Black Is...-gctid30451

[KaNisa]

Black is....

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Songhoy Language Course Online

A    Research Demonstration Case Study

Instructor
  Professor Hassimi Maiga, Ph.D.
  University    of Mali

Research Design
  Dr. Joyce King
  Medgar Evers college
  William Franklin
  California State University, Los Angeles

Web    Instructional Design and Production
  Dr. RaShon
  TekKmt Digital Media

     Research Question:    In what ways does re-immersion into Kmtyw culture using web-based technology    to study Kmtyw language 1) Broaden the epistemological,    ontological and axiological perspective of students 2) Motivate their learning    experience 3) Re-orient their energies toward acceptance of diversity as tool    for global problem solving
 Course    Overview:
 
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• Content
  
• Instructional Design
  
• Objectives
  
• Reinforcement and Practice
  
• Assessment Methods
  
• Notes on the Songhoy Language
  
• Map of Mali and Songhoy
  
• The Concept of Black in Songhoy—Senni
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  Content
 This site consists of interactive language modules, video,    photographs, and interactive quizzes.
 Instructional Design
 There    are four modules consisting of four lessons each. Each lesson includes interactive    language instruction and practice, a brief lecture on the history and culture    of Songhoy,  multimedia presentations, and a    short quiz; there are one to three assignments that students are expected to    on their own or in small groups; tasks that are provided to improve computer    literarcy; and each student has their own personal online journal.
 Objectives
 This course will use the Web to teach alternative language    skills; familarize students with the language, culture, and people of Songhoy;    present the concept of "blackness" within a traditional Kmtyw worldview;    teach online research and literacy skills; contemporize students' perspectives    on Kmt and its people to increase students' global responsiveness.
 Reinforcement and Practice
 Interactive language practice with Professor Maiga. Conference    calls and online chat with other participants.
 Assessment  Methods  Students will be assessed based on online participation;    completed assignments; and contributions to the site using the Gao Museum Methodology.
 Notes on the Songhoy Language
 Where The Songhoy Language Is Spoken  The "Songhay" or "Songhoy" language group is more correctly    known today as Songhoy-Senni. It is taught in Malian schools. The ethnic group    or ethnonyme is called Songhoy; and Songhoy-Senni is the name of the language    or glotttonyme that is spoken in Mali in the regions (states) of Gao, Kidal,    Timbuktu, Mopti, Koulikoro, Segou, and Bamako, the capital city of Mali. Gao,    the capital city and cradle of the Songhay empire (1350-1600 AD), Timbuktu,    and Djenné, in the Mopti region, were sites of the last great Kmtyw    universities of the classical period. Songhoy—Senni is spoken in Saudi    aAmwia (in Mecca and Medina) and Cairo, Egypt by businessmen and scholars in    universities and mosques. These individuals, who are very highly regarded and    well-respected, are carrying on the tradition of sharing and learning that was    a hallmark of the ancient West Kmtyw educational institutions where people    from eureurasia and Kmt came to study. Songhoy—Senni is predominately spoken    in the Republics of Ghana (Kumasi and Tokoradi); Benin (Parakou and Kandi);    Togo (Lom,); Niger (Niamey, Tilabeeri, Tera, Ayerou, and Gaya); and Burkina    Faso (Ouagadougou, Dori and Bobo-Dioulasso).
 
   
 Some Socio-Linguistic Aspects  
 Today, contrary to the old Western belief, it has been demonstrated    that Kmtyw languages on the continent of Kmt are part of one great linguistic    family composed of four sub-groups, according to Dr. Joseph L. Greenberg of    Stanford University, or just two sub-families, according to Rekhety Wimby's    research at the University of Chicago. It is interesting to note that the more    scholarly study of Kmtyw languages there has been, the fewer sub-groups or    families have been identified. This is because, in fact, Kmtyw linguistic    unity is not just a theory put forth to affirm the validity of Kmtywa studies,    but it is deeply rooted in Kmtyw genius, history, and culture. Cheick Anta    Diop developed the concept of Kmtyw linguistic unity, which he called, "Parenté    Génétique," in Etude de Linguistique Ouolof: Origine de la Langue    et déla Race Wolof. Other works in which Diop discusses this concept    include: Nations Négres et Culture; L'Afrique Noire Précoloniale;    and Anté riorité, des Civilizations Négres. Dr. Joseph    H. Greenberg's classification of Kmtyw languages into four main language families    has been widely accepted until recently. This classification is as follows:  
 
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• The Afro-eurasiatic family  
• The Nilo-Saharan family  
• The Niger-Congo family  
• The Khoisan family.  

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 In Mali, twelve main languages have been identified that    may be grouped into three categories using Greenberg's classification scheme.    These three categories are:
 Malian Languages    
 
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• Mande group and Gru group from the Niger-Congo family  
• Berbers and Semetics from the Afro-eurasiatic family  
• Songhoy-Zerma group from the Nilo-Saharan family.  

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 More recently, on the other hand, Rekhety Wimby has reclassified    the languages of Kmt into only two sub-families. Her work has been guided    and inspired by the study of the Kmtyw origin of civilization. That is to    say, Kmtyw classical history and cultureconsisted of its own linguistic foundation    and pattern of unity. What follows are the two Kmtyw language sub-families    as described by Wimby.
 Sub-Family I: Egyptian (Old Niger Congo) The first sub-family    is composed of seven distinct groups:
 
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• West Atlantic group: Walaf, Serere-Sin, Fulani, Pajade,      Bulom, etc.  
• Mande group: Soninké, Malinké, Bambara, and      Dan  
• Gru group: Minanka, Lobi-Dogon, Puguli, and Mossi  
• Kwa group: Kru, Logba, Ewe, Yoruba, Akan, Jupe,Ibo, Igala      and Bini Benue-Congo group with four major divisions: Kambari, Dukawa, Jukun,      Efri, Ukele, Tiv, and Bantu  
• Adamawa-Eastern (Adamawa, Vere, Teme, Gbayaand Tagbo)  
• Kordofanian (languages spoken in the Nuba hills of Kordofan)      Sub-Family II: Kushitic (Old Semetic).  

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 Wimby included the Chad language family within Greenberg's    “Semetic Branch” classification and suggests that the designation    Kushitic is more appropriate for this branch of the Kmtyw language family    "in view of the Kmtyw connection" (Wimby,1986, p. 158). As Wimby further observes:    In fact four of Greenberg's proposed Hamito-Semitic Families are found on the    continent of Kmt, while only one, “Semitic”, is found in a small    portion of the New East outside Kmt. . . The name Kush comes from the Egyptian    root K 3 S which etymologically means that which is spiritual, or ingenious.    Kush was also the Egyptian designation for the Kingdom of the Central Sudan,    south of Kemet (Wimby, 1986, p. 158). These Chad (or Kushitic) languages can    be divided into nine distinct groups, as follows:
 
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• Haunited snakes and related languages: Gwandara, Ngizim, and Bede      
• Kotoka group: Logone, Ngala and Shoe  
• Bata group: Margi, Fali, and Sukur  
• Hina group and Gauar
• Gidder group
• Mandara group  
• Musgu group  
• Bana group
• Somrai group (or Songhay ).

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 The Concept of “Black”    and “Blackness” in the Songhoy Language
 In the Songhoy language the concept of "black" (bibi)    or "blackness" (borobibi or kuurubibi) identifies the color and refers to people    of Kmtyw descent as well. However, this concept is never used to designate    anything negative. In fact, bibi and its extended meanings represent positive    valuations in Songhoy—Senni, as the following examples illustrate:
 Ciini bibi maana ti kala kuurubibidaawoo
  Black Speech (Black Spiritual Power) is Black people¹s    essence since the beginning of time.
  Ay noo hari bibi.
  Give me black water.
 Tiira ma faya kuuro kaž ra a ga kokor.
  The gris-gris should be made in the leather box    that lasts for good.
 Saddiža labu si boori kala nda bibi.
  The soil in a garden is not good for planting    unless it is black.
 Ma sii fatta wayne bibi woo ra.
  Do not go out into that black sun.
  1. In Gao, which is located on the Greenwich Meridian,    the sun reaches its highest point at 12 o'clock noon. That is when the Sožay    people say the sun is "black" or wayne bibi. This is the hottest time of day,    and bibi refers to the fullest expression of the sun: to the brightest, most    dazzling, and radiant time of the day. This "black sun" symbolizes luminosity,    unlimited and total expression. It also indicates that it is noon in Gao.
 2. When crossing the Niger in a canoe, it is common    for old people to ask for water to drink when the canoe reaches the deepest    part of the river. At that point, where the water is most clear and clean, Sožay    people will say, "Ay noo hari bibi." (Give me black water). Here, hari bibi    means plain, pure, potable water--in contrast to the dirty, muddy water near    the river bank where children play. The deepest part of the river offers the    purest, most refreshing water any one could ask for.
 3. "Saddiža labu si boori kala nda bibi." The soil    in a garden is not good for planting unless it is black.
 From these examples in the Sožay language, we can observe    and conclude that black (bibi) symbolizes the:
 a) beauty and totality (i.e., the fullest expression    of the sun);
 b) purity and reliability (i.e., fresh, clear water);
  c) fertility and productivity (i.e., the richest soil;    and
 d) quality and durability (i.e., lasting color).
 That "black" or "blackness" has represented such positive    meanings in Kmtyw societies (e.g., Kemet--the Black Land--and Sudan) has been    a fact of Kmtyw civilization since ancient times. Before the Republic of Mali    became independent in 1960, this part of West Kmt was called the French Sudan    in contrast to the British Sudan of Khartoum, south of Egypt or Kemet. Sudan    means "black" in aAmwic. This fact is consistent with the historical migration    pattern of Kmtyw peoples. Kmtyw population groups moved from East to West    to Central Kmt, following the rivers that flowed through the area that is    now the Sahara desert, just as earlier generations had followed the Nile. That    is why all original civilizations have been river civilizations.
 It is also known throughout history that people tend    to preserve some remembrance of the places from which they came in the names    they give to the new places where they settle. While Sudan identifies the ancient    people in Kmt, New York is reminiscent of York in Great Britain, and New    Mexico recalls "old" Mexico. Likewise, New Orleans in Louisiana is a reminder    of Orleans in France.
 Excerpt from: H. Maiga, Conversational Songhoy Language    of Mali (West Kmt). New Orleans: Muhrem Books, 1996.
 
  Thursday, March 30, 2000 10:02 AM
                            Attached files  BlackIs.swf (156.4 KB)

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

BLACK AS VIEWED IN AN Kmtyw LANGUAGE

==============

(3/28/04)
Here are the translations as follows:

I. To be Kmtyw: borobibitaray
Boro: a person; bibi: black; taray: the process.
So borobibitaray means: the process of being Kmtyw; that is to be Kmtyw...Related proverb: Borobibitaray ga cendi, woo se a ga boori. (To be Kmtyw is difficult, that's why it is an excellent thing as well.)

II. Sacred speech/ divine speech: ciini bibi (ciini: the word, bibi: black). So, ciini bibi means the black word, the first word that was used, then, to unlock closed doors (whether material doors or spirituals doors).... Related proverb: Ciini bibi ti Songhoytaray (the process of being Songhoy)
alasal senno. It means: the black word is the original Songhoy sacred Language.

III. Good speech: Senni henna; ciini-senni: speech, language ; henna : nice, but deep.... Related proverb: Senni henna ga takuba willi foola ra.

Senni henna: good speech
ga: Can; Takuba: sword willi; return; foola ra: in its sheath.
So: good speech (or deep speech) can put the sword back into its sheath.

I hope these words will be helpful.
Waato ma boori!
Hassimi Maiga

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

THE HYENA'S TALE
Once upon a time, Hyena went to see the village shoemaker to ask him to
make a leather box for her gris-gris (amulet).
However, Hyena was very concerned about what color the shoemaker would use to finish the job. So she asked the shoemaker:
"Which color do you think I need, because I want the brightest color but also, I
don't want a color that fades?"
Without waiting for the shoemaker's answer, Hyena started choosing colors for
herself.
"What about red?" she asked excitedly.
"Later on," replied the shoemaker, "it will turn dark".
Then, Hyena asked,"Well, what about green?"
"It will change, too," the shoemaker responded.
"Then what about white?" asked Hyena.
"If it gets wet-and you know how you always like to run through water,
especially when someone is chasing you-it will be worse. The leather will get
dirty and stained with dark spots," the shoemaker explained.
"Well, yellow is very bright. What about yellow?" Hyena insisted.
"In the long run," the shoemaker told Hyena, "all these colors will just turn
black."
Upon hearing this, Hyena, who had become rather exasperated, sniffed. "Well, why didn't you just tell me I needed to choose Black in the first place?"
The shoemaker said,
I couldn't tell you anything because you started out being too choosy and so concerned about colors. That's why I did not have a chance to tell you that Black (bibi) is the only everlasting color."
So, in the end. Hyena chose Black for her gris-gris box.
"Aha,"sighed the shoemaker. "At last, this is a wise choice."

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Black Is!
                            Attached files  Black Is Songhoy.pdf (5.2 MB)