and run with her,
That was done because of the condition of Sogolon Conde’s feet (Sunjata lns.767-771)
The inclusion of the beginnings of a cultural traditions are an important facet of orally transmitted cultures. They allow members of the culture, who may not have tangible access to this knowledge otherwise, to know how and where the tradition began and why traditions are carried out in particular ways. It also helps the younger generations realize that they too are part of the cohesive element keeping a culture together; everything is connected, regardless of how much time has passed since the dawn of a given culture.
Such traditions exist in every corner of the map, many of which have ancient roots which branch into the modern world. Some traditions could be particularly peculiar when viewed from an American standpoint. For instance in Sweden both the bride and groom will be kissed by guests at their wedding. If the bride leaves a room, single females will line up to kiss the groom, the same goes for the bride if the groom leaves the room (Khan/Wikipedia). Another example can be found in the Massai Nation in Kenya. During these wedding ceremonies, “The father of the bride blesses his daughter by spitting on her head and breasts. Spitting is a symbol of disgrace usually but in Massai nation it is thought to bring good luck and fortune” (Khan). These traditions, if viewed from a singular American lens would at first appear to blatantly obtuse. Though if enough time has passed, or the origin of such traditions are explored, they will seem no more or less obtuse than wearing a white dress, kissing the bride/groom, or having rice thrown at the new couple.
These traditions are all similar in their need to bring a community of people together to carry out the rituals. They are all a form of bonding and a sign of change in the lives of those being married, and those who watch their children be married off.
They do all differ considerably in their methods of action. Spitting on anyone during their wedding day would be a grave offence in many countries, kissing in public could be offensive in other, but with the knowledge of the meaning behind such actions one can overlook the seemingly gross or bizarre nature of the rituals. Regardless the great human custom of marriage will continue to be declared and celebrated in wondrous, bizarre, and traditional ways.
Works Cited
Khan, Ejaz. "10 Bizarre Wedding Rituals in Various Cultures." WondersList. 2013. Web. 02 June 2016.
Puchner, Martin. “Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 1514-1517. Print.
Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 1517-1576. Print.
"Wedding Customs by Country." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 04 June 2016.
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