Talk:Yaya Diallo

The reference to "Conga" is to the instrument, not an ethnic group. The Minianka Tam-Tam is a reference to their version of the Tam-Tam, which I believe is a talking drum, called different things in different parts of Africa (and slightly different in design of both the drum and the beaters used on it).Rosencomet 18:40, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

As to Bamana and Minianka, this was culled from published bios, but my understanding is that the people Yaya's mother came from call themselves Bamana, and they are a part of a wider culture referred to as Miniankan. I believe that calling someone Miniankan may be a bit like calling someone a Hebrew; that is, identifying someone by his/her language even though no one calls themselves a Hebrew (but the term is used that way in literary sources at times); like saying "English-speaking". I'd be happy to hear a more learned person in this field weigh in, though.Rosencomet 18:51, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the great info! To get things exactly right, what Diallo calls "tam-tam" is the hourglass-shaped tension drum that is called "tama" in Senegal, "dundun" in Nigeria, and "donno" in Ghana? Regarding the ethnic groups, what you say makes sense. There is a lot of overlap, partly because many of the groups are identified partly by linguistics, partly by culture, and partly by language. So there are the "real" Soninke, the "real" Mandinka, etc., and then there are the related groups who were subsumed by the more powerful groups and who identify as "Mandinka" but who were originally something else. (It's sort of like what goes on here in America -- or in the old Roman Empire for that matter, I guess! Your personal connection with Diallo is a great help, as some of these things could take some discussion to get just right. Badagnani 22:00, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Wait a minute, "tam-tam" doesn't make sense as "talking drum" if the tension drum is meant, because he already has tama listed. Do you have more description of Diallo's "tam-tam," what it looks like, its size and shape, and how it's played? Badagnani 22:03, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Looks like the Minyanka is a small group of Senufo primarily in southeastern Mali, while Bamana (Bambara) is a very large language group of Mali. Badagnani 22:05, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Oh! This is all explained clearly on p. 8 of The Healing Drum. Figures that sometimes opening a book is better than the entire Internet... Badagnani 22:09, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Fienso question

Can we figure out what Region and Circle of Mali Diallo's birthplace of Fienso is in? Badagnani 22:07, 28 August 2006 (UTC)