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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Hot Issues: The 1997 Kamabolon Ceremony in Kangaba
Author:Jansen, JanISNI
Year:1998
Periodical:International Journal of African Historical Studies
Volume:31
Issue:2
Pages:253-278
Language:English
Geographic term:Mali
Subjects:social change
Manding
rituals
History and Exploration
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/221083
Abstract:Every seven years the Kamabolon, a sanctuary in the form of a traditional mud hut, is restored and reroofed in Kangaba, Mali, during a ceremony that some consider to be 'the official focus of Mandenka traditional rituals'. Part of this ceremony is the recitation of the 'Mansa Jigin' ('the gathering of the kings'), the narrative that has gained fame in African literature as the Sunjata epic. The recitation takes place in the sanctuary and is accessible only for the performers, the Diabate griots from Kela. This article argues that although the original impetus for the ceremony is the inauguration of an age group, the entire ceremony represents a complex interaction of various social processes, such as army organization, age group organization, celebration of ancestors, and hereditory leadership. The author describes the 1997 Kamabolon ceremony on the basis of his own observations and examines the ceremony's historical dynamics. He argues that the ceremony represents a re-creation of society, a process which is considered to be 'hot', and that the fear of making mistakes during the period of transition explains the tension and acts of violence that accompany the ceremony. Altogether, the ceremony has not changed much in structure during the last century. Notes, ref.
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