Some interesting history but I must say that to modern mandingoes, the Akus
were the only group that earn themselves the title of Kebba. "N'na Aku
Kebba".
I am told by an uncle that the Akus were very generous to young mandingo
migrant laborers in then pre-independence Banjul. Not only were they host of
the Mandingoes they were employers too. As a result most "affluent"
Mandingoes in say Baddibu will all have their Fulla Nding'o, Suruwa (wollof)
Nding, Joloa Nding and Aku Kebba or Aku Musa Kebba!
Nice to see Gambia-L talking history.
Malanding Jaiteh
----- Original Message -----
From: "Prince Obrien-Coker" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2000 1:22 PM
Subject: Gambians In History - The Answers
> Gambia-L,
> On Monday I posted a two-question quiz and promised that I will post the
> answers today. Well, the fact that no one responded to the question on the
> list said a lot. Those who responded by private mail, I am sorry to say
that
> they were centuries of the mark. Pa Small may have been to the United
> State in the 30's or 40's but Granny Ann Lusack, the grandmother of
Malamin
> Janneh, Eric Janneh and the rest was there in 1917. Compared to my
question,
> these dates could be considered very, very recent. The fact is Gambians
were
> going to the U.S. centuries before. My first question was:
> 1.) Who was the first Gambian ON RECORD to have gone VOLUNTARILY to
America
> and when was that?
> In the above question, by the phrase "ON RECORD" , I meant something that
is
> easily verifiable. I intentionally did not say the UNITED STATES because
> this person went there before the "Declaration of Independence", The
answer
> to question 1 is, and I quote from a book:
> "In 1772 . the governor of Georgia issued a certificate to Fenda Lawrence,
a
> free black woman and heretofore a considerable trader in the river Gambia.
> [who] hath voluntarily come to be and remain for some time in this
> province." The certificate gave Miss Lawrence permission to "pass and
> repass unmolested within the said province on her lawful and necessary
> occasions."
>
> The answer to Question 2 is "Gullah Jack and Mingu Harth" of Denmark
Vesey's
> gang. The fact that these two were Gambian is more a conjecture than a
> documented fact. It is stated by pure analogy. The two were, of course,
> Africans and were said to be inseparable and they were very fond of
calling
> people "Little or Small". Everybody in their eyes was "small or little",
and
> no matter how old you are. The historians then found out that the
Mandingoes
> were and are the only people in the world who make such an appellative
> distinction. The wise guys went further to explain that the habit came
from
> the time when the Mandingoes were lords and masters in West Africa, if you
> think of those mighty empires. And since it is only the Mandingoes who
> talked like that and these two were Africans therefore they must have been
> Mandingoes, and if the Gambia is a Mandingo country and a final departure
> depot therefore they are GAMBIANS. As a Gambian this conclusion first
made
> me laugh, but upon thoughtful reflection one has to agree with these wise
> guys. Today, Jammeh as President of the Gambia, he is still a
"Jola-Ndingo"
> to the Mandingoes. My father who died in 1957 was an "Aku-Ndingo" to his
> compatriots. No matter how old you are, if you are not a Mandingo you are
> "Ndingo". "Suruwah-Ndingo", Fula-Ndingo, etc. My concordance with these
wise
> guys does not in any way authenticate their assumption.
>
> The confirmation of Question 1 and the story of question 2 could be found
in
> a book that every black person or person interested in black history
should
> read. It is not a book that tries to "score points" for black people, but
a
> book that is only trying to set the records straight. It is in this book
> that I read the most moving Lord's Prayer. It Says:
> OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN
> THE WHITEMAN OWE ME ELEVEN, AND PAY ME SEVEN,
> THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE,
> AND IF I DIDN'T TOOK THAT, I WOULDN'T HAVE NONE.
>
> I learnt also that a black man by the name of Matthew Henson was actually
> the one who found the North Pole. In fact, 25 minutes before the one we
are
> made to think is was the founder.(Prairie?)
>
> The book I am talking about is call "BEFORE THE MAYFLOWER" - The History
of
> The Negro in America - 1619 to 1964, by Lerone Bennett, Jr.
> ISBN 87485-029-0 for hardcover and
> ISBN 0-14-02.0856 9 for paperback
>
> I am sorry for this long explanation.
>
> Cheers
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
> To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
> Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
>
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>
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