Kankurang and Manding

Revision as of 07:43, 27 April 2022

The Kankurang is an initiatory rite practised throughout the Manding provinces of Senegal and Gambia, mainly corresponding to the Casamance, and in the city of Mbour.

According to tradition, the origin of the Kankurang is to be found in the Komo, a secret society of hunters whose organization and esoteric practices contributed to the emergence of the Manding.

The central character in the Kankurang, is an initiate who wears a mask made of the bark and red fibre of the faara tree and is clothed in leaves, his body painted with vegetable dyes. He is associated with circumcision ceremonies and initiatory rites.

His appearance is marked by several ritual stages: the designation of the initiate who will wear the mask and his investiture by the elders, his retreat into the woods with the initiates, the vigils and processions through the hamlet of the new initiates. The whole ritual generally takes place between August and September.

The Kankurang always parades surrounded by former initiates and the villagers who respectfully follow his behaviour and gestures, and perform dances and songs. His displays are punctuated with a staccato dance as he wields two machetes and utters piercing cries. His followers, armed with sticks and rhun palm leaves, beat out the rhythm with their choruses and tom-toms.

The Kankurang is the guarantor of order and justice as well as the exorcist of evil spirits. As such, he ensures the transmission and teaching of a complex collection of know-how and practices underpinning Manding cultural identity.

A ritual that has spread to other communities and groups of the area, it is the occasion for young circumcised boys to learn the rules of behaviour for the ordering their community, the secrets of plants and their medicinal values, and hunting techniques.

Their traditional practice is in retreat because of the rapid urbanization of most regions of Senegal and Gambia and the decreasing extent of sacred forests, which are transformed into cultivated land. As a result, the ritual is trivialized and the Kankurang authority is undermined.

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-|Body=In the Mandinka provinces of Senegal and Gambia, Kankurang is a cultural initiation ceremony practiced throughout the Casamance and Mbour cities and is a major immigrant group. According to tradition, the origin of the Mandinka can be traced back to the Komo, a secret society of hunters whose organization, as well as the practices they followed, were fundamental to the development of the Kankurang. A major part of West Africa is inhabited by the Mandinka, the descendants of the Mali Empire, which rose to prominence as a power in the 13th century under the rule of king Sundiata Keita, who established an empire that would later span much of the continent.
+|Body=The Kankurang is an initiatory rite practised throughout the Manding provinces of Senegal and Gambia, mainly corresponding to the Casamance, and in the city of Mbour.
-The main character of the game, named Kankurang, is an initiate who wears leaves and has a colored core made from bark of the Faara tree. Among the things he wore were a bark mask and a body paint made of vegetable dyes. The significance of his appearance appears to be associated with circumcision ceremonies and initiatory rites. The entire process of recognizing his appearance is marked by many ritual stages: the identification of the initiator who will wear the mask, his investiture by the elders, the retreat into the forest with the other initiates, and finally the vigils and processions through the hamlet of the new initiates. Generally speaking, the whole ritual is performed between August and September of every year. Every time he parades, the Kankurang is always accompanied by former initiates and the villagers who follow his behaviour and gestures respectfully and perform dances and songs to show their respect to him. A staccato dance accompanies his displays as he wields two machetes and utters piercing cries. The rhythm is defined by the drumming and choruses of his followers as they beat the sticks and leaves of the rhun palm.
-Kankurang protects the people from harm since he is the protector of order and justice, as well as an exorcist of evil spirits. Therefore, he is responsible for the transmission and teaching of a complex collection of know-how and practices that underpin the cultural identity of Mandings. Besides learning the rules of behaviour for the ordering of the community, the secrets of plants and their medicinal properties, and hunting techniques, young circumcised boys also learn about the ritual, which has spread to other communities and groups in the area. In Senegal and Gambia, their traditional culture is in decline due to urbanization and the disappearance of sacred forests that are transformed into cultivated land as a result of the rapid urbanization of the country's regions and the rapid urbanization of its regions. This results in the ritual being trivialized and the authority of Kankurang being undermined.
-References:
+According to tradition, the origin of the Kankurang is to be found in the Komo, a secret society of hunters whose organization and esoteric practices contributed to the emergence of the Manding.
-https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/kankurang-manding-initiatory-rite-00143
-https://www.justactgambia.org/kankurang-tradition
+The central character in the Kankurang, is an initiate who wears a mask made of the bark and red fibre of the faara tree and is clothed in leaves, his body painted with vegetable dyes. He is associated with circumcision ceremonies and initiatory rites.
-https://allafrica.com/stories/200812170780.html
+His appearance is marked by several ritual stages: the designation of the initiate who will wear the mask and his investiture by the elders, his retreat into the woods with the initiates, the vigils and processions through the hamlet of the new initiates. The whole ritual generally takes place between August and September.
+The Kankurang always parades surrounded by former initiates and the villagers who respectfully follow his behaviour and gestures, and perform dances and songs. His displays are punctuated with a staccato dance as he wields two machetes and utters piercing cries. His followers, armed with sticks and rhun palm leaves, beat out the rhythm with their choruses and tom-toms.
+The Kankurang is the guarantor of order and justice as well as the exorcist of evil spirits. As such, he ensures the transmission and teaching of a complex collection of know-how and practices underpinning Manding cultural identity.
+A ritual that has spread to other communities and groups of the area, it is the occasion for young circumcised boys to learn the rules of behaviour for the ordering their community, the secrets of plants and their medicinal values, and hunting techniques.
+Their traditional practice is in retreat because of the rapid urbanization of most regions of Senegal and Gambia and the decreasing extent of sacred forests, which are transformed into cultivated land. As a result, the ritual is trivialized and the Kankurang authority is undermined.
 |Subject=dance, Ritual
 |Country=Senegal, The Gambia
-|SDG=(16) Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
 }}