On the concept of ‘definitive text’ in Somali poetry

The concept of text is one central to the study of literature, both oral and written. During the course of the Literature and Peformance workshops organized by the AHRB (Arts and Humanities Research Board) Centre for Asian and African Literatures, the word "text" has been used widely and in relation to various traditions from around the world. Here I shall consider the concept of text and specifically what I refer to as "definitive text" in Somali poetry. I contend that the definitive text is central to the conception of maanso poetry in Somali and is manifest in a number of ways. I look at aspects of poetry that are recognized by Somalis and present these as evidence of "the quality of coherence or connectivity that characterizes text" (Hanks 1989:96). The concept of text understood here is, therefore, that of an "individuated product" (ibid.:97). Qualitative criteria both extra- and intratextual will be presented to support this conception.Issue title: Performance Literature II

Perspectives on Recent Work on the Oral Traditional Formula

The history of the study of Oral Literature has been covered well by John Miles Foley in his Introduction to Oral Traditional Literature (1981b), and also in his Introduction to Oral-Formulaic Theory and Research (1985), which includes a monumental annotated bibliography to the subject. I do not intend to recapitulate what he has already done so admirably; all the material is there, and his comments are even-handed and exemplary. There are, however, several general observations which it would perhaps be fitting to make at this juncture in the study of Oral Traditional Literature, which is marked by the inauguration of a new journal devoted to Oral Tradition. Perusing Foley's works just mentioned, one is immediately struck by the number of language traditions and cultural areas in which the "oral theory" is now discussed, and by the diversity of forms and problems included in the study of "oral traditional literature." This is an exciting development; it is also sobering, because it carries with it a mandate to be clear in our notion of what we mean by oral traditional literature.--Page 467.Albert B. Lord (Harvard University, Emeritus) truly needs no introduction for anyone working in the field of oral tradition. His comparative research, especially The Singer of Tales (1960), in effect established the Oral Theory as a method subsequently applied to dozens of different traditions. He is near completion of a sequel to that landmark volume

When orature becomes literature: Somali oral poetry and folktales in Somali novels

The article discusses Somali literature, with particular focus given to the influence of Somali oral poetry and folk tales on modern novels. The difference between the concepts of orature and oral literature is examined, and the history of print and oral literary culture coexisting in Somalia is commented on.Web of Scienc

Banī Halba Classification of poetic genres Teirab AshShareef

The Banī Halba are an Arabic-speaking ethnic group who live in the Southern part of the Darfur Region in the Sudan. They are one of the Baggāra (cattle-rearing) ethnic groups who inhabit a curve-like belt in the Southern Darfur and Kordofan Regions. According to the 1955-56 population census, the last reliable census, their population was about 50,000. The Banī Halba inhabit an area which lies to the southwest of Nyala, approximately between latitudes 11 degrees and 12 degrees N., and longitudes 23½ degrees and 25 degrees E. They have a subsistence economy, the resources of which are animals (mainly cattle with a few goats), land, and hashāb trees, the producers of gum Arabic. The animals are privately owned by individual households, but land is communally owned and everybody has equal access to it. The ethnic group has two sectors-a nomadic sector and a sedentary one. The sedentary sector lives on farming and the nomads migrate south westwards in the harvesting season in search of water and grass for their cattle. They spend winter and summer there and then migrate back to the homeland at the onset of the rainy season. The two main sections of the ethnic group are Awlād Jābir and Awlād Jubāra, each having six main sub sections. This structure is hereditary and each individual is a member of a household. A group of households forms both a social and an administrative unit headed by a sheikh (pl. mashāyikh). A number of sheikhs forms a larger unit headed by a cumda. All the cumad (pl. of cumda) used to owe allegiance to a paramount head, the Nāẓir. The administration of the ethnic group is thus organically linked to its social structure. In 1971, however, the government cancelled the paramount headship and maintained the mashāyikh and cumad. The Banī Halba are Muslims. The different facets of their life and culture are those of a nomadic Muslim Arab community. Kinship is an important social institution in their community and their group consciousness and sense of solidarity are very strong. Moral values such as courage, hospitality, respect for neighbors, and the like are highly regarded. The different aspects of their life and culture are interdependent, and there is a continuous interplay between them.--Introduction

Main Characteristics and Categories of Kenyan Somali Poems: A Case Study of Poems from the Somalis of Garissa County

The study examines the main characteristics and categories of the Kenyan Somali poems with special attention paid to the poems of the Kenya Somalis living in Garissa County. Several aspects of the oral poetry of this community including the content and occasions of performance of the poems are discussed. The study also explores the indigenous classes of the Kenya Somali poetry and suggests some other alternative modes of classification of the poems.  In doing so, the study reveals that poetry, among this community, involves every aspect of the life of the community. Some of the activities specifically linked to oral performances which are discussed in the study include: pastoral duties, courting, wedding ceremonies, child care and clan feuding. The main preposition of the study is that there is a close link between oral poetic composition, performance and community’s way of life. It reveals that, in the Kenyan Somali context, the performance of oral poetry derives directly from the people’s way of life, their everyday experiences in the vast arid environment of Garissa County of Kenya, their nomadic, pastoral activities and their Islamic faith.Based on field material collected from Garissa County of Kenya the study endeavours to interpret the oral poetry from the point of view of the community which owns and consumes the poetry. It attempts to locate the poetry within the geographical and socio-historical context of the Kenyan Somalis of Garissa County.Twenty people including eight poets were interviewed. The respondents were drawn from the six sub-counties of Garissa and seven of them were female, while thirteen were men. Twenty four poems were collected but twelve were analysed.The study adopts a composite approach combing sociological and psychological theories. Keywords: Poem, Somalis, Garissa, Count