in the treaty demanding the capture of escaped
Africans, keeping white men on her land, and
fighting alongside the British.
Serie McDougal IIISeealsoMaroon Communities; Obeah; Resistance to
Enslavement
Further Readings
Gottlieb, K. (2000).The Mother of Us All. Trenton, NJ:
Africa World Press.
Monteith, K., & Richards, G. (2002).Jamaica in Slavery
and Freedom:History,Heritage and Culture.
Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies
Press.
Price, R. (1996).Maroon Societies:Rebel Slave
Communities in the Americas. Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press.
Zips, W. (1999).African-Caribbean Freedom Fighters in
Jamaica. Princeton, NJ: Marcus Wiener Publishers.
N’DOMO
The termN’domorefers to a mask that is used for
one of the initiation rites of the Bamana people of
Mali. It is believed that the Bamana were at one
time matrilineal; however, since the emergence of
Islam in Mali, they have been a patrilineal society
like that of the Dogon and Mandinka communi-
ties in the same region of West Africa. Most
Bamana villages are no more than 1,000 people.
The relationship between father and son is a core
axis of value in the Bamana household; therefore,
the process of initiation, despite Islam, remains
one of the central facts of Bamana life. This bond
between father and son influences the clan name
given to the son, the wealth of the family, the
child’s education, the identity of the child within
the larger Bamana society, and the inheritance of
status in the family. This entry describes Bamana
culture, the role of blacksmiths in the creation of
the N’domo masks, and the function of the
N’domo initiation rites in the society as a whole.
N’domo is important because it represents one
of the stages through which the child must pass
to become a full member of the community. The
leader of this community comes from one of the
clans that make up the village. All members of the
society trace their lineage back to the first male
ancestor. Given that the society is organized along
age lines, all initiation rites, including the N’domo
rites, are important to maintain order and civic
duty. Every person between 6 and 30 must be
accorded a role and status in the society. Knowing
one’s role and one’s status helps to maintain the
discipline necessary in the village. Thegwa, or
family group, is the unit that grows rice, sorghum,
peanuts, melons, and millet. Eachgwahas respon-
sibilities for the fields and their goats, sheep, cat-
tle, and fowl. A young boy grows up learning that
he must participate in the society at some level
during his youth and, furthermore, that the initia-
tion ceremonies will be part of his membership in
the society. Becoming an initiate of N’domo car-
ries with it the burden of learning how to master
the various aspects of the society. Because the
youth have been initiated into the knowledge that
is essential to maintain the community, the village
is able to sustain itself.
The Bamana have several castes, the most
important of which are the farmers and the arti-
sans. Thenyamakalaw, or blacksmiths, form the
largest caste. They play an essential role in agri-
culture because they make the farm tools and
instruments. They are said to be descended from
the Mali Empire technologists. The blacksmiths,
callednumuw, are special sculptors called on dur-
ing the N’domo rites; they gain their power from
Nyama, the energy that animates the universe,
and they are considered the “handlers” of this
power. They are therefore important in the initia-
tion process. People in this caste are often feared
because they make the masks that others use for
ritual occasions. Indeed, it is believed that they
have magical powers. Women of the nyamakalaw
clan are usually potters, whereas boys learn to
sculpt, carve, and invent objects for use by the
village. A boy might work with his father for as
many as 10 years, operating the bellows, then
carving wood, and then finally using the forge.
It is the interaction of the numuw and the
culture that produces the N’domo masks. Bamana
ideas of art are found in many other West African
communities because the blacksmiths in one coun-
try may learn from something being done in
another. Hence, there are similarities among theN’domo 443