What the Manjaco Bell Tells Us

The Manjaco people of Western Africa play an iron bell known as the utapi which, according to the gender & age of the individual playing the bell & the mode in which it is used, communicates vast quantities of information concerning social institutions of the Manjaco people. The symbolism which underpins Manjaco society as a whole can be read through the contrasts & contexts inherent in different social roles. For example, the bell in the hands of a young woman or an elderly woman may signify, respectively, fertility & menopause, while the bell in the hands of a man may reflect the individual's capacity for performing rites involving blood. This article traces the bell's function as a transmitter of social custom throughout many categories specific to gender & social position. It also addresses some historical implications through the legacy of the utapi concerning the origins of the Manjaco & their relation to other social groups situated further to the south. 20 References. C. Brunski