Page 28 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

t h e G h a n a E m p i r e

would guarantee that plenty of rain would fall on the region and that
there would be lots of gold.
The new kingdom was called Wagadu, and its capital was Kumbi
Saleh. It prospered under the rule of Diabe Cissé and his descendants,
who were known by the title of maghan. The descendants of Diabe
Cissé, and the descendants of the four fado, or commanders of the
provinces, were recognized as the aristocratic clans (the clans with
the highest social position) of the Soninke. These aristocratic clans
were collectively called wago. That term, and the name of the kingdom,
Wagadu, are probably related. “Wagadu” is a contraction of wagadugu,
which can be translated as “land of the wago.”
Once a year, representatives of the four provinces of Wagadu would
assemble at Kumbi Saleh to participate in the virgin sacrifice to Bida,
the guardian serpent. This ceremony was the annual renewal of the
agreement between Diabe Cissé and Bida. According to some versions
of the legend, each year a different province was required to supply a
virgin for the sacrifice. If this was actually the practice, it was a custom
that probably helped promote unity in the kingdom.
After an unspecified number of generations passed, a year arrived
when the virgin to be sacrificed happened to be the girlfriend of a young
aristocratic man. When the girl was about to be given to Bida, the young
man leaped forward with his sword and cut off the snake’s head. As Bida’s
head flew up into the sky, it pronounced a terrible curse that from that
time on, no rain would fall on Wagadu and no more gold would be found
there.
Without rain and gold, Wagadu declined and fell into ruin. The
Soninke people moved away and the countryside became a desert.
Some versions of the legend have a final episode that is probably meant
to explain how the Soninke people ended up in other places. It is said that
the people of Wagadu were enraged that the young man killed Bida, the
guardian of the kingdom. He was not a hero, but rather, the villain of the
story. He had destroyed the security and well-being of the entire commu-
nity. To show the importance of the guardian serpent, in some versions of
the legend Bida was included in the royal family tree as an ancestor.
The snake killer had to flee for his life on a fast horse. One of his
relatives, who also had a strong horse, was told to lead the chase. But he
refused to harm his young relative.
The young man hid in a town to the south, at the home of his
mother. When the angry mob caught up with him, his mother offered

2