Short History of The Kankurang
In the West IndiesRossou Museum in Dominica, I read a story about the Kankurangs of Jang Jang Bure by ancient African narrators many many years ago, maybe ex slaves. Legends have explained that the Japanese Ninjas had their lessons and Ninja inspirations from through the Kankurangs of Jang Jang Bure.( the movies have made it mythical) but the have their roots and sources. How can the Japanese copy from Black African?(more on this later, not now). The dressing is the same with the bag pack, same pants looks and strapped lether shoes, the animated flying is the same,the head tie with the pony tail or the peck of birds, the two marchetes on both hands are the same and swift slashing and tonality clapping of the marchetes.They only go to sacerd missions and give their lives for the protection of the community. Japan has a lot of similarities with Africa, especaially South Japan. Africans have been travelling and teaching their craft way before the new generation of Anglo saxon
 invaders arrived on our coast.I do not know if they came or we went but the similarities is worth more study.

THE KANKURANG
Before the official activities of slave traders the Kankurang was just a dancing bird, in dance trying to fly and masked in green leaves, flabbing thier arms as if to fly away.The dance is associated to flying and with this flying came the myth that the Kankurang really does fly.They were the head hunters of the white Europeans slave catchers. When ever there is a slave vessele on the coastline they was a dressed Kankurang. No one kinows who is the Kankurang. There are up to six youths who will dress as one .They have a sequence of voice screaming and sound of cutlasses that are syncopated and sound like one. You will only know of one Kankurang but there are many syncronised as one well coodinated and simulated as one person.This is very confusing and scarey for European slave traders. A governor in the Gambia was smacked by a Kankurang, and the Kankurang was ordered in court. No one appears to answere the charges because no one was The Kankurang. Case dismissed !

The Fang Bondi
In the beginging of the slave trade Mandingo young worriors were the police of their communities. They would freely walked the villages at night looking for kidnapped youth and slaves before they are tared wood from head yto toes floating on their back untill the reach the white man's boat before the climb in a berheaded everyone and come home with the heads. This is why they were called the head hunters and added toi the myth of Gambia the whiteman's grave. It was not only the mosquitoes it was kso the Kankurang.

The Red Jaffo 
The savannah in Africa is mostly rainy and wet and the trees that they know too well for all types of reason all year round and they found the soft wood for making drums, wood for making boats and very soft wood for making wooded learning slates. This is how they came to the discovery of the Jaffo.The tree truck that can be piled and sliced into pieces, woven and they can float on waterand walk for under water for a long period without drowning.The Jarfpo is a red wood pilled from a huge tree and the liquid formation of this tree is deep red. They said that by sucking the juice of the Jarfo makes you high and druck.Before the dressing of the Kankurang the would chew and suck piles of Jaffo and smoke alot of Jamba-dongo untill their eyes were blazing red and no fear in their hearts and mind. The mission tonight is to go out and get some heads.


They have no fear . It was only later, after the slavery that they thought that it ALSO drives evil spirits away. African still believe in good and evil spirits and always believe that a bad spirit lives in a big tree in the middle of the village or the middle of the compound.

In The Gambia the beautiful legend of the Ifangbondi still lives on.

We called our music group Ifangbondi-Meaning bring out yourself.

Oko Drammeh


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