Sunjata

The epic poem Sunjata is named after a West African hero. Honoring the Mande culture, the narrative tells the story of the Mande people, their anticipation for Sunjata’s birth, and the young hero’s trials and experiences.

Two brothers Abdu Karimi and Abdu Kassimu travel to Do ni Kirri to hunt a buffalo ravaging the Manden countryside. The Conde people tell the brothers “that anybody who kills this buffalo, / That they will present three sets of girls to that person, / Any one you choose will be your wife” (Sunjata lns. 57-59). When they successfully hunt and kill the buffalo, the brothers select a woman and take her back to their homeland. Upon return, she marries Maghan Konfara, a man who desperately wants a son of his own.

At the ceremony, the co-wives carry the bride, since “her feet were twisted and she could not walk without / raising dust” (Sunjata 752-753). Because of the condition of Sogolon Conde’s feet, the tradition of carrying a bride began. When her headscarf falls off, the co-wives sing about her “heron-head” (Sunjata 780). Again, beginning a new tradition.

As Maghan Konfara longs for a child and seeks a wife who can give him one, in Malaysia, a wedding custom is to eat certain foods at the wedding feast in order to bring specific symbolic meaning to the newlyweds. To wish the new couple fertility, “so they will be blessed with many children,” they eat bunga telur (Muhammad). “Each guest will receive a bunga telur, which means ‘flower’ and ‘egg’ – a symbol of a fertile union” (“Malay Wedding”). The boiled egg is served with flowers, spices, and herb leaves because they have certain symbolic properties as well as special nutritional value (Muhammad). In addition, the new couple may postpone their honeymoon and eat meals at neighborhood houses for one month “to usher them into the married community” (“Malay Wedding”). Each culture has certain wedding traditions to honor the newlyweds and wish them well.

Works Cited

 “Malay Wedding.” Tawau. eTawau, 30 Oct. 2013. Web 7 June 2014. <http://www.etawau.com/HTML/Culture/MalayWedding/MalayWedding.htm>

Muhammad, Rosmaliza, et al. “The Roles and Symbolism of Foods in Malay Wedding Ceremony.” Procedia: Social and Behavioral Sciences 101 (2013): 268-276. Print.

Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples. Trans. David C. Conrad, et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner et al. Shorter 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. 1517-1576. Print.