Post by anansi on Sept 26, 2024 2:14:32 GMT -5
Before the epic Battle of Karina there was an epic Battle of words between Samamguru Kante and Sundjata keita, I had mentioned that West Africans especially of the bright savannah country had this in their culture so much so they made it a part of their freedom of speech in their constitution called the Kurugan Furga, these rap battles survived the middle passage to become the rap battles in the Americas.
Part III: Return of the King
As Sundjata made his way homeward, he passed through all the kingdoms he had come to know during his exile, gathering fighters, archers and horsemen as he went. At Tabon, near the Malian city of Kita, Sundjata's army launched a surprise attack on Soumaoro's forces. Though a smaller force, Sundjata's side prevailed, sending the Sosso army into retreat. At the next battle, Sundjata and Soumaoro came face to face. Again, Sundjata's forces dominated the field through superior tactics, but Soumaoro escaped using his own formidable magic. One moment, the Sosso king stood before Sundjata on his black-coated horse, his tall helmet bristling with horns. But a mere instant later, Soumaoro stood on a far distant ridge. Sundjata despaired, feeling that his enemy's magic made him invincible.
Even as Sundjata's army grew, he knew he would need more that might to defeat Soumaoro. So he summoned soothsayers to council him on harnessing supernatural powers. Following their advice, Sundjata ordered the sacrifice of 100 white oxen, 100 white rams, and 100 white cocks. As the ritual slaughter began, Sundjata's griot and his half-sister arrived at his camp. They had escaped captivity in Soumaoro's city.
Sundjata's half-sister then told him that she had been forced to be Soumaoro's wife, but that in doing so, she had learned the secret of his magic. Soumaoro's totem, his sacred animal, and so the source of his amazing power, was the cock. This animal had the power to destroy Soumaoro. Like Samson losing his long hair and with it his strength, like Achilles with his vulnerable heel, Soumaoro too had a weakness that his enemy could exploit. Armed with this knowledge, Sundjata fashioned a wooden arrow with a white cock's spur as its tip.
The great showdown between Soumaoro and Sundjata came at the battle of Kirina. On the eve of the battle, the two men observed the ritual of declaring war. Each sent an owl to the other's encampment, and the owls delivered messages of bravado.
"I am the wild yam of the rocks," boasted Soumaoro, "Nothing will make me leave Mali."
Sundjata replied, "I have in my camp seven master smiths who will shatter the rocks. Then, yam, I will eat you."
The verbal jousting continued. Soumaoro said, "I am the poisonous mushroom that makes the fearless vomit."
And Sundjata replied, "I am the ravenous cock. The poison does not matter to me."
Soumaoro"Behave yourself, little boy, or you will burn your foot, for I am the red-hot cinder."
Sundjata"But me, I am the rain that extinguishes the cinder; I am the boisterous torrent that will carry you off."
Sumamuru "I am the mighty silk cotton tree that looks from on high on the tops of other trees."
Sundjata "And I, I am the strangling creeper that climbs to the top of the forest creeper."
Having thus declared their intentions, Sundjata and Soumaoro [aka: Sumamuru Kanté], made war at Kirina. In the midst of full battle, Sundjata aimed his special arrow and fired. The cock's spur grazed Soumaoro's shoulder, and all was lost for the Sosso king. By the time Sundjata's victorious forces entered Soumaoro's city and opened his secret chamber, the snakes there were almost dead and the owls lay flopping on the ground. Victorious, Sundjata invited the leaders of all the 12 kingdoms of the savanna to come to Kaba, a city in old Mali. There, he told them they could keep their kingdoms, but that all would now join in a great, new empire. From that day forth, Sundjata's word became the law respected throughout the 12 kingdoms. The Empire of Mali was born, stretching from the forests of the south far into the Sahara Desert, north of the great Niger River bend.
web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/CoursePack/sundjata.htm
Medieval Mali guaranteed the right to have a rap battle , or playing the dozens.
Article 7:
The sanankunya (joking relationship) and the tanamannyonya (blood pact) have been established among the Mandinka. Consequently, any contention that occurs among these groups should not degenerate the respect for one another being the rule. Between brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, between grandparents and grandchildren, tolerance should be the principle.
ccaf.africa/books/The_Manden_Charter.pdf
Part III: Return of the King
As Sundjata made his way homeward, he passed through all the kingdoms he had come to know during his exile, gathering fighters, archers and horsemen as he went. At Tabon, near the Malian city of Kita, Sundjata's army launched a surprise attack on Soumaoro's forces. Though a smaller force, Sundjata's side prevailed, sending the Sosso army into retreat. At the next battle, Sundjata and Soumaoro came face to face. Again, Sundjata's forces dominated the field through superior tactics, but Soumaoro escaped using his own formidable magic. One moment, the Sosso king stood before Sundjata on his black-coated horse, his tall helmet bristling with horns. But a mere instant later, Soumaoro stood on a far distant ridge. Sundjata despaired, feeling that his enemy's magic made him invincible.
Even as Sundjata's army grew, he knew he would need more that might to defeat Soumaoro. So he summoned soothsayers to council him on harnessing supernatural powers. Following their advice, Sundjata ordered the sacrifice of 100 white oxen, 100 white rams, and 100 white cocks. As the ritual slaughter began, Sundjata's griot and his half-sister arrived at his camp. They had escaped captivity in Soumaoro's city.
Sundjata's half-sister then told him that she had been forced to be Soumaoro's wife, but that in doing so, she had learned the secret of his magic. Soumaoro's totem, his sacred animal, and so the source of his amazing power, was the cock. This animal had the power to destroy Soumaoro. Like Samson losing his long hair and with it his strength, like Achilles with his vulnerable heel, Soumaoro too had a weakness that his enemy could exploit. Armed with this knowledge, Sundjata fashioned a wooden arrow with a white cock's spur as its tip.
The great showdown between Soumaoro and Sundjata came at the battle of Kirina. On the eve of the battle, the two men observed the ritual of declaring war. Each sent an owl to the other's encampment, and the owls delivered messages of bravado.
"I am the wild yam of the rocks," boasted Soumaoro, "Nothing will make me leave Mali."
Sundjata replied, "I have in my camp seven master smiths who will shatter the rocks. Then, yam, I will eat you."
The verbal jousting continued. Soumaoro said, "I am the poisonous mushroom that makes the fearless vomit."
And Sundjata replied, "I am the ravenous cock. The poison does not matter to me."
Soumaoro"Behave yourself, little boy, or you will burn your foot, for I am the red-hot cinder."
Sundjata"But me, I am the rain that extinguishes the cinder; I am the boisterous torrent that will carry you off."
Sumamuru "I am the mighty silk cotton tree that looks from on high on the tops of other trees."
Sundjata "And I, I am the strangling creeper that climbs to the top of the forest creeper."
Having thus declared their intentions, Sundjata and Soumaoro [aka: Sumamuru Kanté], made war at Kirina. In the midst of full battle, Sundjata aimed his special arrow and fired. The cock's spur grazed Soumaoro's shoulder, and all was lost for the Sosso king. By the time Sundjata's victorious forces entered Soumaoro's city and opened his secret chamber, the snakes there were almost dead and the owls lay flopping on the ground. Victorious, Sundjata invited the leaders of all the 12 kingdoms of the savanna to come to Kaba, a city in old Mali. There, he told them they could keep their kingdoms, but that all would now join in a great, new empire. From that day forth, Sundjata's word became the law respected throughout the 12 kingdoms. The Empire of Mali was born, stretching from the forests of the south far into the Sahara Desert, north of the great Niger River bend.
web.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/CoursePack/sundjata.htm
Medieval Mali guaranteed the right to have a rap battle , or playing the dozens.
Article 7:
The sanankunya (joking relationship) and the tanamannyonya (blood pact) have been established among the Mandinka. Consequently, any contention that occurs among these groups should not degenerate the respect for one another being the rule. Between brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, between grandparents and grandchildren, tolerance should be the principle.
ccaf.africa/books/The_Manden_Charter.pdf