Design and Music in a Changing Northern Sierra Leone Chiefdom

Simon Ottenberg

Description

This is an anthropological and historical study of Wara Wara Balodea Chiefdoma, an ancient and formerly very isolated, hill chiefdom in northern Sierra Leone. West Africa, called Wara Wara Bafodea, with rice growing in the chiefdom's south and grain in its north. The book is based on two-year's personal study in 1979-1980, contrasting the chiefdoms music with its art and designs, to arrive at an understanding of the elements of its culture. Numerous color and black and white photographs, mostly taken by the author, illuminate the work. The book is also a study of a changing cultures, with Wara Wara Bafodea culture and language becoming overwhelmed by both Muslim and Christian influences -an African society undergoing rapid change from a an elemental indigenous society to a complex multicultural one.

Sujets

• Arts visuels
• Arts visuels
• Histoire
• Sierra Leona
• Reference
• History
• Sierra Leone

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 08 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781669822677
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 28 Mo

Extrait

DESIGN and MUSIC
in a Changing
NORTHERN SIERRA LEONE CHIEFDOM
 
 
 
 
 
SIMON OTTENBERG
 
Copyright © 2022 by Simon Ottenberg. 826668
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
 
 

Library of Congress Control Number:
2022908078
ISBN:
Softcover
978-1-6698-2269-1

Hardcover
978-1-6698-2268-4

EBook
978-1-6698-2267-7
 
 
 
 
Rev. date: 09/08/2022
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I dedicate this volume to my loving wife Carol Ottenberg who has stood by me for the many years that it has taken to prepare this volume.
CONTENTS

Preface
Acknowledgments
The Chapters
Chapter 1 An Isolated Chiefdom?
Chapter 2 Objects, Designs, and Sculptures
Chapter 3 Major Events
Chapter 4 Popular Songs and Dances
Chapter 5 Work Music and Celebrations
Chapter 6 An Overview
Endnotes
FIGURES AND MAPS

CHAPTER 1
1:1.MajorSierraLeoneculturalgroups
1:2. The Limba groups in Sierra Leone
1:3. Sierra Leone
1:1. The southern landscape
1:2. A northern chiefdom farm settlement
1:3. Ruins of the Old Bafodea Town
1:4. Old Bafodea Town in the 1940s
1:5. Christian religious meeting in Old Bafodea Town
1:6. As elephant killed by George Huff
1:7. A hunter, with his hunting jacket, gun, and a dead monkey
1:8. The paramount chief’s drums
1:9. Members of the congregation
1:10. A Christian memorial service in the New Bafodea Town
1:11. Muslim presence in the early days of the New Bafodea Town
1:13. Primary school children at Bafodea Town, 1980
1:14. Bafodea Town from the Wesleyan missionary residence
1:15. A Christian gravestone
1:16. A Muslim gravestone
1:17. Paramount Chief Almamy Salifu Mansaray
1:18. Pa Hamidu Kamara, the speaker
1:19. A modern rectangular home in the New Bafodea Town
1:20. Dalipoto, a northern village
1:21. Kamandia, a large village in the northern section of the chiefdom
1:22. The blacksmith is tapping on iron at a swear.
1:23. The blacksmith’s assistant is working up the ground
1:24. At another swear
1:25. Ancestral grave of Chief Hono of Kadonso
1:26. A sarak a hanging at the north end of Kadanso village
1:27. Gbangban i gong used as a saraka
1:28. A raffia net saraka
1:29. A spirit figure saraka
1:30. New Iron tools made by a Bafodea Town blacksmith
1:31. The Imam at Bafodea Town and some of his family
1:32. The Imam addresses male Islam members at Bafodea Town
1:33. The Imam addresses female Islam members at Bafodea Town
1:34. A child’s Arabic prayer board, Wala
CHAPTER 2
2:1. Hukpodun g basket
2:2. Interior designs on a hammock
2:3. Typical designs on a new comb
2:4. Wood hammock spreaders with incised designs
2:5. A new bamboo snuff box
2:6. House posts on a deserted traditional home
2:7.The paramount chief’s public symbol office
2:8. A boy preparing a walking stick
2:9. Gbangban i gong, Bafodea Town
2:10. Gbangban i gong, Bafodea Town
2:11. Gbangban i gongs outside of Kambalia village
2:12, 2:13. Two views of a Gbangban i megaphone purchased in Freetown
2:14. From Kadansom village
2:16. Pa Modi weaving, sitting behind the weaving frame.
2:17. The chief of Dalipoto weaving from the side of the loom
2:18. Alenke from Bafodea Town, using a standing loom
2:19. The beginning of a native thread band
2:20. A role of native thread weave woven by Bulu of Bafodea Town, mixed native and European thread
2:21. Four-strip woven gara-dyed shawl with the ends knotted
2:22. Paul Hamidu Mansaray of Bafodea Town holding up a tarantula
2:23. Raffia bag made by Mando Mansaray of Bafodea Town
2:24. Raffia fibers drying on a porch in Kakpongpon village
2:25. Muctaro Mansaray preparing raffia to make a basket
2:26. Making an hutans i basket
2:27. A woman with incisions on her back called kabindu
2:28. Mpot i hairstyle of initiating girl
2:29. Girl from Kandanso village with makontun o hairstyle
2:30. Basket hairstyle, Bafodea Town
2:31. Five-scatter hairstyle, Bafodea Town
2:32. Daba Kamara pounding clay to soften it
2:33. Smoothing the pot bottom with a round stone
2:34. Working on a second pot
2:35. Adding clay by the coil method
2:36. The two pots are enclosed in bark, ready to be fired
2:37. Pulling out the pots
2:38. Surface finds decorated potsherds, Bafodea Town
2:39. Some of the paramount chief’s silver rings
2:40. Pa Sorie Barrie stamping a design on aluminum, Bafodea Town
2:41. Yeniba Kamara preparing a headband
2:42. Kut a belonging to the wife of the chief of Kadankan village
2:43. A headband with triangles moving in one direction
2:44. A man’s headband with triangles going in both directions and a narrow band
2:45. An unusual style beaded band on a girl from Bafodea Town
2:46. Pre-initiation girls at a dance in Bafodea Town, both wearing a cloth saraka
2:47. Girl at a pre-initiation dance, Bafodea Town, Freetown
2:48. A woman wearing a hanging type of headband at a boy’s pre-initiation dance.
2:49. Boys dressed up for their pre-initiation dance, each wearing two beaded bands, Bafodea Town
2:50. A woman’s musical gourd rattle, Bafodea Town.
2:51. A girl’s half-gourd beaded rattle used to collect money, Bafodea Town.
2:52. Mabal a, a European bead necklace worn by girls
2:54. Two ancient traditional hunter’s hats of native cloth
2:55, Outer wall designs, Serekude village home
2:56. Outer wall designs, Kambalia village home
2:57. Pa Salifu wearing a native-made Kaftana gown or tuntola
2:58. A meeting of chiefdom Muslims awaiting the visit of P. H. Kamara
2:59 Fula hats purchased at Bindo market, near Guinea
2:60. Another Fula form of embroidered hats
2:61. An older style design on a storage chest, Kamagbonsi village
2:62. An assistant of the Fula blacksmith working in a storage chest
2:63. A new chest by Kaparana
2:64. Hatumer e, Bafodea Town
2:65 Hatumer e owned by the Imam of Bafodeam Town
2:66. Leather amulet with a parallel line design
2:67. Leather amulet with stamped design
2:68. Possibly an early form of Huronk o shirt, photo by George Huff ca. 1950s
2:69. Suma Mannio carving an APC Hurink o stamp, Bafodea Town
2:70. Suma Mannio stamp in a Huronko shirt, Bafodea Town
2:71. Huronk o shirt with sun and cross design Bt Pa Wosi, Bafodea Town
2:72. Innovative bird design by Dunto, Bafodea Town
2:73. Mohamed Bangura’s Janus-faced head, Bafodea Town
2:74. Mohamed Bangura’s Janus-faced heads, Bafodea Town
2:75. By Mohamed Bangura, unfinished work, Bafodea Town
2:76. Mohamed Bangura sculpting, Bafodea Town
2:77. Sculpture by Salifu Mansaray, Bafodea Town
2:78. Sculpture by Salifu Mansaray, Bafodea Town
2:79. Pa Hamidu Mansaray crocheting a wool hat, Bafodea Town
2:80. Hats for sale made by a different Pa Hamidu Mansaray, Bafodea Town
2:81. Imported wool hats brought to Bafodea Town by a trader from Kabala
2:82. Mabo, the Mande weaver, working at Bafodea Town
2:83. Some of Mabo’s cloths
2:84. A Fula cloth from Kamandia in the north of the chiefdom
2:85. A Fula weaver in Kamandia in the north of the chiefdom
2:86. A used cloth dealer from Kabala awaits buyers in Bafodea Town
CHAPTER 3
3:1. Boys in their pre-initiation dress, Bafodea Town
3:2. A pre-initiation boy observing his initiate gown being measured
3:3. Measuring the cloth for the boy’s initiation gown
3:4. Initiating boys dressed up for their pre-initiation dance. A woman is giving them coins as gifts, Serekude village
3:5. Initiating boys with their whistles and sleeping mats, Serekude village
3:6. The back of a boy’s initiation dress, showing hangings and fiber headdress, Bafodea Town
3:7. A boy dancing
3:8. A large number of musical instruments at a boys’ pre-initiating dance either drums or wood gongs
3:9. Boys just out of the initiation bush being greeted by the paramount chief, Bafodea Town
3:10. Some initiates wore traditional hats lined with cowry shells
3:11. Boy’s initiating gongs with their wide variety of incised designs, Bafodea Town
3:12. Recently initiated boys from Kasapena Town, who are visiting Bafodea Town in search of gifts, which they will place in their half-gourds
3:13. Girl performing her pre-initiating dance, Kasatinto (Kaka) village
3:14. Miniature knife and bell used by a girl as a sarak a in her initiation, Bafodea Town
3:15. When the girls dance, women dance on the side, Kpongpong village
3:16. Girls, dressed in blue, who have finished the first stage of their initiation, watching a girl’s pre-initiation dance, Bafodea Town
3:17. The girl’s return from the washin g, Bafodea Town
3:18. Watched girls dancing by twos, a woman is giving them a das h (present), Kakoya village
3:19. The dress of a recently initiated girl, Kakonso village
3:20. The