Article 6 of the Manding Charter (Kurugan Fuga)
incorporates the concept of working for one’s subsistence in its provisions
thus; To
win the battle of prosperity, the general system of supervision has been
established to fight against laziness and idleness.
Article
32 further states; There are five ways to
acquire property [wealth]: buying, donation, exchange, work and inheriting. Any
other form without convincing testimony is doubtful.
To
this end and out of this concept, every craft is honored and celebrated. It is
not uncommon to hear of elders in a traditional Manding settlement venture out
to scout for craftsmen whose skills are needed to have them settle in their
village for ease of the villagers. Almost every settlement has a smith, weaver,
cobbler and teacher. Although these crafts are essential, everyone farms for
subsistence and some for commerce. Albeit in primitive fashion, it is still an
honored tradition, workers who excel in farming and show dedication to working
hard are celebrated figures.
Expanding on the nuances of our language; in the
famous tune Jor-Kaa; dedicated to such
men of hard work and dedication known as Timpolu, we can see language at use both in
poetry and song form. In addition to the various social attributes and
symbolism in the poetry/tune; the whole narrative is laced with proverbs and
old sayings that still hold true.
What follows are excerpts of the Jor-Kaa Bunibo (poetry)
Yirihuuma
boita maloo la in essence saying this will progress
steadily starting from the top
Tang
tang jali taa lo kuntu kungho to meng baayeh kay wulu n’saa long
This challenges the participants/competitors to
prove their manly strength, presence of which is credited to a dedicated
mother. It also acknowledges the fact that the same standards cannot be applied
to all barring certain limitations.
Borro
yeh Kolleh, borri laal singholu mang kaa nyang. Regardless
though of one’s strength, all must be tested.
Kaabu
beng ta, Jaasing beng ta, Pakawu beng ta Mandinka Demba yaa beh dang.
When the emergence of a new champion was relayed to a champion Timpo named Kamang Sanneh, he was so
displeased at such outcome that he refused to eat for four days.
Kamang
nyaa wuleh ta ko saama la tunkang kembo
Eyes as red as the embers of a blacksmith’s furnace,
fuming with rage; a pouting Kamang Sanneh was comforted by his griot Hayri.
Fang
Fo mu Jaling taa yaa letti
Hayri told him that singing one’s own praises means the
individual lacks a praise singer. Kamang Sanneh’s strength in tilling, in
contrast to other men was like that of a plough ox relative to men.
At that
contest of strength and endurance come the nuances we seek. Contestants named
their plough instruments (hoes) to convey meaning and traits, embellished with
symbolism.
Tang
Tang Jalolu yeh jenkeh, jang mang keh bantaba beng ti.
It’s about to get serious, the only Jali
allowed are the Timpa Jalo.
Each
contestant has to name his instrument, in essence relaying a promise at the
start as to what outcome to be expected. The names and attributes go as
follows;
Wolo
N’ding - Jaa jewo kono firrtaa firrtaa. This speaks to the
agility of the bearer of that name. Where others may be stalled by obstacles, Wolo N’ding finds no trouble at all and
moves with speed effortlessly. So essentially ready for the challenge in light
of that trait.
Sayla
Koi - E teh meng jella coma for nyaato. Sayla Koi swears by his
speed that he will not be seen in the rear, always in the lead.
Kankurang
- Kaybalu jimindi ko ding ding. Kankurang here
signifies endurance. Considering how labor intensive such work is, people stand
up every few moments to catch their breath and stretch their backs. Kankurang
in this sense is relatively younger and if the older ones want to keep up,
their backs must stay bent in work to earn the coveted title.
Kondi
Kondi - Kayba kung
bondi baling kono. The seemingly dismissible one who actually gives the
seasoned ones a run for their money
Kulang
Jang - Baa tayma bamba ding so laa. Daring despite the odds
and accompanying risks.
Ninki
Nanka - Nyaa meng ngha jeh, ala koi n’teh. A legendary
creature whose sighting alone is said to invite death; hence seeing a Ninki Nanka cannot be attributed to good
sight but misfortune. In essence, everyone avoids Ninki Nanka much less having anything to do with him. That inherent
fear of him is his strength that he will rely on to be crowned the Timpo.
Sunkuto
- Sunjolu momo ka dee duu ta la leh. A beautiful young woman
is every man’s desire. Naming his tool thus, the competitor is pointing to the
efficiency of his tool, and to top it off it is so perfect that to appreciate the beauty and feel of it one has to rise at dawn.
Sunkalang
- Kini kandi mondo baa bee la. Sunkalang does not care how hot a dish is; he will dive in, thrive
and emerge unscathed. This speaks to the already threatening environment
emerging with the above characters and their traits; Sunkalang obviously sounds intimidated but regardless is ready to
hold his own. Fear will not deter him.
Beeti
Fing - Tilo la boyo ka kuyaa yeh. This variation may not
sound familiar to none Niumi natives. Beeti
Fing never likes to see the setting sun which signifies the end of the work
day. His desire is to keep at it.
Furu
N’ding - Baa daa la juu jemmah jay la. They are essentially
laggards pulling up the rear, who must have demonstrated such a trait
beforehand if not consistently. For that they are taunted with an extra line
that goes thus; baa faa taa waamo dunta
Furu n’ding sawung naal beh tenkung ta. When the pros hit the tracks, the
amateurs assume the sidelines. They pull back right at the beginning to watch
the spectacle.
Amongst them too are those with excuses, who’d blame
just about anything for their failure.
Yiri
kuntu jamba n’tang na buyo bula e kanatu kaywolu beng n’dang na.
These ones blame their thumping on stumps holding them back because their
clothes got tangled in them.
Kunko
to lo laa baalu kala fo leh yiri jang kunol hayi nang.
Sneakily trying to stretch their backs, these ones will draw attention to
distant colorful birds that will require some straining to see as a delaying
tactic thus buying time to rest along with whomever they can interest in their
quest.
The poem is much longer than this of course but this
abstract in a way helps give some insight into the tradition and what it
signifies. Beyond that it points to the complexities of language, a lot of
which sadly is disappearing fast in the name of ‘being civilized’; abandoned to
be replaced by other foreign languages as used in this medium. Such languages are
cannot capture events in their essence, considering the nuances and specifics
thereof as determined by geography.
To be continued…
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