The Kumpo is one of three traditional figures (along with ''Samay'', and the ''Niasse'') in the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

of the

Diola The Jola or Diola (endonym: Ajamat) are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout southern Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region. The main dialect of the J ...

people in the

Casamance Casamance is the area of Senegal south of the Gambia, including the Casamance River. It consists of the Lower Casamance (, —i.e. Ziguinchor Region) and the Upper Casamance (, —i.e. Kolda and Sédhiou Regions). The largest city of Casamance ...

(

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

) and in

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. Multiple times in the course of the year, i.e. during the ''Journées culturelles'', a

folk festival A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods. Handicra ...

in the village is organized. The Samay invites the people of the village to participate with the festivity. The ''Kumpo'' is dressed with palm leaves and wears a stick on his head. At the start of the dance, a young lady binds a colored flag on the stick. She dances for hours with the stick and the flag on the head. He speaks a private, secret language and communicates through an interpreter with the spectators.

Social background

The ''Kumpos goal is to encourage the community to act as good villagers. He encourages the people of the village to participate in community life and provides well wishes. The festival is intended as a stimulus for the social community life, and not participating to the feast is seen as anti-social behavior. The whole community is invited and there are performances of rhythmical music and dance. According to the

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

, the Kumpo is not a person, but rather a

ghost In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

. The entity is strongly associated with the bois sacré. It is considered taboo to question the real identity of the Kumpo. It is forbidden to touch the Kumpo, and it is considered

sacrilege Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...

to look inside the palm leaves. To deter possible intruders, he defends himself with his stick by smashing the ground and pointing, making sharp, hazardous gestures. At the end of the celebration, he says goodbye to the community and recedes back into the ''bois sacré''.

Related mythological figures

* Samay * Niasse File:Verwelkoming van Samay en Kumpo in Bagaya.webm, Welcoming Kumpo File:Dans van de Kumpo in Bagaya.webm, Dance of the Kumpo File:Verhaal van de Kumpo in Bagaya.webm, Story of the Kumpo File:Afscheid van de Kumpo in Bagaya.webm, Goodbye {{portal, Traditional African religion, Gambia, Senegal

References

Casamance Jola religion