Prince, Enjoy this last postings of yours.But how many Akus came out of the hospitality of the Mandingas and still remain Akus.It is very clear that the Mandingas are the most assimilating folks in our country.You have Njies ,Colleys,Sanyangs,Jattas ,all of them Mandingos,how is this possible,because you are either a Mandingo or a "Nding".Just look at Badibu,after decades of this assimilation process they have become the largest group in this region.This process still continues,two of my brothers wives are Jolas,all of them speak the language but non of their children do speak Jola,in the long run they all will become Mandingos,including their mothers. For Freedom Saiks Malanding, This mail was originally meant to be private to Malanding Jaiteh, but on second thought I think the list should also see it. The relationship between Akus and Mandingoes is deeper than what you think. Whatever the Akus do for a Mandingo, they (the Akus) are only repaying a debt that they owed. The first settlement of the Akus in the Gambia was in Georgetown (Janjangburrah). My great, great grandfather whose name was Sam Coker (Osseh and Pa Abdoulie), was a small-time trader in Georgetown. He gave us the name of the fabric "Samba-Kuka" derived from his name. (I got this one from the late Master Sillah and Pa Ogoo better known as Pa Club). The reception and hospitality that the Akus had, in Georgetown, are somewhat ingrained in the psyche of almost all Akus. The true Akus do not normally distinguish between the tribes, including their own in the Gambia. It has never been in the upbringing of an Aku to see a person from a tribal viewpoint. When people talk about tribalism, you rarely hear them talking about the Aku. They cannot and they should not. To give a good example, at the time of Independence (1965) all, I repeat, ALL heads of department in the entire Gambia were Akus, but it was not Akus that they trained and groomed to take-over from them but the capable and efficient person to do the job. This could be better explained in the domestic environment. If in an Aku home your job is to wash the dishes and you are not doing it to the liking of your elders, that chore will be taken from you and assign to somebody else. Don't think you are off the hook. No way, brother some other chore is waiting for you. Be it pounding the pepper or sweeping the compound or whatever there is to do. Until it is discovered what your forte is, then that is what they will allow you to do. Hei, I am deviating. The relationship between Mandingoes and Akus that you mentioned is of another level. My point about the "Ndingo" suffix is simply generally. When a Mandingo calls an Aku "N'Na Aku Kebba" they are surely not talking about me. To some of my friends like Lamin Juwara, Kemeseng Jammeh, Modou Jarjusey and most of the class of '64, I will forever be an "Aku-Ndingo". If I am not that to them, then something must be wrong. These are some of the my Mandingoes peers and mentors who are responsible for whatever you think of me. If you think that I am a failure, the blame is partly on them. If you consider me a success, the glory is partly theirs. One more note: Malinding, you nearly ruined my birthday gathering today when I read your posting asking Jabou for the recipe of "Domoda with Curry". I know Gambian women are very inventive in substituting our local condiments with what they have, but "Domoda with Curry" is really a super invention. I had to wait until my guests were finished with eating, then I told them about it. The laughter was the loudest we had today. I am sure Jabou will publish the recipe on the List. My wife is not a Gambian but she could cook Domoda and her first curiosity was "What is curry doing in a GOOD Domoda?" I would really like to taste that. So Jabou, let's get the making of this super dish. Hamadi Banna, I hope this reply answers your question. Cheers Prince Coker ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________________________________________ Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------