The Main Bozo and Bamana Puppets and the Sacrifice Ritual

Abstract

This article presents the description and meaning of some of the main bozo and baman marionettes, such as Yayoroba, Faro spirit, crocodile, hyena, buffalo and some others. The article
is based both on a publication in the Bamana language about the performances of traditional
bozo puppets, and on the testimonies and conversations with Yaya Koulibaly (January — February 2022, Mali). Like masks, puppets are associated with secret societies or secret alliances
that played a dominant role in the lives of the peoples of Mali and Guinea. The entire munden
society is rigidly structured, and the main governing force in it is precisely secret unions or
societies. Today, more and more puppets, as well as masks, go on public display at festivals.
Turning to traditional practices is a new way for Mali, which puts tradition at the service of
building society. Islam has not gone away, but it does not prevent Malians from leading a traditional way of life, which they are proud of, because this is where their values are traced, and this is how they are passed down from generation to generation. Bozo, bamana and Soninke have a lot of various types of puppets: from huge puppets — costumes for several people, to small stringed wooden puppets. They are animals, spirits and people. Their releases are timed to coincide with certain events and represent both closed events for only the initiated and large festivals. At such big holidays, the appearance of marionettes is accompanied by the songs. Some of these songs with translations are presented in the article.

Keywords:

puppets, tradition, bozo, bamana