A Comparison between the Maasai of Kenya and the Mandinka of Sierra Leorne
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A Comparison between the Maasai of Kenya and the Mandinka of Sierra Leone
Introduction
The world is made up of people who are different in their races, ethnicity and their culture. They have their own unique way of doing things being guided by the power of their culture, which provides values and beliefs meant to provide a code of conduct and the group solidarity. The following discussion will focus on the cultural practices of two ethnic groups in Africa.
Discussion
Ethnic composition and dynamics of Mandinka Ethnic group of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa with about twenty ethnic groups. One of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa that is going to be considered in this discussion is Mandinka. They are said to have a population of eleven million and are found in other countries such as Gambia and Guinea. They migrated from the River Niger basin in their quest of fertile land to agriculture (Nicholls 67). It is said that due to many conflicts with Fula community, majority of the Mandinka people were converted to Muslims while about a third were sold to America as slaves.
The communities of Mandinka are said to have been situated along the long distance trade routes. This was done so for the purpose of exchanging their agricultural products with other goods such as gold that came from Bambouk community from the northern area.
Traditional Marriage Processes
Marriage is one of the most social institutions which has an aim of ensuring the continuation of the community through child bearing. A man could not be regarded and accorded the required respect unless they married and got children. It is said that in the Mandinka people, marriage is arranged by the family members rather than the bride and the groom. The parents of the groom have the responsibility to propose to the parents of the bride and express their intension of establishing a lasting relationship with them through marriage. This practice is in contrary with the contemporary societies where the groom is expected to propose to the bride, go through the courtship process before marrying.
The parents of the groom send Kola nuts to the elders of the spotted bride as a sign that they are interested in having their daughter (Nicholls 78). The elders are expected to scrutinize a number of factors before agreeing to give away the bride. These include wealth and responsibility. The man had to prove that he was in a position to take care of the bride in terms of feeding and clothing her including taking care of the children. The man had also to demonstrate hard work and wisdom that is required to lead a successful family. Once everything was okay, the elders would accept the Kola nuts, a sign that they had authorized a courtship between the bride and the groom.
The lady to be married among the Mandinka people must exhibit certain qualities. One of the most important factor is that they must be fertile, in the that they must give birth. The status of a man in the society was determined by the number of children that they had. Therefore, no man would have wished to marry a barren wife for the fear of becoming a disgrace in the society by failing to fulfill the main obligations which was procreation for the purpose of community expansion.
Ladies were also expected to show reverence to their men. They were submissive and did not question what they were asked to do. A man was known to have control over his house if his wife could demonstrate respect especially in front of his guests.
Polygamy is said to be a dominant practice among the Mandinka community. A man can marry up to four wives provided that he is able to cater for all their needs and treat them equally. The eldest wife is said to have authority over the subsequent ones. The wives are expected to live in harmony and share the duties in the house. Finally, sons were very valued and any man looked forward to having a wife whom they thought would produce sons. They gave them a sense of pride
Religious Practices
The Mandinka people have been predominantly religious. They used to practice the traditional forms of worship where they believed in the existence of supernatural powers. The community was led to worship and offering of sacrifices by their elders who were thought to be holy and closer to gods than the ordinary people. They also believed in the power of witchcraft and many people practiced it together with magic. This was done especially when one was trying to avoid competition from other members of the society, and therefore the practice was done to make them fear accumulating resources. Witchcraft was also important in the fact that it regulated the behavior of people. For the fear of being bewitched, the society was orderly in that no one could still other people’s properties or become rude to any.
It is said that today about 99% of the Mandinka people are predominantly muslims. This is owing to the fact that most of them were converted during the religious conflicts. Apart from this, many of them still practice animism. This is the spiritual belief that other things such as mountains, trees and rocks have souls and supernatural powers and they were therefore worshipped.
They have the ability to recite the Qu’ran in Arabic and everyone from young to the old are expected to do that. Marabout who is a religious leader, is believed to have power to control the spirits especially the evil ones which could haunt the society. He write the Qu’ranic verses on papers, which are then sewed on leather pouches. They are eventually worn by the Mandinka society as amulets that would protect them from any evil powers.
Art and craft and artistic expressions
The Mandinka people are known to be rich in their traditions and the expression of their culture. They are said to socialize their members orally through the use of music, Proverbs and stories (Charry 67).These were mostly done to the children for the purpose of teaching them about their cultures. The culture is said to be passed by Griot, who is a prolific poet and a singer. This is a person who new how to combine words in a professional way to produce songs and poems that appealed to the audience.
The Mandinka people are also known to be artistic in the fact that they were famous for their drumming techniques (Charry 98). This took place especially in commemoration of specific events and also in celebration of certain transitional stages in life.
They are also known to make a unique musical instrument known as the Kora , which is a twenty-one-stringed musical instrument that resembles a guitar. It is made up of a dried hollowed-out gourd which is later covered with cow or goat skin.
Death and burial customs
Death in the Mandinka community was a celebration if a person died at the old age. He was said to have died in peace after achieving all that was expected of them. However, if a young person died, this was considered wrong and people had beliefs that someone must have bewitched them. This was also the case when one was sick.
Once death occurred, the message was passed through wails and screams by the women. The people would then come to join the mourners as they prepare to bury them. The elders were expected to officiate in every activity that took place as they were believed to talk to the gods. They could be asked to tell the gods to stop haunting the society especially where people dying were young. They did this through offering of sacrifices.
The dead person was buried just near their place as they were considered to be part of the community. They were also thought to be protective especially if they died old and were of good character.
Ethnic composition and dynamics of Maasai people of Kenya
The Maasai of Kenya are the most famous of all the ethnic communities in the world due to the fact that they live near the tourist attraction sites such as the game reserves. They are also one group that has not been affected by globalization and cultural change. They have been able to hold to their original culture that ensures their integrity, solidarity and harmony.
They are estimated to be a population of about 900,000 a total in both Kenya and the neighboring country Tanzania. They speak the official languages of the two countries which are Kiswahili and English.
Tradition marriage process
The Maasai and the Mandinka people share a lot in common in matters relating to marriage. When a young Maasai man wants to marry, he approaches his parents and informs them of the intension. This is followed by consultations with the parents of the bride through the use of the council of elders. The bride parents must be assured beyond doubt that the groom has the capacity to support the bride. Therefore, just like in the Mandinka community, the main measure of marriage in the Maasai community is wealth. Whereas wealth Mandinka could be measured by how big the farm is, in the Maasai wealth is measured by the number of herd of cattle one has since they are predominantly pastoralists.
The wives in the maasai community are expected to be submissive to their husband. This is demonstrated by the fact that they cannot greet their husbands by the hands but through their heads. They are to bow and then the man places a hand on their head which is a sign of greetings.
Maasai men are also predominantly polygamous. (Elizabeth 130). They can marry as many wives as one can support as this is also a measure of how wealthy a man is. It is a way of alleviating one’s status in the society. These wives are also expected to give birth to sons. Wives who fail to do so are mistreated and seen as causing a bad omen to the family. Sons are preferred for the fact that they take care of the cattle which is the wealth of the family.
Art, craft and artistic expressions
Maasai like the Mandinkas are singers and dancers. They are known in Kenya and world as the biggest entertainers of the tourists once they visit. The music is conducted by an olaranyani, or a song leader while the rest respond in unison. Normally, the Olaranyani is a talented vocalist who can lead the group in great harmonies.
Most of the songs are also meant to pass particular message which includes the traditions of that community. They use horns as the musical instruments which are played by trained members.
They are also known to be very artistic when it comes to decorating their bodies. Maasai make the red ochre which is used as dye for the young warriors who are known as the Moran. They are respected young people in the society and this ochre distinguishes them from the rest and to mark a transitional stage. They are also known to do beadwork which produces beautiful bangles and necklaces which they also sell to the tourists once they visit Kenya.
Religious traditions
The Maasai people have been religious and believe in one supernatural being they call Enkai, that is, God. Traditionally, the Maasai people had a spiritual figure that they referred to as the Oloibon. This was the person who was supposed to guide the society through religious acts such as the offering of sacrifices. He was both a prophet and a diviner. This meant that he could foresee what the future held for the society and prepare them incase of any catastrophe. He could also foretell what was to happen in the community as he was thought to be in contact with the gods.
Today however, the traditional worship is slowly fading away as most of the Maasai are converted to Christianity or Muslim. They are slowly abandoning that kind of worship also because they are becoming enlightened through the formal education. Globalization has also affected them to some extent and they are beginning to borrow from the foreign cultures.
Death and burial customs
Unlike the Mandinka people, there is no celebration after death among the Maasai. They are known to be nomadic pastoralists and therefore they have no permanent place of resident. Once a person dies, they are said to live them to be fed upon by the scavengers. They therefore don’t bury their loved ones and they do not hold any kind of celebrations for their honor.
However, the trend is slowly changing as many Maasais have begun acquiring land to practice agriculture instead of pastoralism. This is owing to the fact that climatic conditions have affected adversely the pastures and for the group to survive they need to look for alternative means to live. This change has also made them to honor the dead by burying them.
Conclusion
Culture is so diverse and this is what distinguishes one group from another in the society. People must appreciate that there is no inferior or superior cultures as each is perceived good in the eyes of the group practicing it. However, many ethnic groups are losing their culture today due to the effects of social change.
Reference:
Charry, Eric S. Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and
Mandinka of Western Africa. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
ISBN 0226101614, 2000
Robert W. Nicholls. The Mocko Jumbie of the U.S. Virgin Islands; History and
Antecedents. African Arts, Vol. 32, No. 3 pp. 48–61+94-96, 1999.
Elizabeth L. Gilbert: Broken Spears – a Maasai Journey. Atlantic Monthly Press. page
136. ISBN 0-87113-840-9, 2003
