The Nine Sorceresses of Mande

Max Dashu

The Song of the Emir Diarra, called Sunjatta (taken from Leo Frobenius, with my commentary in italics)

This epic of Mali celebrates a conquering warrior king, but in places reflects traces of powerful shamanic priestesses, known as the “Nine Sorceresses of Mande.” The hero Mare Diarra, more commonly known as Emir Sunjatta, founded the great Malinke kingdom circa 1235. The Griots sang his story as beginning in the land of Sangara, which they describe as already being a patriarchal culture, and one that was class-ranked, from king to slaves. Women are outnumbered and oppressed in the story of a single sister bullied and mistreated by her twelve brothers. The epic says that women were few in those days. So the coming of this conquering king is mythically rendered as occurring in a time of intensified patriarchy.

To begin with, Sunjatta’s ancestry flows from the slaying of the Koba. This magical female antelope-spirit with a golden tail was an old woman shapeshifter who had been cruelly oppressed by her brothers. Since her transformation, she roamed around killing a person a day. Two hunters seek the rewards that a king offered for doing away with the Koba, and so they consult the sand oracle on how to proceed. Unfortunately, nothing more is told about what this oracle was, but sand diviners still exist in Mali today, as shown by this photo of a geomancer's altar in Kalassa:

As advised, the brothers court the Old Woman with offerings, and finally, weary of life, she agrees to be killed by them. (I’m not presenting this as a non-patriarchal story, because it isn’t, but for those who will be interested in the Koba.) She instructs them in how to do this and further, that they should select the ugliest daughter of the king, covered with boils. (There are some similarities to the Celtic sovereignty stories, in which male seekers must choose the loathly hag who is the sovereignty goddess.) It is this ugly princess who becomes the mother of Sunjatta (Sundiatta).

The story then tells us about the Nine Sorceresses of Mande:

At that time there were Subaga mussu Kononto (nine sorceresses) in Mande, and their names were :

I. — Sititi, she was the leader.

2. — Sototo, she was her assistant.

3. — Djalimussu tumbumannia, who sings the song to the dead. [ancestral mysteries]

4. — Muruni-pempete, who cuts off the head with a knife. [a sacrificer]

5. — Sumussu sungana Niamorodiote, the able sorceress of power who is below Sototo in rank.

6. — Dagani Kubaga, who washes out the little magic cauldron.

7. — Djinbi djamba, who brings news at night-time and must be the first to say everything.

8. — Miniamba, who lies down like a snake in the path to bite those in the leg who are condemned by the Sumussu [the spirits]

9, — Kulutugubaga, who has power to restore broken arms, heal up flesh wounds and bring the dead to life again. [that recurring theme of ultimate shamanic power]

Names of power: we run across these in the Aztec world, and in many other places. Names are reflective of powers, even as magnetizing those powers. Unfortunately, not more is told about these women and their spiritual spheres, but they appear to be part of the court in this story, although they seem to be tinged with the savor of goddesses. However, the story is set to get rid of them, all but one who becomes a protector of Sunjatta. His birth cry is inimical to them, causing the nine sorceresses to drop dead:

Now, when Sugulunkurmang was in child-bed, Djalimussu tumbumannia was present with the women. The babe cried four times. All babes cry once when they come into the world, but Sugulunkurmang's child cried four times. At the fourth cry, the nine women fell down dead and the babe's mother came near unto death. The king heard the clamour and asked : " What happens in the village ? " Some old people went thither and looked into the hut. They went back and said : " A woman has become a mother. The child cries so that nine old women died and the mother also nearly perisheth." The King said : " Nyete ma ninyoro yatayi." (" Such a thing have I never seen ! ") Now, because the king gave the babe no other name, it was called Sunjatta.

The story is confusing because it has nine old women fall dead, and yet the Nine Sorceresses reappear soon in the story. Maybe some other nine women are meant, but the correspondence between the Nine Sorceresses of Mande and “nine women” who fell dead is otherwise unexplained and unaccounted-for. The third sorceress reappears as a protector of Sunjatta against the others of her sisterhood:

Once, when Djalimussu tumbumannia was on a journey, the remaining eight Subagas changed Sunjatta into a Turani (bull) at the request of his relatives. Then they led the young steer forth and struck off his head ; they put him to death ; they divided him ; into nine parts they made him. Each one took her portion, and the ninth, which was Djalimussu tumbumannia's share, they kept and gave to the Subaga (protecting Sunjatta) on her return. Djalimussu tumbumannia took her share and asked : " What kind of flesh is this ? " The other Subagas answered : " This is the flesh of Sunjatta, the son of Sugulunkurmang, whom we changed into a Turani and then divided."

Djalimussu tumbumannia said : " What has more meat, a young Turani or nine full-grown bush-buffalo ? " The eight Subaga made reply : " Nine full-grown bush-buffalo have more meat ! " Djalimussu tumbumannia's word was : " It is well ; to-morrow bring unto me all the bones and sinews of your portions, and I will give each one of ye a full-grown bush-buffalo in exchange therefor." Thus it was done; next morn all the bone and sinew parts were brought together and the Turani was put together again. It was a youthful steer once more. Djalimussu tumbumannia struck it on the tail and again it was Sunjatta. Djalimussu tumbumannia said to him : " Run swiftly hence ! Tarry not ! Go out from Mandeland ! I must conceal the young snake lest men should slay it and rob it of its life so young ! "

 This story of cattle slain, butchered, and eaten, and their bones wrapped in the skins, being regenerated with a blow by a goddess also occurs in the testimony of certain Italian witch trials.

So the story has one sorceress aligned with the future king neutralize the power of all the others, and basically buys them off. But the theme of women’s magic power is carried forward in the person of Sunjatta’s younger sister Killikillimadjumasuko. She counsels him to restrain himself and guides him through a series of ordeals. She tells him,

“I am but a weakly maid, a woman-child, but I can do great things." (For the girl was a mistress of potent magic craft.) Then, do thou tell me always first what thou wouldst do, and I will help thee."

Here the patriarchal notion of female weakness is paradoxically paired with tremendous spiritual power. This theme draws on very old African traditions, the priestess role of the sister linked with the military and conquest role of the brother, as in ancient Egypt and also dramatized in ancient Napatan and Meroitic art of Sudan.

 

If you want to read more from this oral history of the griots as given
through Leo Frobenius about a century ago, go to: http://www.archive.org/stream/voiceofafricabei02frobuoft/voiceofafricabei02frobuoft_djvu.txt

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