It came from the mist of course. The main problem with an oral tradition is that the details get fuzzier as the time goes on, soon the truth is lost in antiquity. You have to hear the story told from various people to get an idea of what the original message was about.
The mbira is a musical instrument of the Shona people of the Zimbabwe area. They report a particular story around the instrument, how it came to them. Other African peoples also had thumbpianos. How did this idea originate, spread and develop? I call the mbira, "the African Baby Grand Piano". I say the Africans were using their thumbs to play music centuries before texting devices were thought of.
The Kora is the most outrageous and mysterious musical instrument I ever saw. I am saying, forget sitars and kotos. No offense to Hindus or Japanese, but this Kora is legendary. It probably predates the guitar and was the main "axe" (guitar jargon) on the West side of Africa (were we are said to come from). What if there were a sacred Kora and it was passed between a succession of kings, protected by royal armies and played by folks who made it rain, made the fruit to blossom and other armies lay down their spears? The Kora was the light saber of a more civilized time.
The balafon or marimba is another instrument hard to fanthom. The modern commercial versions are nice but there is nothing amazing about them. How the heck can you get such sound out of a bunch of sticks and gourds and twine, have not many keys and be played with that kind of articulate magic?
What I am saying is sometimes the story comes out of the material culture, or around an object. Important objects, designs, symbols, stories are wrapped around them. Like a song passed down as a tribal tradition, you have to be initiated via a right of passage ritual for you to receive, this song and be able to play it. What was the initiation ritual, it is not hazing foolishness, this is the passing of serious traditions to the next generation. We have mindless, "so what" institutions for these things today. It was not so in African traditions.
Ancient warriors not having the benefit of our resources today, how did they get intel on other armies, where did their battle strategies come from?
Comments