Ch. 4 (Body Art and Mande Worlds & Upper Niger Quiz)

How is the cicatrization process manipulated to
ensure a keloid scar is produced?

Rubbing substances into the wound to stop it
healing properly

Why can scarification practices in Africa be
considered “Bipolar Ritual Symbols” to use Victor
Turner’s phrase?

Because they often involve the concurrent activation of:
- A Sensory Pole by arousing strong and immediate
bodily sensations
- An Ideological Pole by arousing deeply held social
values and complex conceptual meanings

What is the term used to identify farmers in
Southernwestern Mali who resisted Islam, derived from
the word for ‘pagan’?

Bamana

What is the purpose of Toron palm tree sticks on
the exterior of the Jenne Mosque?

To serve as an in-built scaffolding system for the
annual re-mudding festival

What is the name of age grade society masks
in Mali used to promote and celebrate good
farming?

Ci Wara

What is the job of ‘Griots’ in Mali?

Epic praise singing and storytelling in order to
keep an oral history alive, in place of place of
written records

What is a ‘Boli’ & how is it used by
Bamana secret societies?

A Boli is a sacred object housed in a community shrine that is
treated like an altar. About the size of a small child, they take an
ambiguous and uncertain animal form that stresses that powerful
forces remain opaque and ominious to the uninitiated. Sacrificial
materials create a crusty surface, visualizing that the spiritual
force being honored has been well-fed